...Schizophrenia is defined as a psychotic disorder which influences the way people behave, think and act. An individual experiencing this disorder possesses feelings and thoughts that do not work together ordinarily. It is “an abnormal disintegration of mental functions” (Gleitman, Gross & Reisberg, 2011). One important point in the development and success of the treatment of schizophrenia is discovering the sole cause of the disorder. The diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia aims to solve this issue. This psychological theory “states that what is genetically inherited is a diathesis, or predisposition, to schizophrenia, but that this predisposition must be combined with environmental stress for the disorder actually to develop” (Bootzin &...
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...Culture and Disease Schizophrenia has many different effects on a person’s ability to lead a normal life. This disease is found in all cultures throughout the world. Both genders are equally affected. However not all individuals with schizophrenia obtain treatment, in spite of the severity of the disorder. Introduction Schizophrenia is a severe brain disease that interferes with normal brain and mental function-it can trigger hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. Without treatment, schizophrenia affects the ability to think clearly and interact appropriately with other people. There are three different kinds of symptoms: Positive Symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions and racing thoughts, negative symptoms such as apathy, lack of emotion, poor or nonexistent social functioning or inability to respond to different situations and cognitive symptoms which mainly include disorganized thoughts, difficulty concentrating and/or following instructions( medsinfo). Genetic Factors The symptoms of schizophrenia are very similar across many different cultures however the members of racial/ethnic minority groups are less likely to access mental health service. Caucasians show a higher rate of schizophrenia diagnosis because they access mental health services and are evaluated (Anglin para1). In the Caucasian population the genetic traits are what make this population vulnerable to the disease of schizophrenia. Genes have an effect on the external and internal factors that...
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...Running head: SCHIZOPHRENIA 1 Schizophrenia Excelsior College SCHIZOPHRENIA 2 Abstract This paper discusses the features and symptoms of Schizophrenia. This paper addresses the issues associated with Schizophrenia such as stress. It also addresses the bio psychosocial explanations that are associated with the development of this disorder. In this paper I address the type of therapies used for the treatment of Schizophrenia. The remainder of this paper discusses the rationale uses of these therapies and the effectiveness for Schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA 3 Schizophrenia The key features of the disorder, including its symptoms Schizophrenia is a disorder that is characterized by unorganized thinking and odd perceptions that dysfunction in major activities within a person’s life. These sometime include withdrawals from society; they have delusions and also hallucinations. They also may not be able to show emotion, feel pain, pleasure. They also have a lack of facial expression. They suffer from depression, mania and paranoia. Schizophrenia is the main example of psychosis. Psychosis is a disorder that people suffer from, they become irrational and they have lost contact with reality. This...
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...Explanations and Treatment of Abnormal Behaviour Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a type of abnormal psychology. Abnormality can be defined in three ways as a deviation from statistical norm, a deviation from the social norms and cultural relativism. However there are problems with defining abnormalities in terms of a system that relies on subjective judgment of a person’s behaviour. For example, someone experiencing hallucinations in Puerto Rico would be attributed to external forces (e.g. Spiritual visitations). However in the western world, the same hallucinations would be considered abnormal (Berry et al 1992). Mental Disorders are classified today by using, The Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria 295.40 (Schizophrenia), and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision(IDC-10) are used to aid in the psychiatric diagnosis of the disorder. Introduction The term ‘Schizophrenia’ was first used in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler, and literally means ‘split mind’. He used the term to describe a general class of disorders that are characterised by a number of similar symptoms. These were: * Disorganised thought processes. * A split between intellect and emotion. * A split between intellect and external reality Schizophrenia typically begins in early adulthood; between the ages of 15 and 25. Men tend to get develop schizophrenia somewhat earlier than women; whereas most males become...
