NHSI Methodology

There are many different mental illnesses, but schizophrenia is one of the least understood illnesses. Since schizophrenia is one of the least understood illnesses and has many different causes that make it harder for doctors to try and treat the illness, especially if it is not detected early. Just like any other serious illness, schizophrenia is critical to one’s functioning of life if not treated early on, which is why research on schizophrenia is so important. Additionally, schizophrenia is a serious, and complex illness that needs to be studied more in depth. Moreover, the longer schizophrenia is left untreated the more cognitive and social functioning begins to slowly diminish. (Santosh, Dutta Roy, Kundu, 2013). In addition, this social cognitive diminishment can lead to the impairment of the social cognitive ability “Theory of Mind (ToM),” which can make it difficult for one to interact normally with another person (Santosh, Dutta Roy, Kundu, 2013). Theory of Mind (ToM) is a social

According to current research , Schizophrenia is a mental health condition distinguished by vast harm in cognition that place intense limitations on functional recovery (Eack 1). Schizophrenic disorders normally are shown in adolescents or early adulthood and tend to occur in reclusive, isolated individuals ( Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 2). Because schizophrenia is such a problem in society and families, something should be done to help patients and families cope with this disorder (Jungbauer 605). Schizophrenia not only affects the patient , but also the family and community .

Although schizophrenia may come off as an interesting and unique disorder, it also relates to the Emotional, Social, and Intellectual dimensions of Health and Wellness. Schizophrenia is an disorder that affects a person’s ability to think, feel and behave clearly. The emotional dimension of the wellness wheel is described as the ability to understand ourselves and cope with the challenges life can bring. Also, the ability to acknowledge and share feelings of fear, sadness or stress; hope, love, joy and happiness in a productive manner contributes to our emotional wellness. This connects to schizophrenia because when you have this disorder it perceives you to imagine situations that aren’t actually happening. Usually people diagnosed with this

Several exams may be included such as a physical exam or psychiatric evaluation. A doctor or mental health professional checks for symptoms by observing appearance and demeanor, and asks about thoughts, moods, delusions, hallucinations, substance use, and potential for violence or suicide. The doctor may request imaging studies, such as an MRI or CT scan. They may also use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association. A discussion about family history may also be included in the diagnosis, since schizophrenia is primarily

In the world today, there are many illnesses and disorders that affect people each and every day. One illness in particular that is very big in the US and all around the world is Schizophrenia. It is also the most researched topic. A person who is diagnosed with Schizophrenia lives a very different lifestyle than someone who is not. Many people would consider a person with schizophrenia to be “crazy.” Sadly enough, people with this illness do posses symptoms that might come off as crazy or insane. There are many different causes that come along with schizophrenia. A person who is diagnosed may not know it at first but they do later realize that they have some interesting thoughts, depending on the type of symptoms they posses while having this illness. Although the symptoms may be very brutal and causes cannot be controlled, there still is hope and treatments for individuals who have schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia consists of a broad spectrum of diagnostic criteria (both cognitive and emotional dysfunctions) that cause problems in every day functioning (Barlow et al., 2015). This criteria includes the presence of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized/catatonic behaviour, and/or negative symptoms, such as diminished emotional expression (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The prevalence rate of this disorder is estimated to be in the range of 0.2% to 1.5% in the general population (Barlow et al., 2015).

I believe the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5®), 5th Edition is very effective at covering the diagnostics of schizophrenia. The primary features of schizophrenia are delusion, hallucinations, and disorganized speech. They also include grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior. There are several negative symptoms including diminished emotional expression and a sever lack of motivation for a significant amount of time. Although schizophrenia can look like other conditions, a thorough background must be taken of the client concerning the length of time the criterion features have been present and the severity of those features. A drug and alcohol use history should also be included in the assessment.

An analysis of the validity, reliability, practicalities and ethical issues will be covered when referring to the diagnostic classification systems and lastly the demographics and statistics surrounding schizophrenia with reference to age, gender and ethnicity will be thoroughly examined

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) characterizes Schizophrenia as a psychological disorder that is diagnosed using specific criteria that includes five different symptoms (McLean et al., 2014). The criterion requires the diagnosis to include at least two of the following symptoms for at least six months duration: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms (McLean et al., 2014). Diagnosing schizophrenia requires clinicians to follow these rigid guidelines that are meant to be universal (Bauer et al., 2011). However, due to the strict nature of these guidelines, psychologists have questioned how variations in culture might influence the manifestation of

Some issues of reliability and validity of the systems is that they only hold the knowledge that we hold based on psychological description of disorders. Most psychiatric disorders are based on recognised clusters of symptoms and so to classify behaviour without any biological evidence may not be an objective process and may make both systems unreliable. They are valid in the sense that they hold the information that is widespread knowledge about psychological disorders and are useful in recognising conditions. However, many conditions such as schizophrenia have speculation on the causation of symptoms and so the systems only have as much knowledge as we do and do not not include guidance or ability to show markers of condition through biological tests.

Schizophrenia is characterised by hallucinations, delusions, disorganised speech and behaviour, and other symptoms that cause social or occupational dysfunction. these type of symptoms must have been present for six months and have to include at least one month of active symptoms. DSM-5 raises the symptom threshold, requiring that an individual exhibit at least two of the specified symptoms. For example, catatonia will be used as a specifier for schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions such as schizoaffective disorder. This specifier can also be used in other disorder areas such as bipolar disorders and major depressive disorder.

In the first part, chapter 1 introduces Janis Jenkins’(2004) argument that schizophrenia allows for an understanding of cultural views of self, emotions, and social engagements. Schizophrenic experiences are shown to be both extraordinary and very ordinary in terms of how individuals experience them. However it is viewed as very important to keep the two apart since focusing on similarities carries the risk of setting aside the suffering and resilience experienced by those with the illness. On the other hand, there exists a dilemma, since focusing on differences is harmful, as it is a risk that could devalue people with schizophrenia. Jenkins does an exceptional job of highlighting the extraordinary and ordinary in schizophrenia and contributes equal attention to the prevention of playing down insights of schizophrenics and negative views that paint them as emotionally empty humans.

The DSM-5 recognizes Schizophrenia as a serious psychiatric disorder characterized by positive (e.g. hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking) and negative symptoms (e.g. catatonia, limited emotion expression) (APA, 2013).The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia is 1% worldwide (APA, 2013). According to a longitudinal population cohort study the annual incidence rate of schizophrenia in Netherlands is 22 per 100,000 person years (Sutterland et al., 2013).

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that has been widely studied. Trudy Meehan and Malcolm MacLachlan, in the article “Self Construction in schizophrenia: A discourse analysis”, seek to shed light on the topic of self-construction in those with schizophrenia. The main issue they are addressing is whether or not using the discursive model of self-construction will provide a better and more accurate way of analyzing how people diagnosed with schizophrenia construct self as opposed to using only the dialogical model of self.

A quote by Emilie Autumn shares insight of what having this illness is like “Oh, and I certainly don't suffer from schizophrenia. I quite enjoy it. And so, do I.” This quote shows that patients who suffer from schizophrenia often hear voices in their head, telling them what is right and wrong. Schizophrenia is characterized as a long-term mental disorder, involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, as well as a withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion. In more general terminology it is a chronic mental disorder in which a person loses touch with reality, often referred to as psychosis. An analysis of an individual