Schizophrenia Essay

Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that places considerable burden on the individuals who have it, their families, and society (Eack 2012). Someone who has schizophrenia may have the following symptoms, but not all: faulty perceptions, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation (Oxford Dictionary). The two most commonly used interventions are drug and family intervention. Often times patients with a

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.

Elyn Saks, expert in mental illness, once said, “The schizophrenic mind is not much split as shattered. I like to say schizophrenia is like a walking nightmare” (Saks). Being affected by schizophrenia is not just a walk in the park; it damages and then destroys the victim’s ability to think. One can define schizophrenia as an illness that affects and damages a human’s brain. Schizophrenia affects victims in many different ways: mentally, physically, and socially.

When a person has schizophrenia many of their abilities are going to be compromised. Some of those abilities are that they may not be able to think clearly, manage their emotions, or have the ability to be able to make decisions (National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], 2018). With the person not being able to have these specific abilities, they may seem like they are not in touch with reality. This mental illness is not as common as many of the other ones are (National Institute of Mental Health [NIH], 2016). This mental illness affects about 1% of Americans which equals out to be around 2.4 million adults (NAMI, 2018). With that being said many people may not know much about what schizophrenia is and how a personality develops in a person

The mental health of individuals living with schizophrenia not only depends on the severity of their mental illness, it also depends on their inclusion within their community (Michael, 2012). Despite recent advances and treatment, individuals suffering from schizophrenia encounter a considerable stigma that creates barriers to them receiving adequate treatment which in turn hinders their full integration into society (Morgan, 2003). The conceptualization of stigma was explored (Goffman, 1963) as an attribute which is deeply socially discrediting and makes the person carrying the stigma different from others and of a less desirable kind (Goffman, 1963 pg 13). However, the individual experiencing schizophrenia is not solely the person affected by stigmatization. Stigma is also believed to affect the individual’s social network, including family, friends and mental health and social care professionals. However (Sayce, 2000), building on the work of Goffman’s theory, saw stigma as driving stereotypes or negative views, attributed to a person, marginalising the person from receiving adequate treatment. Much research has been conducted to aid understanding of stigma, through studying public attitudes and beliefs.

Schizophrenia is an 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 media. According to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), schizophrenia is diagnosed if the patient experiences delusions, hallucinations, and/or disorganized speech for more than a month. Delusions include, but are not limited to, the belief you are going to be harassed or harmed, belief environmental cues are directed at oneself, belief

Schizophrenia is a brain disease; Schizophrenia’s main problem is with insanity. What is Insanity? Webster’s dictionary states it as “A deranged state of the mind occurring as a specific disorder (as Schizophrenia) (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 646).” The definition of insanity is closely related to schizophrenia described as a disorder. When having schizophrenia one's behavior and thinking change dramatically. One’s behavior might contain several signs as loss of personal contact, social withdrawal, diminution of appetite, depletion of hygiene, delusions and hallucinations are just to name a few. Individuals with schizophrenia many times have no outward appearance of looking ill. In another case, a paranoid schizophrenic would

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 a severe mental disorder of the brain. Schizophrenia also has the most negative stigma attached to it as well. People who view schizophrenia in a negative aspect, tend to think that schizophrenic people are all violent and unpredictable (The Leap Institute, 2013). This is not always accurate because schizophrenic symptoms vary in drastic ways. The common symptoms of schizophrenia are hallucinations, hearing voices, paranoid thoughts, anosognosia (poor insight), confusion, forgetfullness, unfocused, and isolation/withdraw from others. The more negative symptoms are a decreased motivation,  lack of energy,  and lack of facial expressions (The Leap Institute, 2013).

One’s physical well-being and one’s mental well-being are two very different things. Someone who appears to be perfectly healthy may be struggling internally, and someone who has many medical problems may be slap happy. However, sometimes these worlds can collide. People suffering from the disease Schizophrenia are battling for not only their mental health, but also their physical health.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that is affecting people’s lives every day. There isn’t a cure for this disorder and it is lifelong. Schizophrenia can affect a person’s thoughts, emotions, and actions. People with this disorder can have a hard time figuring out what is real and what isn’t real. A common side effect to schizophrenia is hallucinations and delusions. Another common side effect is social withdrawal, which means that they avoid social interaction. Patients with schizophrenia undergo lots of medications, therapies, and are taken to specialists to get help.

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 word that, when brought up, can be paired with associations such as unstable people, people that hear voices, or social isolation. Schizophrenia literally means “split brain” because of the severe mental disturbances that cause a person's thoughts, speech, and behavior to become distorted or interrupted. (Veague) According to the National Institute of Mental Health, only one percent of the population world wide and 2.2 million people in the United States are currently living with this disease. UXL Complete Health Source states that Schizophrenic patients tend to not be capable of understanding signals they receive from the outside world and interpret images or conversations very different from what they really are. I believe

Schizophrenia is a disorder that is characterized by incredibly impaired cognitive processes, personality disintegration, mood disturbances, and a withdrawal from society (Sue et al., 2014). There are many different causes for this disorder, and research has been done to support these claims over time.

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe brain disorder which causes people to have odd thoughts, disturbed emotions and motor abnormalities (Carpenter, 2015). It is usually followed by psychosis, disconnecting from reality. People sometimes hear thoughts; some may think others are plotting against them. Even though individuals with schizophrenia have split personalities, it does not mean they are violent or dangerous. Schizophrenic people do not make sense when they speak. Approximately 1 of every 100 people in the world suffers from schizophrenia during his or her lifetime (Lindenmayer & Khan, 2012). An estimated 24 million people worldwide are afflicted with this disorder, 2.5 million people in the United States (NIMH, 2015). This disorder tends to affect people in the lower levels of the social economical classes. It is called having a downward drift by which having schizophrenia can cause someone to function poorly and go from a high to low social economical level. People with schizophrenia often rely on families and their environments for help them daily with daily tasks (NIMH, 2015). Schizophrenia causes symptoms: positive, negative, and psychomotor. Current treatments for schizophrenia are the second generation antipsychotic.