Schizophrenia: The Battle Toward Normalcy

Schizophrenia is a disorder that is characterized by a broken thought process and poor emotional responses. Typical symptoms of this disorder include delusions, paranoia, hallucinations, social dysfunctions,

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They may need help completing simple task. Quotation negative symptoms are associated with then disruptions to normal emotions and behaviors. These symptoms are harder to recognize as part of the disorder and can be mistaken for depression or other current conditions. Quotation print the seas US Department of Health, 2010. Print the sea these symptoms include speaking seldomly, lack of motivation, lack of pleasure, and/or the blank expression app on their face, also known as quotation Flat effect. Quotation for cognitive skills can also be linked to schizophrenia. Soon as such as not being able to focus, poor comprehension, and memory problems. Negative symptoms can make it hard for those affected to live a normal

Schizophrenia has many different behaviors and moods with disorders of thoughts and movement (Nimh.nih.gov, 2016). Schizophrenia has three classifications of symptoms, positive, negative, and cognitive. Positive symptoms are psychotic symptoms, usually auditory hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and behavior (Frankenburg, 2015). Other positive symptoms are dysfunctional ways of thinking and disturbed body movements. Negative symptoms are expressed primarily through emotions and behaviors. Negative

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,

People who have this disorder can multiple symptoms leading to the diagnosis. Some symptoms are known as “psychotic symptoms” which includes a break with reality, hallucinations, delusions, or evidence of thought disorder. These symptoms are referred to as positive symptoms because they are so readily available. Negative symptoms, which are less readily observed, include withdrawal from society, the inability to show emotion or to feel pleasure or pain, total apathy, and lack of facial expression (Piotrowski, 2015). People schizophrenia also have senses that typically become enhanced or weakened. It can also be hard to concentrate or difficult to focus on things because their selection and filtering process may become impaired. One of the “psychotic symptom” of Schizophrenia

There are three ways that symptoms of schizophrenia are categorized by; positive, negative, and cognitive. Positive symptoms are psychotic behaviors not generally seen in healthy people. These symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and movement disorders (NIMH). Negative symptoms are associated with disruptions to to normal emotions and behaviors. These symptoms include “flat affect” (reduced expression of emotions via facial expression or voice tone), lack of pleasure in everyday life, lack of ability to begin and sustain planned activities, and reduced speaking. Cognitive symptoms consist of loss of the capacity for very basic human functioning. Symptoms include inability to focus attention, impaired “working memory”, and lack of fundamental individual initiative to do anything (Psychology Today). “It (schizophrenia) has definitely made everything a lot more stressful. It makes it a lot harder for me to be devoted and have the motivation to do basically anything” (Dickey, Madeline).

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.

Depending on what type of schizophrenia a person has can determine the symptoms that they have. “The symptoms can be put into three categories which are positive symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). Schizophrenia can have positive symptoms which consist of hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders that can be seen in healthy individuals. Negative symptoms are constant disruption of normal behavior along with emotions. Then, the cognitive symptoms which are difficult to recognize and a majority of the time tests has to be run to determine what symptoms or what type of schizophrenia that individual has.

Schizophrenia is a disease process that is characterized by periods of irrational behavior, emotional changes, and distorted views of reality. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, this illness affects about one percent of the population. In the past, the general belief about schizophrenia was that it was untreatable and that all patients with this disease needed to be institutionalized. Although that could still be a viable option in isolated cases of extreme psychosis, most patients nowadays use a combination of individual or group therapy and pharmacological therapy to reduce and control their symptoms. As a result, these patients are able to adapt and learn to live with this illness.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder characterized by the breakdown of the thought processes, of emotional responsiveness and of contact with reality. The term schizophrenia itself means “fragmented mind.” A person with this disorder has trouble with deciphering between what is “real” and what is “unreal”. (Gur & Johnson, 2006)

Substantial changes are recorded in the prevalence and incidence of the disease from one country to another and between different cultures, but the differences are reduced if strict diagnostic criteria are applied. The core symptoms include difficulty for thought, decreased affection, loss of behavioral or mixed emotions directed by conflicting impulses, and autism. Schizophrenia is characterized by three major types of clinical manifestations: psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive impairment. The former include the loss of contact with reality, including false thoughts (delusions) and hallucinations, among others.

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.

Approximately 22% of the American population suffers from some kind of mental disorder at any given time. (Passer and Smith, 2004) Schizophrenia is one of the most serious of these mental disorders, and there are many different kinds of treatment. While all mental disorders offer diagnosis and treatment challenges, few are more challenging than schizophrenia. It is both bizarre and puzzling, and has been described as “one of the most challenging disorders to treat effectively.” (Passer and Smith, 2004, 534)

In some people's cases, Schizophrenia appears suddenly and without warning. But for most it comes slowly, with subtle warning signs and a gradual decline in functioning long before the first severe episode. “In the early phases of Schizophrenia people often seem eccentric, unmotivated, emotionless, and reclusive (Helpguide.org).” They may isolate themselves and not want to participate in daily activities such as playing with their children, going outside, or getting off the couch. They abandon their hobbies and they do not do well in their jobs. “The most common early warning signs of Schizophrenia include: social withdrawal, hostility or suspiciousness, deterioration of personal hygiene, having a flat and expressionless gaze, the inability to cry or express joy, inappropriate laughter or crying, depression, oversleeping or insomnia, odd or irrational statements, forgetfulness or the inability to concentrate, extreme reaction to criticism, and or strange use of words or way of speaking (Helpguide.org).” There are five types of symptoms of Schizophrenia. Positive is a symptom that involves having hallucinations or delusions. Negative is when one shows no emotion or flat behavior. Avolation is when a person shows little interest in whatever they are doing. Cognitive behavior is when you have disorganized speech or memory loss. Catatonic behavior is considered poor functioning such as your voluntary muscles