Schizophrenia: A Possible Etiology?

(Salinger 173). Holden has molded his life around this fantasy and fails to realize that

Over the last few decades Schizophrenia has become embedded in mainstream vernacular as any behavior or emotional response that is out of touch with reality. However even with its popularity heightened through movies and headline news stories, schizophrenia is still one of the most enigmatic and least understood disorders of the brain. With current research focused on the role of neurobiology and functioning on a cellular level, investigative analysis has merited new innovations towards its source, however a single organic cause for the disorder still eludes scientists. Although the foundation of the affliction is still unknown, its effects are well documented and over the next few pages will show the changes in the brain as the disease

This article discusses schizophrenia and in general, mental illness. Mac Mcclelland who is the author of this article, writes about the struggle of having a mental illness and what it means to try and get the help you need. The author first tells a story of Houston, a young adult who suffered a psychotic break and was not diagnosed with schizophrenia until he had already killed his father. Houston could not control his delusions and due to the law, there was nothing he or his parents could have done to prevent it. Mcclelland then goes into deep detail into just how the system works and how far we still need to go before it is anywhere near sufficient.

Socially the term Schizophrenia has a certain caricature about it that society has turned into a very serious social stigma. Many associate the disorder with criminals, nut houses, and extreme uncontrollable violence. Schizophrenia is portrayed in literature, and in movies so horrendously negative that those who experience symptoms of this very serious mental disorder can be in a stage of denial that can ultimately cause them to go undiagnosed, that is until something goes wrong. In spite of myths and portrayals in pop culture schizophrenia is sometimes viewed as split personality, but the root of the word comes from the Greek word schizo and phrene which loosely translates into split mind (Internet Mental Health Initiative 2010).

Schizophrenia, one of the severest forms of mental illness, affects 1.0% of the world’s population. In the U.S. approximately 3.2 million adults or 1.2% of the population in a given year have Schizophrenia ("MentalHelp.net," 2009). It causes disabilities across numerous realms of normative life, including attaining vocation, finding a mate and attaining quality of life (Guillem, Pampoulova, Rinaldi, & Stip, 2008; Marder & Fenton, 2004; Spaulding et al., 1999). The cost of the illness to society is estimated to be $62.7 billion dollars (Wu et al., 2005). The cost of the severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) to the state of Ohio is so

Schizophrenia is a class of mental disorders often symptomatic of a broad spectrum of behaviours which ultimately fail to determine what is real. Some of the symptoms that make up the spectrum of schizophrenia include hallucinations, invalid or illogical beliefs or thought processes, and abnormal social expression. It is worth noting that schizophrenia does not mean multiple personality disorder but rather a separating of mental function and is also rarely diagnosed separately but along with other conditions, such as depression, mania, and anxiety disorders. As to the causes of schizophrenia, both genetic [1] and environmental factors [2] have been found to influence the progress of schizophrenia, but there is still much which is unknown

Schizophrenia is a chronic, complex disorder that causes neurotransmitters to disrupt functional circuits within the brain (7). “Approximately 1% of the population worldwide will develop schizophrenia during their lifetime” (6).

A common mistaken belief is that people with schizophrenia have multiple personalities. Many people confuse schizophrenia with 'split personality' or 'multiple personality disorder' (Lilienfeld et al, 2010). The misunderstanding stems from the meaning of the word schizophrenia, as in Greek it means 'split mind' (Boruck, 2008). In 1990, Carlson proposed “schizophrenia is probably the most misused psychological term in existence” . Vaughan (1977), performed a study which found that 77% of students who registered for introductory psychology classes supported the myth about schizophrenics having a split personality. Although, more recent studies have suggested lower support for the myth as 50% of college students, 40% of police officers and almost 50% of those in the community agreed with the myth (Stuart & Arboleda-Florez, 2001; Wahl, 1987). Not only does this belief occur among the general population but it is also present in scientific journals. For example, Drummer's (2003) medical journal subtitled "The dermatologist's schizophrenic attitude towards pigmented lesions". As well as this, Shastry (1999) wrote in a journal schizophrenia is also known as split personality. Therefore terminological confusion seems to be one reason for this myth being common.

