...Schizophrenia Stephanie Renee Huston PSY 326 Research Methods Instructor: Keisha Keith 11/23/2015 Schizophrenia Introduction Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that gives a misleading or false account of the way a person thinks, behave, communicate their feelings, realize or understand, and relates to others. Schizophrenia has been considered as one of many chronic and disabling conditions for people that suffers with a major mental illness. People with schizophrenia often have problems fulfilling a task in the general population, at work, at school, and in relationships leaving an individual not wanting to communicate with other people and frightened. Schizophrenia suffers will live with it the rest of their life, it cannot be cured but treatments are available and controllable with proper and advance treatments. Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not a split or multiple personality. Schizophrenia is a psychosis, a type of mental illness in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined. In writing this paper on Schizophrenia I will show how popular belief, has an antithesis of what is really Schizophrenia? Is it really a split...
Words: 3391 - Pages: 14
...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...
Words: 1657 - Pages: 7
...Schizophrenia has affected people throughout history and is the least understood of the major mental illnesses. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Contrary to what people believe, schizophrenia is not a split personality or multiple personality disease. According to the “Mayo Clinic” (n.d.), “The word ‘schizophrenia’ does mean ‘split mind,’ but refers to a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking.” Families and society are also affected by those who suffer from schizophrenia because people who suffer with schizophrenia have difficulty holding down jobs or even caring for themselves which means they have to rely on others for help. There are five types of schizophrenia and each type is based on what symptoms the person is experiencing during the assessment. • Paranoid schizophrenia is when the person is preoccupied with one or more delusions or auditory hallucinations but they do not have symptoms of disorganized schizophrenia. • Disorganized schizophrenia is when the person is showing prominent symptoms of disorganized behavior or speech and their affect is flat and or inappropriate. • Catatonic schizophrenia is when the person is experiencing at least two of the following symptoms: difficulty moving, resisting moving, excessive moving, and abnormal movements and or repeating what others do or say. • Undifferentiated type is when the person shows two or more of the following symptoms:...
Words: 1160 - Pages: 5
...Schizophrenia Almar Lim CNI College ADN Program NSG 265 Holistic Health Concepts Ms Shadia Maksemous RN, MSN February 4th, 2015 Schizophrenia is not a single disease, but a broad category of mental illnesses. Schizophrenia is a psychiatry disorder where several structural disturbances occur in the brain. It normally takes place in the temporal and frontal lobes, changing the neural systems and affecting the neurotransmitters in charge of controlling the functioning that takes place in these areas. It is not a structural brain disease that shows up early on X-rays CAT scans, or EEGs. Schizophrenics also have defects in the handling of amino acids. Etiology The exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown, but research suggests that a combination of physical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors can make people more likely to develop the condition. Current thinking is that some people may be prone to schizophrenia, and a stressful or emotional life event might trigger a psychotic episode. However, it's not known why some people develop symptoms while others don't. (Smith & Segal, 2014) Clinical Manifestation There are two ways that schizophrenia begins. One way is called Acute Onset. This happens very fast, about a couple of weeks. It is easier to recover from this. You are able to get help faster because people notice it sooner. The other way is called Process Onset. This takes a longer period of time to show. It is gradual, sometimes up to years. You...
Words: 1321 - Pages: 6
...Psychology Laura McCormick, Professor February 15, 2014 Thomas Wallace Dementia Praecox Mental Deterioration at an Early Age Introduction to Psychology Laura McCormick, Professor February 15, 2014 Abstract Schizophrenia, a classification of psychological disorders considered to be one of the most extreme in terms of psychological dysfunction and breakdown (Carson and Butcher, 1992). This disorder can result in a complete breakdown or alteration of reality. Schizophrenia is often termed psychotic in order to separate it from other disorders that are much milder in nature, such as Mood and Anxiety disorders. It is the goal of this paper to provide an overview of some of the issues and debates regarding this difficult and oft misunderstood disorder. What is Schizophrenia? Dementia Praecox, otherwise known as Schizophrenia, has been regarded as a uniquely distinct disease for well over a 100 years. This disease affects those areas that control how a person functions. It manipulates the individual’s thoughts, distorts their perceptions and causes hallucinations, particularly auditory. The person becomes delusional believing others can read their mind and thoughts of others are being placed in their head. According to the criteria for Schizophrenia described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), individuals affected by this disorder suffer from disorganized thought processes, diminished...
Words: 1771 - Pages: 8
...Schizophrenia, referred to as a split personality disorder, is a chronic, severe, devastating mental illness that affects approximately 1% of the population, equivalent to more than 2 million people in the United States. Statistics indicates schizophrenia affects men about 1½ times more frequently than women. (National Comorbidity Survey, 1994) It is a psychotic mental disorders characterized by symptoms of thought, behavior, and social problems. The thought problems linked with schizophrenia described as psychosis, in that the individual thinking is totally out of touch with reality. The individual with this disorder may also have disorganized speech, and behavior, physically or careless behavior, extensively decreased behaviors or feelings, as well as delusions, which are ideas about themselves or others that have no basis in reality. The term schizophrenia first introduced in 1911. In 1887, Emil Kraepelin deemed it a separate mental illness. Regardless of recent history, (Addington, Bouchard, Goldberg, 2005) described throughout written history. Ancient Egyptian, Hindu, Chinese, Greek, and Roman writings described symptoms comparable to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. During medieval times, schizophrenia, like other illnesses, often viewed as evidence of the sufferer possessed by spirits or evil powers. Schizophrenia is a multifaceted illness. Experts in the field are somewhat baffled as to what causes it. Some doctors believe that the brain may not be able to process...
