Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects about one percent of the population. Generally if you have schizophrenia you cut out of contact with real world reality. The word Schizophrenia is Greek for “split mind.” It is common belief that a person with schizophrenia or a “schizo” has a split personality, but actually the person’s thinking, feelings, and behavior are so far from normal that they get to the point where they interfere with their ability to function in everyday life. People who are suffering from schizophrenia think and act in their own world, which sets them apart from the society around them.
About one hundred year ago schizophrenia was first recognized as a mental disorder that scientists have been researching sense, hoping to some day find a cure. The exact cause for schizophrenia is still unknown; scientists believe there is more than one cause for the disease. Most people that have this disease accept the fact but are not willing to receive the necessary treatment, or follow professional advice. To observers, schizophrenia seems like a disease or “madness” because people who have this disorder behave differently to the people that are considered “normal.” It impairs a person from doing work, going to school, taking care of themselves or having a social relationship with others. By looking at the symptoms, it is sometimes hard to classify schizophrenia as a disease because it enables those inflicted with it to develop new ways of expressing themselves, such as communication, and creativity. A disease is usually some kind of sickness that leads to death or heavy medication.
Scientists believe that schizophrenia may be caused from genetics; this is also under discussion because kids from a parent with schizophrenia don’t always get it. Because of this theory scientists have been studying identical twins, due to the fact that they have the exact same genetic make up. However, evidence seems to break this theory. This is because in some of the cases both twins have developed schizophrenia, and in others only one twin developed the disorder. Both men and women are just as likely to develop the disorder; generally the males have had more severe symptoms than the females.
About ten percent of the people with schizophrenia end their life by committing suicide. Usually schizophrenia develops between the ages of fifteen to thirty. Earlier symptoms may develop rapidly in the beginning but slows down over the months or years. There are two areas or classifications in which schizophrenia is classified, positive and negative. Positive symptoms are those which cause the patient to actively do things. These include delusions, hallucinations, mood changes such as excitement or depression, and acute thought disorder.
Negative symptoms are those that come on insidiously and are characterized by what the patient fails to do. These include lack of volition, emotional flattening, and withdrawal from society so that there is inability to communicate or socialize. Schizophrenics tend to do things those not suffering from schizophrenia typically would not do. This is why mostly people think schizophrenia is a disease. However to the schizophrenic themselves, they do not think that what they are doing is very bizarre. For example, they may talk to themselves, walk backwards, suddenly make loud laughs and funny faces, or even masturbate in public.
Sometimes, schizophrenics may perform an action randomly and repeatively for hours. They may freeze in a bizarre pose for long periods of time. Another symptom is the disorganized thinking and speech patterns. Schizophrenics may think illogically or expressing their thoughts with consecutive unrelated ideas being linked together. They jump topics or link together long phrases of awkward words somehow meaningful to them but not to the “normal” people. Most of the patients become alcoholics and drug abusers and this, in turn, often worsens their symptoms.
It is hardly acceptable to think that schizophrenia is a kind of disease. Schizophrenics are merely acting in ways that “normal” people do not. In order to further understand if schizophrenia is a disease or not, the causes of how schizophrenia occurs are very important to consider. Most scientists think that schizophrenia appears from a variety of factors. Research reveals that schizophrenia can be passed from one person to another genetically or by the prenatal environment. There is about a forty-six percent chance that a child will develop schizophrenia if both parents already have the illness.
Another factor is the chemical imbalance and the structural abnormalities of the brain. Some studies show that schizophrenia occurs when neurotransmitters are imbalanced, changing the way neurons communicate with each other. The excess of the neurotransmitter dopamine or an abnormal sensitivity to dopamine in certain parts of the brain can also cause this illness. In addition, researchers discover that schizophrenics usually have enlarged brain ventricles and a smaller volume of brain tissue. The frontal lobe of the brain that governs abstract thought, planning and judgment is hardly used. Defects in other parts of the brain such as temporal lobes, hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia and superior temporal gyrus are also some factors contributing to the development of schizophrenia.
Antipsychotic medications can prevent symptoms from returning but it cannot treat other symptoms such as social withdrawal and apathy. Also, there are some side effects to these medications, including dry mouth, blurred vision, muscle spasms or cramps, and tremors. One of the major side affects is tardive dyskinesia, a permanent condition when the lips, mouth, and tongue move without any control. Besides medications and therapies, family intervention programs exist which focus on the families of the schizophrenics instead of the patients themselves. This is particularly useful since family members can learn and understand how to cope with the patient and provide for them a low-stress environment and aiding them as much as possible. Works Cited Eisendrath, Stuart J.
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