Other biological factors influencing schizophrenia are abnormalities in the brain structure itself. It has been observed with magnetic resonance imaging that individuals affected with schizophrenia have larger ventricles than unaffected individuals. Enlarged ventricles indicate brain tissue deterioration because ventricles are just fluid filled spaces found the brain. Affected individuals have also been observed to have a smaller prefrontal cortex than unaffected individuals. The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for thinking, planning, and making decisions. Therefore, a smaller prefrontal cortex results in

Infamous for its terrifying symptoms and unknown cause, schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that occurs when the brain’s normal equilibrium of glutamate and dopamine are altered. This can happen because of genetic disorders, an unhealthy living environment or pre-existing faulty brain structure or chemical makeup. The symptoms of the disorder include visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions or grandeur, persecution and paranoia, thought disorders and movement disorders. Fortunately, the symptoms of the disease are very treatable through various forms of antipsychotic medication, treatment and rehabilitation.

Once this process is done, the thought, feeling, or action is completed. An altercation or decrease in neurotransmitters at the post-synaptic membrane occurs when there is a neurological condition and can be associated with hallucinations and delusions. There is no other known cause for these two symptoms, only that it is a neurological problem of sensory loss. The cause for depression is the decreased production of serotonin which in return will drop the serotonin levels in the brain. When a person with schizophrenia has the symptom of anxiety it could be due to a decrease in GABA activity.

Schizophrenia is a very serious, long-term disorder that affects about 1% of the world’s population. It affects people anywhere from twenty years old, to forty-five years old. It is known to be one of the most disabling diseases in this age group. Schizophrenia can break down a person’s behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. People who suffer from schizophrenia usually show very inappropriate displays of their actions and feelings. Sufferers have been known to hear voices, even when there is nobody around them. They have problems controlling their thoughts, and sometimes blurt out things that are very inappropriate. This paper will outline the biological, social, and psychological

The Dopamine theory was said to be the cause of schizophrenia, although it has been questioned whether that is true. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter known as the ‘feel good’ chemical. It’s responsible for many vital functions, such as, memory, motor functions, emotion, sensations of pain and pleasure (Sorensen 2015). Initially the theory was proposed that hyperactivity of dopamine transmission resulted in the presentation of positive symptoms (Hill 2001). This founding was believed, as antipsychotic drugs inhibited Dopamine D2 receptors, reducing positive symptoms. In the last decade, studies have found cognitive and negative symptoms are resistant to D2 receptor antagonism thus symptoms have not been treated via prescribed D2 inhibitor medication. Brain imaging studies suggest that negative symptoms ascend from modified prefrontal cortex function. These findings has led to the thought of altered dopamine stimulation in the pre frontal cortex might be contributing to cognitive disturbances and negative symptoms (Laurelle, Kegeles and

Schizophrenia is one of the most known mental disorders. Schizophrenia effects leaves whole families devastated and other lives affected that has interaction with the carrier of the disorder. The causes of this mental disorder are multi-factored because there are a lot of things that could impact the cause of schizophrenia. Genetics is a big factor in contributing to the causes of the disease, but it is not the only reason that the disorder present. The environment also plays a major role in contributing to the consequences in schizophrenia . An observation on environmental factors was stated that when it was shown that fetal hypoxia, an environmental insult, was associated with decreased

Studies are conducted for the preliminary findings in the development of the brain through neuroimaging studies, such as magnetic resonance imaging, tomography, and in this way assess the alterations of the brain and compare them with healthy patients. It is said that schizophrenia can have its origin in the alteration of the cerebral development during the embryonic brain development, there is also a family history and it has been discovered by the neurotransmitters are responsible for the neurons to communicate with each other, if there is an alteration in this Place can lead to