Words: 1173 - Pages: 5
...Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious and scary psychiatric illnesses in the United States. It’s a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. Approximately 1% of all Americans suffer from this illness, but it occurs in 10% of people who have a first-degree relative with the disorder. A person with schizophrenia hears voices that no one else around them hears. They believe that people around them are constantly plotting to harm them. They act really agitated. Schizophrenia not only affects the person but it also affects their friends and family. The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three general categories: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Positive symptoms are psychotic behaviors. Some of the positive symptoms of n,Disorders. Negative symptoms are related with interruptions to normal emotions and behaviors. Negative symptoms are often confused for Depression. Some of the negative symptoms are: Little or no interaction, Lack of beginning or completing a planned activity, & Flat affect which is when their face doesn’t move or they speak in a monotonous voice. Cognitive symptoms are more restrained. These symptoms are harder to recognize. They are often detected during more intense tests. Some Cognitive symptoms are: Having a hard time understanding information and using it to make decisions, hard time focusing or paying attention, and having a hard time using information immediately...
Words: 878 - Pages: 4
...Lesson on Schizophrenia As an overview, schizophrenia is a disease to the brain. It is one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man. It has been misunderstood for a long time. It has a biological basis, so it is like other diseases. It is a very common disease; one percent to one and a half percent of the U.S. has been diagnosed within some point in their life. There is no cure for this disease, although there is treatable medicine. Schizophrenia is not a multiple personality disorder. People who take medicine for it are able to lead normal fulfilling lives. There are two ways that schizophrenia begins. One way is called Acute Onset. This happens very fast, about a couple of weeks. It is easier to recover from this. You are able to get help faster because people notice it sooner. The other way is called Process Onset. This takes a longer period of time to show. It is gradual, sometimes up to years. You may say or do strange things every now and then. It could be a long time before you go to the doctor. There are three main types of delusions a person can have. Delusion of Persecution is when the person thinks that people are out to get him or her. For example the government. Grandeur is when the person thinks he or she is very important, rich, famous, ect. Reference is when the person thinks that the TV is talking directly to him or her. They also think some outside source is talking to them. Schizophrenia has three main...
Words: 451 - Pages: 2
...controlling hold of his father costs him opportunities to study music in several renowned schools, before David finally develops enough strength to defy his father and study at the Royal College in London. The consequence he faces is disownment and a lifelong estrangement from his father, which sadly never mends. While in London he begins to experience the beginnings of his mental decline with what appears to be schizophrenia. After achieving notoriety as a musician, the musical world loses him to his mental illness. David finds himself living in psychiatric hospitals, and with support of others, eventually lives back on his own. Through a series of events, he finds himself reunited with the piano, first in a local restaurant and eventually returning to the concert hall. His reclamation of music parallels his reclamation of relationships as he adjusts to a functional life with schizophrenia. The movie instills hope as it shows a marked return to positive functioning as David finds love and fulfillment in his life. Client name: David Helfgott Psychiatric diagnosis: Schizophrenia—Disorganized Type DSM-IV-TR criteria: * Client has two or more of the following characteristic symptoms for a significant portion of 1 month: 1. delusions 2. hallucinations 3. disorganized speech 4. grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior 5. negative symptoms (affective flattening, avolition, or alogia) * Client has...
Words: 877 - Pages: 4
...The causes of schizophrenia are unknown so the treatment is primarily focused on elevating the symptoms of the disease. This is primarily done with medication therapy using typical and atypical antipsychotics. This is often paired with psychosocial treatments. This helps the schizophrenic deal with the daily challenges of life such as work, communication, self care, forming and maintaining relationships. Schizophrenics that receive psychosocial therapy along side medication are more likely to continue taking their medication resulting in stabilization of their illness. Other treatments for schizophrenia are: Illness Management Skills: Teaching the schizophrenic to assume an active part in managing their own illness by educating them in basic facts of the illness helping them to identify early signs of decompensation Treatment for Co-occurring Substance Abuse: Substance abuse often accompanies schizophrenia as the person who is undiagnosed will self medicate with drugs and alcohol resulting in a need for dual treatment. Rehabilitation: This helps reintegrate them back in to social a vocational areas of their lives. Family Education: Educating the family helps them understand the symptoms of the illness, so they can be supportive and help the schizophrenic cope. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This focuses on the thinking and behavior of the schizophrenic, helping the schizophrenic deal with symptoms that do not go away with medication therapy. This can help reduce the severity...
