...Understanding Schizophrenia: a Biological Approach NAME: Maria Saldias DATE: 4-28-2011 TITLES OF ARTCILES: 1-“ What Causes Schizophrenia”, by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.& the National Institute of Mental health12,Nov,2006. 2- “The Concept of Progressive Brain Change in Schizophrenia: Implications for Understanding Schizophrenia”, by Linn E. Delisi. 2008 INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is a brain disorder, which interferes with normal brain functioning. It is mainly characterize by major disturbances in perception, language, thought, emotions and behavior. Furthermore, it can also trigger hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and lack of motivation (Rosenberg and Kosslyn). Experts now agree that schizophrenia develops as the result of the combination of a biological predisposition, and the kind of environment the person is exposed to. However, not until recent days, schizophrenia was thought to have “no “organic” cause and thus related to the psychological environment that one was born into” (Delisi). In “What Causes schizophrenia, by Grohol, even though the author emphasis how genetic, behavioral and other factors, are interrelated in the development of the disorder, he emphasis his article in how the tools of biomedical research are being used to search for genes or critical moments of brain development. At the same time, “The concept of Progressive Brain Chain in Schizophrenia:...
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...What is schizophrenia? A living nightmare. Can you imagine living in a world full with bizarre paranoid ideations and hellish voices, an episode of the twilight zone without the entertainment. Schizophrenia is a chronic severe mental disorder that affects the mind and brain, which causes an individual to have a hard time differentiating what is real and what is not. Individuals with schizophrenia, including those who have never been treated, have a reduced volume of gray matter in the brain, especially in the temporal and frontal lobes. Patients with the worst brain tissue loss are known to have the worst symptoms. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 1% of the population suffers from this disorder. Schizophrenia occurs in men and women across all races, however it occurs more frequently in men than in women. Cases of children having a schizophrenic disorder are rare but none the less possible. Signs and Symptoms There are many symptoms associated with the different types of Schizophrenia. In order to classify Schizophrenia into subtypes, certain symptoms must be present. Paranoid Schizophrenics suffer with delusions or auditory hallucinations. Catatonic Schizophrenics have immobility, a possible vegetative state, or excessive motor movement. Schizophreniform Disorder is characterized by any of the above symptoms excluding major depressive or manic disorders. Schizoaffective Disorder is also characterized by the previous symptoms including...
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...Understanding Schizophrenia Tawnja Davis AIU Online PRES111-Presentation Essentials Ramsey Joel April 26, 2011 Abstract The presentation review is to show how effective it was with the audience about the topic understanding schizophrenia. The resources were given and told how they helped in the presentation giving fact and examples of the illness. Difficulty and ease was explained on how the presentation was formed giving examples of each. The hard fact of the presenters suffering loss was reviewed along with her interview with a news team. The outline and how well it worked in forming the presentation was also mentioned. The visual aids we discussed and it was told how well they helped give insight to the audience on the topic. It was reviewed and told how with the next presentation certain elements would be involved such as making a board that has each slide pinned along with written statements. A check list was involved in the conclusion. Although this paper was done by the presenter references were given without them the presenter would not have facts in her presentation. The presenter believes that the presentation will help others look inside themselves and help make a difference for the better in changing the way things are with schizophrenia. Understanding Schizophrenia The choice of my topic relates to the experiences I have had with schizophrenia and my son. The intended audience here would be anyone interested in making changes with the mental health...
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...An Annotated Bibliography The topic of this paper will be the mental disorder schizophrenia, and what the potential is for the diagnosis to affect someone’s life. The paper’s main focus is to explain the harm of simply diagnosing an individual with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia and relating mood and psychotic disorders will be explained versus the severity range of the associated symptoms.Other topics that will be examined include the potential for over diagnosing of schizophrenia and the disparate amount of diagnoses awarded to african-american patients. The term schizophrenia has been around since early in the 20th century. Schizophrenia and other similar mental disorders have been the targets of many extensive studies in recent medical history. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective and other disorders that fall under a broad spectrum of intermingling symptoms can have crippling effects on the affected patient’s life, potentially including all aspects of their personal and social life. Such mental disorders have had a long-standing history of association with the poor and underprivileged, despite this, many individuals with such disorders have managed to cope with their symptoms and lead successful lives. Despite extensive research, there are few definite answers as to a cause for such disorders and diagnosis do not include any sort of physiological evidence. Because of the history of violence or instability associated with such disorders there is now a social...
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...Schizophrenia Throughout history people with schizophrenia have been rejected and treated indiscriminately. According to the article, “Attacked by gods or mental illness?” in antiquity, a person with insanity was believed the result of demonic possession of the body. People that were severely mentally ill had been misdiagnosed, misunderstood, isolated in asylums, and killed. However, the study “Cognitive model and cognitive behavior therapy for schizophrenia” summarized the recent research using model methods of therapies with schizophrenic people, and giving them the chance to live an equal life, and be more acceptable by society. Culture and society play a great role in the way people think and behave. Also, cultures and society may...
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...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...
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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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...Beautiful Mind Psychological Issue: Schizophrenia 1) Using material from the text (or internet resources), describe your understanding of the disorder portrayed in the film. [This asks you to describe what someone with this disorder might really look like.] In the movie “A Beautiful Mind” directed by Ron Howard; the disorder that is portrayed by the character John Nash is schizophrenia. This brain disorder alters the normal mechanisms occurring in the brain. The best explanation for this disorder can be pin pointed to the faulty interpretations and misfiring of dopamine neurons and their receptors in the brain. Although there are also other likely causes and effects such as low activity in the frontal lobotomy and enlarged ventricles, these are not the number one cause. However, all of which any of the causes will indeed lead to the various positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms that schizophrenia hold. People with schizophrenia often tend to behave differently than their normal counterparts. The most commonly known symptoms for this disorder, which are the positive symptoms, include; delusions, hallucinations, thought disorder, and disorganized behavior. Although you need not to possess all symptoms to have schizophrenia, this disorder is often varying in symptoms from one to another. However, more often than not the early and most commonly known symptoms are the hallucinations and delusions. Most people who do have schizophrenia see and hear things that actually do...
