The Mental Illness of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a disease that has plagued societies around the world for centuries, although it was not given its formal name until 1911. It is characterized by the presence of positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are so named because of the presence of altered behaviors, such as delusions, hallucinations (usually auditory), extreme emotions, excited motor activity, and incoherent thoughts and speech. (1,2) In contrast, negative symptoms are described as a lack of behaviors, such as emotion, speech, social interaction, and action. (1,2) These symptoms are by no means concrete. Not all schizophrenic patients will exhibit all or even a majority of these symptoms, and there is some

Schizophrenia consists of a broad spectrum of diagnostic criteria (both cognitive and emotional dysfunctions) that cause problems in every day functioning (Barlow et al., 2015). This criteria includes the presence of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized/catatonic behaviour, and/or negative symptoms, such as diminished emotional expression (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The prevalence rate of this disorder is estimated to be in the range of 0.2% to 1.5% in the general population (Barlow et al., 2015).

There are both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia that are marked by excesses in functioning. While negative symptoms are symptoms that are marked by deficits in functioning. (Grison, Heatherton, and Gazzaniga, 2015, p. 518). Doctor Elyn Saks has experienced both positive and negative symptoms of the

The distinctive characteristic of schizophrenia are disruptions in perception, language, and thinking. Psychotic symptoms include delusions and hallucinations. Delusions are strange or false beliefs that a person has even when they are shown that their beliefs are not

In order for schizophrenia to be diagnosed, the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual requires two symptoms to be present for a substantial amount of time during a 30 day period. It also requires major areas of functioning to decrease, with continuous signs for at least six months (Fentress, Moller 1). Three different types of symptoms characterize schizophrenia: positive, negative, and cognitive (Richards 1). Positive symptoms refer to an exaggeration of brain function. This can be characterized by unusual thoughts, hallucinations, and delusions. Hallucinations are things a person sees, hears, smells or feels that no other person can. Hearing “voices” is the most common

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).

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).

The symptoms for schizophrenia vary significantly – from positive (meaning that the patient is experiencing a presence of aberrant behavior) to negative (there is a noticeable absence of normal functioning) (Sue, et al., 2013). Positive symptoms are categorized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought and speech, and grossly abnormal psychomotor behavior (also called catatonia), (Sue, et al., 2013). Negative symptoms include such things as avolition (an inability to take action or focus on goals), alogia (a lack of meaningful speech), asociality (minimal interest in social relationships), and restricted affect (little or no emotion in situations in which emotional reactions are expected), (Sue, et al., 2013, p. 354). I will later

Schizophrenia has a worldwide prevalence of approximately 1%. Incidence of the disease is about 1.5 per 10,000 people per year. Patients are typically diagnosed during adolescence. The condition appears to be more common in men than women – men may also have a worse prognosis compared to women. Individuals with schizophrenia frequently have coexisting psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. They also have a higher incidence of suicide.

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 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.

The intent of this paper is to take an in depth look at the mental disorder known as schizophrenia. This disorder is relatively new and has only been recognized by psychologists since the late 1880’s. Since its discovery there have been many researchers who have attempted to define what causes the disorder, however there is still no concrete evidence of its origin. It has been widely accepted that schizophrenia has roots in genetics, however there is also a growing amount of evidence to suggest environmental factors as well. Research on epigenetics has shown that subtle mutations of DNA can be associated with the onset of schizophrenia. It also has been presented that specific single nucleotide polymorphs can be directly

Schizophrenia is the disorder that most closely corresponds to popular concepts of insanity, madness, or lunacy (Nevid, 2006). Nevid (2006) also states that schizophrenia comes from Greek roots meaning “split brain”. There are quite a few people in the United States that have schizophrenia. According to the National Institute of Mental Health approximately 2.4 million American adults or about 1.1 percent of the population age eighteen and older in a given year have schizophrenia (2013). Schizophrenia is found in men more than women. Men also tend to develop the disorder earlier than women and experience more severe cases of the disorder (Nevid, 2006). When being diagnosed with schizophrenia there are phases the doctor will test. These stages are prodromal, active or acute, remission, and relapse (Frese, 2012).

Schizophrenia, unlike most disorders, is a standout amongst the most genuine of the mental disorders. It is known that one in a hundred individuals are affected by it, and starts in either youth or early adulthood. Schizophrenia brings social interruption, anguish and hardship to the individuals who experience the ill effects of it, as well as to their family. Under those circumstances, it is known to be the most devastating of all disorders. There are both negative and positive symptoms when it comes to dealing with schizophrenia. Despite the fact that there are various negative indications, the most present one is limitations or absence in thoughts and behaviours that are characteristics in normal functioning. For this