Schizophrenia And Its Effects On Mental Health

There are certain criteria for diagnosing schizophrenia. Four of the criteria are having delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, or grossly disorganized behavior. Another criterion of schizophrenia is that the hallucinations and delusions must be persistent for at least six months (American Psychiatric Publishing). There are four different types of schizophrenia: paranoid, disorganized, catatonic and undifferentiated (Rathus

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects one to two percent of people worldwide. The disorder can develop as early as the age of five, though it is very rare at such an early age. (3)) Most men become ill between the ages of 16 and 25 whereas most women become ill between the ages of 25 and 30. Even though there are differences in the age of development between the sexes, men and women are equally at risk for schizophrenia. (4) There is of yet no definitive answer as to what causes the disorder. It is believed to be a combination of factors including genetic make-up, pre-natal viruses, and early brain damage which cause neurotransmitter problems in the brain. (3)

The person I chose came from a famous novel and has schizophrenia. According to Mayo Clinic “Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior. Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not a split personality or multiple personality. The word "schizophrenia" does mean "split mind," but it refers to a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking. Schizophrenia is a chronic condition, requiring lifelong treatment.”(Schizophrenia, August 2014). The individual would start showing signs of reduced pleasure in life, difficulty participating in activities, barely speaking,

In some people, schizophrenia appears suddenly and without warning” (HELP GUIDE). This would be considered an acute onset. “For most though, the onset comes slowly with subtle warning signs and a gradual decline in functioning long before the first severe episode.” (HELP GUIDE). This on the other hand is considered chronic onset.

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that inhibits a person’s ability to think clearly, manage their emotions, make their own decisions, and associate with others. It is a complicated, long term illness that affects one percent of Americans. Even though Schizophrenia can occur at any age, it is more common for men in their early twenties and early twenties to late thirties in women. It is possible to lead a happy, fulfilling life with Schizophrenia. (Nami 2016)

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects an estimated 3.2 million people in America alone (Nemade). Often, people have scattered reactions when they hear the word “schizophrenia.” Some may associate this word with uncontrollable actions that could potentially cause harm to those around them. People may think of serial killers, rapists, or any form of negative archetype seen in the the media. According to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), schizophrenia is characterized by a patient experiencing delusions, hallucinations, and/or disorganized speech for more than a month. Delusions include, but are not limited to, the belief one is going to be harassed or harmed, environmental cues are directed at oneself,

Schizophrenia is an extremely complex mental disorder that has yet to be fully understood. This particular disorder has affected much of the population today, causing many different emotional, physical, and psychological problems in every affected individual. These symptoms include: “distorted thoughts, hallucinations, and feelings of fright and paranoia. Psychiatrists evaluate symptoms, tests, and medical history, and prescribe medications and psychotherapy for treatment” (Kirkpatrick). Schizophrenia affects approximately 2.4 million adults in the United States today (We Live With...). Schizophrenia should be thought of as a neurological disorder with emotional and cognitive symptoms, rather than pure insanity.

Schizophrenia is a common neurobiological disorder, striking approximately 1–2% of the world's population, with the average age of onset between 21 and 27 years (Keefe 2). The term schizophrenia refers to an individual split off from the environment, not to be confused with the splitting of an individual's personality into parts (as with multiple or split personality disorder). Clear definitions in psychology, however, are hardly possible; likewise, one for schizophrenia has been difficult to arrive at because of the fact that there is no single symptom or set of symptoms that

There are many disorders throughout the world that affect people on a daily basis. They are life altering and life changing. They affect how a person can function on a normal level of life.I know, you’re thinking who defines what is normal in life anyway? But for the purpose of understanding schizophrenia; normal is anything that deviates from the socially accepted way of conducting one’s self. The person affected by this disorder is drifting away from reality and, at the same time, drifting away from who they have been their whole life.

While some may understand the concept of not having control over a specific disorder, fewer are able to imagine living with a disorder in which an altered perception of reality is created. “Schizophrenia is, in fact, a class of disorders that causes a distortion of reality to occur to its patients and effects the lives of many individuals to this day (Feldman, 2013). While this may fall into the large mix of other mental disorders, it is truly unlike any other because of the creation of an altered reality. Being the complex disorder that schizophrenia is, it is faced with having much controversy, including gender, and creating the necessary treatments used on its patients to help overcome such a mental disorder.

What is schizophrenia? “Schizo” meaning split, and “phrenia” meaning mind. Schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain that has affected many individuals throughout history. Usually starting in childhood or early adulthood, it is rare for schizophrenia to start after one has reached adulthood. Before schizophrenia was discovered, those with the disorder were considered to be possessed, therefore causing them to be feared or locked up away from those that did not have the disorder. Schizophrenia is chronic and severe, and it affects those diagnosed with it strongly to the point where they cannot function in the real world. They have social issues, hear voices and things that others cannot hear, and feel like others are out to hurt them.

Since we are way too far from “cure”, targeting early intervention and prevention is vital at the current time to prevent social, functional and cognitive deficits. Prepsychotic symptoms include alterations in sleep, cognition, emotion, communication, perception and motivation. Investigators have endeavored to portray the course of prodromal syndrome. Larson et al suggested that first individuals experience negative or nonspecific clinical symptoms such as depression, anxiety, social isolation and social/occupational dysfunction. “Attenuated positive symptoms” (APS) or brief, intermittent APS of moderate intensity follows nonspecific clinical symptoms. The period before the psychotic break, individuals experience more serious APS. During this high risk period individuals experience unusual thoughts, perceptions and altered speech. Prodromal individuals are often adolescents and young adults with subthreshold psychotic features. The way these symptoms affects the emotional, cognitive and social development makes early identification and intervention particularly

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that interferes with a person’s ability to think clearly, manage emotions, decision making, and relate to others. It’s a long-term medical illness affecting 1% of Americans. The causes of schizophrenia include genetics, environment, brain chemistry, and substance abuse. Schizophrenia occurs roughly in 10%of people who have a first-degree relative with the disorder such as a parent or sibling. ("NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness | What is Schizophrenia?," n.d.) “Problems with certain brain chemicals, including neurotransmitters called dopamine and glutamate, may contribute to schizophrenia”.

Schizophrenia is a life-long disorder that affects about one percent of the population (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). The cause of this mental illness is still unclear. Studies have suggested that Schizophrenia does not arise from one factor but from a combination of genetic, environmental, and social factors (Liddle, 1987). People diagnosed with Schizophrenia struggle to deal with a multitude of symptoms that make it difficult to function (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). Antipsychotic medications are a popular treatment of the symptoms of Schizophrenia (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). Research is constantly being done to develop these medications to enhance the quality of life of those diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by a variety of symptoms and the disorganization of feeling and thought. It is an incurable disease whose causes are unknown, yet whose effects are mind and body crippling. (Young, 1988, p.13-14) This topic was chosen because it is interesting to study a disorder that worldwide, is viewed as a classic example of madness and insanity. Another reason of interest is because unlike many illnesses, schizophrenia doesn't have a noticeable pattern and its difficulty to be diagnosed as a disease makes the collection of statistics difficult. It is important to learn more about schizophrenia because a significant numbr of people are affected everyday