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...and contrast psychological and biological explanations of schizophrenia. Jessica F Smith University Of Sussex Schizophrenia has been termed a heterogeneous group of disorders with varied etiologies (Walker, Kestler, Bollini, & Hochman, 2004) which includes biological, social, cognitive and psychodynamic perspectives. To progress knowledge of schizophrenia, this essay focuses on how the biological and psychological explanations are independent and interdependent and how they may differentiate from one another. This includes: how our biological predisposition, neuro transmitter dysfunction and genetic inheritance, affects how people with schizophrenia respond to social environments, the importance of socio-economic factors and their ability to shape psychotic symptoms, and how people with schizophrenia have faulty cognitions, which arguably develop from social influence and upbringing. The overruling theory, that is important in explanations of schizophrenia, is known as the Diathesis Stress Model (Davey, 2011), which identifies that psychotic symptoms arise from a combination of both biological predisposition and environmental stress. Servan-Schreiber, Bruno, Carter, & Cohen, (1998) alleviate that dopamine is an important neurotransmitter with a function in regulating movement and guiding attention. The dopamine hypothesis suggests that the dysfunction of movement and attention in those with schizophrenia may be a result of excess dopamine due to an increase of...
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...suggests that psychological disorders should be treated medically, as this model puts forward the idea that any psychological abnormality is causes by genetic factors and body malfunctions. The model as 4 different elements that may be the cause of psychological abnormalities; viral infections, biochemistry, brain damage, genetic factors. Several studies have been carried out by different researchers to investigate the theories of the model. Biochemical elements, is one of the highly researched parts of this model, where Weinberger in 2002 carried out research that suggested the 22nd chromosome doubled the risk of developing schizophrenia, another study carried out by Zubieta in 2000, where PET scans helped figured out that 30% higher levels of dopamine, serotin and norepinephrine were i9n people with bipolar disorder. On the other hand Janowsky carried out a study to show how biochemical imbalances lead to manic depression. While souse carried out a study in 2010 where genomes of 1000 autistics and 1200 non autistic participants, results showed that autistic participants carry 20% more copy number variation which suggests that this may be caused due to genetics. The viral infections elements were also researched by brown in 2000 where findings suggested that there’s a link between respiratory infections and the second trimester of pregnancy, which may results in the foetus developing schizophrenia in their adult life. Whereas Gasket carried out a study in 2009 found that the...
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...Chp 15 Notes Defining Psychological Disorders Psychological disorder - a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior Disturbed, or dysfunctional thoughts, emotions, or behaviors are maladaptive - they interfere with normal day-to-day life. Understanding Psychological Disorders Medical Model Brutal treatments may worsen, rather than improve, mental health. Philippe Pinel opposed such brutal treatments. He insisted that sickness of the mind is caused by severe stress and inhumane conditions. Curing them requires “moral treatment’” including boosting patients’ moral by unchaining them and talking with them. Medical model - the concept that diseases, in this case psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and in more cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital Biopsychosocial Approach The biopsychosocial approach emphasizes that mind and body are inseparable. Negative emotions contribute to physical illness, and physical abnormalities contribute to negative emotions. Epigenetics - the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change Classifying Disorders & Labeling People Classification aims to: * Predict the disorder’s future course * Suggest appropriate treatment * Prompt research into causes DSM-5 - the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of...
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...Schizophrenia Symptoms and Early Detection RUNNING HEAD: SCHIZOPHRENIA EARLY DETECTION Abstract Schizophrenia is a chronic, serve and disabling brain disorder that affects all domains of life about one percent of the population (Shioiri, Shinada, Kuwabara, & Someya, 2007; Insel, 2009; Martinez et al., 2011). It affects both men and woman starting at the age of 15 (Yeo, Berzins,& Addington, 2007; Insel, 2009). Looking at the three categorizes of symptoms: positive, negative, and cognitive; With the four phase or stages: prodromal, active, remission, and relapse and how they correlate with each other, there is the possibility of begin able to help find a way to be more accurate in the way of early detections of not only Schizophrenia but other psychiatry diseases. The amount of time it takes for the disease to be detected is important for the recovery of the individual and also the friends and family of the individual. The longer we wait the harder it is for the individual to control their symptoms. It all comes down to the more that we know, the more we can help (Insel, 2009). Schizophrenia Symptoms and Early Detection Schizophrenia is a chronic, serve and disabling brain disorder that affects about one percent of the population (Shioiri, Shinada, Kuwabara, & Someya, 2007; Insel, 2009). It affects both men and woman starting at the age of 15 (Yeo, Berzins,& Addington, 2007; Insel, 2009). Even though it is shown that there is a link in the genetics of...