Words: 325 - Pages: 2
...Schizophrenia is defined as: a group of psychoses characterized by confused and disconnected thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. (Gromly,526) Schizophrenia is a brain disorder, which is identified by specific concrete symptoms. Schizophrenia is not a split personality, or multi-personality. It has been proven that schizophrenia is not caused by childhood trauma, bad parenting, or poverty. Schizophrenia is not the result of any action or personal failure by the individual afflicted with this terrible mental disorder. Schizophrenia is marked by extreme thought disorder, and is usually treatable with medication. Given proper support, many people with schizophrenia can learn how to deal with their symptoms, and lead reasonably comfortable and productive lives. (Schizophrenia) Schizophrenia is a very common disorder, which affects 1 out of 100 people in the world. (Schizophrenia) Schizophrenia can affect people of any age. Schizophrenia usually strikes young people between the ages of 16 and 25. It can also appear later in adulthood however, onset is less common after age 30, and rare after age 40. Although rare, there is a childhood form of the illness, it can be found in children as young as the age of 5. Schizophrenia does not discriminate. The disease affects men and women with equal frequency, the only difference is the common age that the onslaught of schizophrenia begins. For men, the age of onset for schizophrenia is often between the ages of 16 to 20 years of age. For...
Words: 883 - Pages: 4
...SCHIZOPHRENIA UNIT9 GE375 Richard Riggins 5/24/2012 Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. About 1 percent of Americans have this illness. People with the disorder may hear voices other people don't hear. They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. This can terrify people with the illness and make them withdrawn or extremely agitated. People with schizophrenia may not make sense when they talk. They may sit for hours without moving or talking. Sometimes people with schizophrenia seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking(Schizophrenia, 2012) The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three broad categories: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Positive symptoms are psychotic behaviors not seen in healthy people. People with positive symptoms often "lose touch" with reality. These symptoms can come and go. Sometimes they are severe and at other times hardly noticeable, depending on whether the individual is receiving treatment(Carpenter, Huffman 2010). Negative symptoms are associated with 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 conditions. People with negative symptoms...
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...SHCIZOPHRENIA BY: ANNALINA RIVERS SCHIZOPHRENIA Schizophrenia is a mental illness that usually strikes in late adolescence or early adulthood but can also strike at any time in life. The signs and symptoms are always different from one individual to the next. All those who have the disorder show one or more of the following symptoms delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behavior, and negative symptoms. People with schizophrenia suffer a decline in their level of functioning. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that can be overwhelming, complicating and can only get worse. Schizophrenia usually appears during a persons late teens and mid 30’s but its course differs with each patient. Some may go through three phases prodromal which means that symptoms are there but not yet obvious. What often happens during the prodromal stage they’ll start to withdrawal from others, have strange ideas, and some may not express much emotion? During the active phase they can have negative symptoms, start blurting emotions out but some patients may recover from schizophrenia. The phases may or may not last for days some even years, those who do recover from schizophrenia are those who have been ok, being able to function really good before getting the disorder or those who were diagnosed due to stress. When it comes to race and diagnosis of schizophrenia there is a biases as far as who has it. The prevalence rates of schizophrenia really depend on a range of factors, such as the availability...
Words: 1050 - Pages: 5
...Schizophrenia is a serious disorder which affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. Someone with schizophrenia may have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary; may be unresponsive or withdrawn; and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations. Contrary to public perception, schizophrenia is not split personality or multiple personality. The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are not violent and do not pose a danger to others. Schizophrenia is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower, nor are the symptoms identical for each person. What causes schizophrenia? The cause of schizophrenia is still unclear. Some theories about the cause of this disease include: genetics (heredity), biology (the imbalance in the brain’s chemistry); and/or possible viral infections and immune disorders. Genetics (Heredity). Scientists recognize that the disorder tends to run in families and that a person inherits a tendency to develop the disease. Schizophrenia may also be triggered by environmental events, such as viral infections or highly stressful situations or a combination of both. Similar to some other genetically-related illnesses, schizophrenia appears when the body undergoes hormonal and physical changes, like those that occur during puberty in the teen and young adult years. Chemistry. Genetics help to determine how the brain uses certain chemicals. People with schizophrenia have a chemical...
Words: 1186 - Pages: 5
...2015 Critically discuss how people who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia are able to live positively with their disorder Student No: 47851449 Due date: June 17th 2015 Assignment 3 PYC4802 Psychopathology Fatima-H TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction.............................................................................................. 3 2. Definition of Schizophrenia...................................................................... 3 3. Diagnostic criteria of Schizophrenia......................................................... 4 4. Hallmark features of Schizophrenia......................................................... 5 5. Living positively with Schizophrenia......................................................... 7 5.1 Pharmacological Intervention................................................................. 8 5.2 Cognitive- Behavioural Therapy............................................................. 9 5.3 Psychosocial treatments........................................................................ 9 5.4 Positive psychological interventions...................................................... 10 5.5 Community-based rehabilitation for people with schizophrenia............. 11 5.6 Occupational Therapy............................................................................ 12 5.7 Living a healthy lifestyle.............................................................
Words: 4675 - Pages: 19