Schizophrenia
What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is defined as a psychotic disorder that strikes about one percent of the world population. It is a disease that makes it difficult for a person to think logically, to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences like hallucinations, delusions, hearing voices, and paranoia. It surfaces more frequently during a person’s late teens to early twenties, and it has the potential to destroy the lives of the people who are unfortunate enough to be its victim.
Schizophrenia typically begins in early adulthood; between the ages of 15 and 25. Throughout months or years symptoms for schizophrenia develop and depending on the patient they may have many or few symptoms. The early symptoms of schizophrenia are irritable or tense feeling, trouble concentrating, and trouble sleeping. If the illness continues, the patient may have thinking, emotions, and behavior problems. The most well-known symptoms of schizophrenia are hallucination seeing and hearing things that is not really there and delusion strong held beliefs that are either not true at all or highly exaggerated. Patients have difficulty focusing, paying attention and communicating with others.
There is no medical exams performed to diagnose a patient with schizophrenia but instead a psychiatrist would just have to simple interview the patient. The psychiatrists would inquire things like the patient’s genetic and family history and how their ability to function has
By affecting these areas of the brain causes many causal factors. While it is still thought to be an imbalance of the chemicals, this disorder exhibits many associated symptoms. Because there are no tests that can diagnose schizophrenia, a psychologist must rely on analyzing clinical symptoms. One must pay close attention to the diagnosis because this disorder may exhibit the same symptoms as another disorder.
Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects more than one percent of the population. When schizophrenia is active, symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, trouble with thinking and concentration, and lack of motivation. However, when these symptoms are treated properly, a large portion of those diagnosed will greatly improve over time.
According to DSM-IV, patients must show two or more of the preceding five symptoms to meet the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia. Thus, no one of these symptoms is required for the diagnosis. Furthermore, the following four criteria must also be met: (1) the patient shows marked deterioration in occupational, interpersonal, or domestic functioning; (2) the patient manifests continuous signs of symptoms or dysfunction for at least 6 months; (3) the patient does not manifest predominant signs of mood disturbance (e.g., depression or mania); and (4) the symptoms are not caused by substance abuse or a primary medical condition.
Schizophrenia is a disabling brain disorder that has affected many people over the years. This is not a common disease but it can be a serious and chronic one. Worldwide, about 1 percent of the population is diagnosed with schizophrenia and about 1.2 percent of Americans are diagnosed.
Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder that affects one’s perception of reality. It may cause hallucinations, delusions, psychotic episodes, disorganized speech,
Schizophrenia is considered a psychotic disorder according to the DSM (American Psychological Association, 2013). Schizophrenia is one of the most commonly known of the psychotic disorders. A person who is schizophrenic must meet the following criteria according to the DSM (American Psychological Association, 2013). The person has to have at least 2 or more of the following Delusion, Hallucination, disorganized speech, Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms. A client must display at least one of the following a delusion, a hallucination, or disorganized speech. Also the person must experience a decrease in the ability to function in main life areas such as school and work. (Kress, V. 2014). The
Schizophrenia is a long lasting/life long mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, behaves, process information, and store information. People with schizophrenia think very unorthodoxly, and are not “there” completely. Schizophrenia is a very rare hereditary disorder. The symptoms can disable someone physically and mentally. Schizophrenia can be inherited from family members, or be susceptible to it later on. Suffers of the disease have an excess number of neurotransmitters and overproduction of dopamine. The excess neurotransmitters muddles the brain and causes sudden uncontrolled body movement, and inhibits thought processes. Dopamine also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, but when overproduced, it can interfere with other processes. The irregular circuitry also leads the brain being unable to properly communicate and control the body. Symptoms of schizophrenia usually start between ages 16 and 30. In rare cases, children have schizophrenia too.
In some circumstances as well, client cannot be diagnosed of schizophrenia to some physiological factors such as use of medication and drugs or another medical causing condition taking effect.
Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder that alters someone’s interpretation of reality. The term “Schizophrenia” means “split brain”, however it refers to the disruption of the balance of emotions and thinking. The development of Schizophrenia may result in hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered behaviors or thinking. May 5th (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/basics/definition/con-20021077).
Many people do not have a full understanding of what schizophrenia is and its affect on the individual diagnosed and its affect on society. So the question at hand is what exactly is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.” (NIH) Although schizophrenia is not as common as other mental disorders, it can be very disabling. Approximately 7 to 8 individuals out of 1000 will get schizophrenia in their lifetime. People with this disorder have many symptoms and issues. Those with schizophrenia may hear voices or see things that are not actually there. They may also believe that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them.
The characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia, according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000), first require that at least two symptoms from the following list are pointedly exhibited within a month: delusions, hallucinations, disordered speech, catatonic behavior, and other negative symptoms such as a lack of emotional expressiveness known as affective flattening, a deficiency of speech known as alogia, or a general lack of drive known as avolition. However, if the delusions or hallucinations are extreme, only one of these symptoms is required. These symptoms are mainly behavioral core symptoms. Moreover, affective core symptoms of schizophrenia include paranoia. Secondly, the patient must experience social and/or occupational dysfunction. The patient noticeably begins to perform insufficiently in these major areas of functioning. This traces to cognitive core symptoms in the sense of mental impairments. For example, schizophrenic patients often believe that they hear voices, feel paranoid and threatened without reason, and cannot grasp social cues or functions. Third, duration is a key aspect of the symptoms that characterize
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder and it is defined by the diagnostic statistical manual of mental disorder (DSM-IV) as a term introduced by Bleuler, which refers to a persistent, often chronic and usually serious mental disorder affecting a variety of aspects of behavior, thinking, and emotion. Patients with delusions or hallucinations may be described as psychotic. Thinking may be disconnected and illogical. Peculiar behaviors may be associated with social withdrawal and disinterest. According to the DSM-IV, schizophrenia is divided into positive and negative clusters of mental symptoms. The positive may be considered as symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. Unlike the positive symptoms, the negative cluster of symptoms for
Symptoms vary between three different diagnoses including Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, and cyclothymic disorder. Each diagnosis has similarities but different time lengths between depressive and manic episodes. Bipolar 1 being more severe, can lead to hospitalization opposed to mild symptoms of Bipolar 2 and cyclothymic, causing more depressive episodes rather than experiencing extreme manic episodes.
Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic (long-term) mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, much like other mental disorders such as depression or anxiety. About 1% of Americans have schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia sometimes seem as if they have lost contact with reality. Although schizophrenia is not as common as other mental disorders, the symptoms have the potential to be very debilitating.
The symptoms of schizophrenia are wide and varied, typically falling into three main categories, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Each of these symptom types affect the patient in different ways, and in different degrees of severity. The symptoms may range from mildly irritating, to severe and debilitating. Positive symptoms are behaviors not normally seen in healthy people. Negative symptoms are behaviors that are usually exhibited in healthy people but are lacking in the patient. Cognitive symptoms are subtle symptoms that affect the patient’s thought processes and cognitive functioning.