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...Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of though process and by deficit of typical emotional responses. This is characterized as psychosis as people suffering from this disorder are not in touch with reality. Symptoms of schizophrenia include positive, negative and secondary symptoms. According to Schneider, positive symptoms include hallucinations whereby you hear voices- usually arguments, repeating of thoughts, derogatory, obscene voices which may order the patient to commit acts of violence. Positive symptoms also include delusions whereby patients believe other people are trying to harm them as well as personal grandeur where they believe they are much greater, more powerful and more influential than they really are. According to Slater and Roth, negative symptoms of schizophrenia include a lack of energy, lack of interest in life and hygiene as well as the inability to make decisions. This is referred to as avoilation. Thought process disorder is also another negative symptom. This is the inability to keep to the point, words are thrown together and the inability to finish sentences. Patients experiencing negative symptoms of schizophrenia may also experience loss of emotional responses as well as sudden mood change. Secondary symptoms are additional symptoms that occur from having schizophrenia. These include depression, loss of job and friends etc. There are three main types of schizophrenia. Disorganised, catatonic and paranoid schizophrenia...
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...Garrett Kelly Dr. Tushup 7/17/13 Nancy C. Andreasen is an expert on psychiatric disorders and most importantly an expert on schizophrenia. In earlier years the symptoms of schizophrenia were thought to be in a single brain region. However, with more experts and more studies taking place on schizophrenia we are finding out that there are many areas in the brain that are affected by schizophrenia. Based on empirical data derived from both magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography, we have developed a model that implicates connectivity among nodes located in prefrontal regions, the thalamic nuclei, and the cerebellum(Andreasen, 1998). If there is a disruption in this circuitry it will produce cognitive dysmetria, which will lead to difficulty in prioritizing, processing, coordinating and responding to information. The study of neural mechanisms of schizophrenia has passed through three phases during the past several decades. The first phase was used to demonstrate that schizophrenia was a brain disease. This phase was supported primarily through the use of neuro-imaging techniques such as computerized tomography, which consistently showed that patients had diffuse nonspecific abnormalities such as prominent sulci or ventricular enlargement(Andreasen 1982,1990). The second phase drew on traditions of neurology and neuropsychology, it attempted to localize the anatomic abnormalities and relate specific manifestations of the illness to specific brain regions (Andreasen...
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...Outline and evaluate 2 biological explanations for schizophrenia.’ 24 Marks One biological explanations for schizophrenia is genetic factors, which can be studied through twin studies. If the concordance rate is 100% in MZ twins it means that the characteristic is genetically determined because monozygotic twins share the same genes and environment. This was shown by Gottesman and Shields, who reviewed the results of 5 twin studies looking for concordance rates for schizophrenia. These studies looked at 210 MZ twins and 319 DZ twins. It was found that in MZ twins there was a concordance rate of 35-58% compared with dizygotic (DZ) twin rates that ranged from 9-26%. They also found a concordance rate in MZ twins of 75-91% when the sample was restricted to the most severe form of schizophrenia. This can show that there is a link with genetics and schizophrenia. However, the twin studies have all assumed that the shared environmental effects for MZ and DZ twins are equal which may be incorrect. In addition twins are not representative of the wider population. This is because it is a very small sample and there are very few MZ twins in the population and only 1% are Schizophrenic. This shows the sample may not be generalizable to the public. In addition family studies support the idea that there is a genetic influence in schizophrenia. For example, if a parents is schizophrenic and a child becomes schizophrenic it would be likely that genetic factors responsible because...
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...and diseases such as schizophrenia, depression, mania, anxiety disorder and Tourette syndrome. There are some treatments of psychological disorders that range from cognitive or behavioral therapy to medication treatment. Research has shown that some psychological disorders can be passed down from generation to future generations. Through research it has been proven that mental disorders can often be related to violence or higher rates of aggression. Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that makes it difficult to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses and to behave normally in social situations. Commonly associated with the concept of madness, schizophrenia attacks about 1% of people of all races and cultural groups that typically begins in the adolescence stages of life or early adulthood (Pinel, 2009). When being diagnosed with schizophrenia, psychiatrists are guided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) which is produced by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM-IV-TR provides only general diagnostic guidelines to all mental disorders and diseases (Pinel, 2009). Mental health researchers are not sure what causes schizophrenia, but they have discovered that genetic factors seem to play a role and certain environmental events may trigger the disorder in people who are genetically at risk for the disease. Some symptoms of schizophrenia are...
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...PSY/240 10/01/2011 Psychiatric Disorders, Diseases, and Drugs There are many different types of psychological disorders, many of them have treatments or can be lessened with medications. Psychological disorders are also commonly called mental disorders, this is when an individual’s behavior can impact their life and can cause distress for the individual that is experiencing problems. Schizophrenia is when an individual would most likely experience what is called insanity. Schizophrenia can impair an individual’s thoughts, speech, emotional, perception, and motor activities, and can often times lead an individual to not know what is reality and non-reality. Dopamine is the theory with schizophrenia, “schizophrenia is caused by too much dopamine and, conversely, that ant schizophrenic drugs exert their effects by decreasing dopamine levels.” (Pearson Education, Inc, 2009) When the body doesn’t make enough or makes too much of a certain chemical this can often times lead to an illness or disease that needs to be treated by a doctor. Treatments that are given to individuals with schizophrenia can be given medications: (Mayo Foundation, 1998-2011) * Aripiprazole (Abilify) * Clozapine (Clozaril) * Olanzapine (Zyprexa) * Paliperidone (Invega) * Quetiapine (Seroquel) * Risperidone (Risperdal) * Ziprasidone (Geodon) These drugs can help an individual be calm and not get agitated, the medication can help individuals not have delusion episodes or have hallucinations...
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...bacteria or viruses causing physical illnesses, e.g. flu or meningitis, however it seems that infection can also cause mental illnesses. For example, influenza has been linked to schizophrenia. Torrey found that the mothers of schizophrenic people had contacted a particular strain of influenza during pregnancy. The virus may enter the unborn child’s brain where it is dormant until puberty, when other hormones activate it, producing schizophrenic symptoms. Neurotransmitters are thought to be out of balance in the nervous systems id individuals with certain psychological disorders/ mental illnesses. Depression has been associated with decrease availability of serotonin, and has also been associated with higher than normal levels of the cortisol hormone. Images of the brain have measured the action of neurotransmitters and associated illness like depression, (Mann et al. 1996). Important new genetic research has highlighted the possibility that some people may be genetically at risk of developing mental disorders, specifically schizophrenia and bipolar depression, in order to investigate genetic links researchers carry out family twin and adoption studies. Zimbardo et al. suggested that at a ‘first degree relative’ (e.g. son or daughter) is 10% more likely to inherit the bipolar disorder r schizophrenia due to genetics than a ‘second degree relative’ (e.g....
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...Arguello & Joseph Gogos have presented comprehensive and interesting contributions in reinforcing the literature on consumer experience of mental health nursing with specific reference to schizophrenia. A journal article by Geanellos (2005), “Adversity as opportunity: Living with schizophrenia and developing a resilient self” is a hermeneutical interpretation of 19 people diagnosed with this disorder. According to Geanellos, adaptation, adversity and resilience provide opportunities to adequately adapt to the effects of schizophrenia. Champ (1998), on the other hand provides a detailed account of struggle with schizophrenia. According to Champ, consumerism, personhood, recovery and self identity forms the basic paths to positive living with schizophrenia. This is a quality document that opens the eye on some of the challenging concepts that entails the path to recovery from schizophrenia. Another personal experience on the same topic is by Jeff (1997), “the experience of schizophrenia”. Jeff has achieved excellent ratings on his descriptions on his personal experience with this complication by the use of a poem-“Poems from the madhouse”. Ikwunga Wonodi and Robert Schwarcz’s article; the “Cortical Kynurenine Pathway Metabolism: A Novel Target for Cognitive Enhancement in Schizophrenia” (2010) is a scientific analysis of the effect of increase of (7nAChR) and (NMDAR) on the cognitive deficient associate with this disease. Wonodi and Schwarcz (2010) illustrates that “the emerging...
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