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...Schizophrenia and Psychosis, Lifespan Development PSY/410 August 22, 2011 Schizophrenia and Psychosis, Lifespan Development Different disorders can be diagnosed differently and the onset of symptoms can pin point exactly what disorder an individual has. Schizophrenia is a chronic severe brain disorder that affects individuals every day and it only affects about 1% of Americans. This psychotic disorder has a very severe impact on impairment, emotions and behavior. Individuals that have this certain disease can lead a normal and healthy life is they take care of themselves and take their medication as they should. We will discuss how schizophrenia has an impact on individuals and how it can affect them throughout the lifespan. Schizophrenia and Psychosis Schizophrenia can be characterized by different types of unusual behaviors and the most important aspect of schizophrenia is the human thought process. This type of disorder can be difficult to diagnose and it does not come out or be perssistant like some disorders. People can go with having schizophrenia for years until something happens causing it to come out of the wood works. Schizophrenia can be inherited or is known to be inherited from a family member that suffers from this disorder. Behavioral components can also play a role in schizophrenia as well as biological components. Types of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia can be put into sub types which are paranoid-type, disorganized-type, catatonic-type, undifferentiated-type...
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...2010 An Inside Look at Schizophrenia “If depression is the disabling but common cold of psychological disorders, chronic schizophrenia is the cancer” (Myers). Today, there are many abnormal disorders that have become better understood; one of which being schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic, disabling brain disease that almost two million Americans will suffer from in a given year. Although schizophrenia may appear to be a dysfunctional disorder, there is more to this disease that meets the eyes. Most likely to develop earlier, more severely, and more often in men, schizophrenia affects both the male and female populations, and “it knows no boundaries” (Myers). Symptoms begin to arise in the late teens to early twenties for men, and in the twenties to early thirties for women. Although only one percent of the population will develop such a chronic disorder in their lifetime, schizophrenia should not be pushed aside. Found in many different individuals, schizophrenia’s symptoms and long-lasting pattern often results in a high degree of disability. People with schizophrenia have various symptoms that vary for each individual; “hallucinations of sound, sight, smell, taste, or touch may occur” (Berkow), the most common being hearing voices. People with schizophrenia tend to hear internal voices that can’t be heard by others; this may result in one talking to oneself or...
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...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...
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...Lacey Smith January 20, 2015 CJ 233: Forensic Psychology Professor Araujo Unit 9 Final Project I have a client in which has been committed to the psychiatric facility for a restoration of competency. This was after the judge in his case determined that he was not competent enough to stand trial and was sentenced to the psychiatric facility for treatment. The client has been here at the facility for three months now and the judge has ordered for a new competency evaluation to be completed. In order to complete the evaluation I need to know exactly why my client has been brought here. I understand that he was on trial for murder but I need to know more about the case so I need to read his file because I feel as though I should familiarize myself with the entire case. According to the police report the incident occurred on February the fourth of last year. The police officers were responding to a reported shooting at the home of John and Jane Wilson. The police officers arrived to the scene they found the body of John Wilson leaning against the house on the steps that enter into the kitchen. The police also found Jane Wilson lying with her head in her husband’s lap. The bodies were covered in blood and there were not any pulses on either of the bodies. The witnesses who had discovered the bodies of the Wilson’s were family friends in which upon their arrival to the Wilson home they were meet by the Wilson’s son Edward who came out of the house and told them to leave because...
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...Phoenix Axia College Part A Schizophrenia is a disease that affects the forebrain, hindbrain, and limbic system. The forebrain is the anterior and largest part of the brain. This part of the brain functions to control sensory, and motor function, cognitive function, reproductive function, eating, sleeping, emotion display, and helps to regulate temperature. The hindbrain is the part of the brain that helps to coordinate posture, motor activity, balance, and sleep patterns, and helps to regulate essential but unconscious functions like breathing, and blood circulation. The limbic system is essential in the regulation of motor activity and emotional expression. Schizophrenia has a strong genetic component. Patients, who have an immediate family member such as a parent or sibling, have a higher chance of developing schizophrenia. Other factors that have been believed to contribute to schizophrenia, like high levels of stress during pregnancy, traumatic injury, toxins, infections, and autoimmune reactions. Symptoms of schizophrenia include: * Bizarre delusions- delusions of being controlled by an outside source * Inappropriate- failure to react appropriately to emotional events. * Hallucinations-imaginary voices controlling behavior. * Incoherent thoughts-illogical thinking or peculiar ideas. * Odd behavior-talking in rhymes, long periods of not moving or catatonia The neural basis of schizophrenia is that in normal patients the brain...
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...Professor Sharemah Barlow “Schizophrenia rolls in like a slow fog, becoming imperceptibly thicker as time goes on” (Saks, n.d.). Schizophrenia is a complex psychological disease, complex in diagnosis and treatment, as well as an enormous complexity surrounding the many layers of the disease. Schizophrenia affects individuals with a wide range in symptoms, delusional thoughts, fits of psychosis, disorganized variations of emotion and communicating, and bizarre, child-like behavior patterns. Schizophrenia has been placed into categories based on whether they have positive or negative symptoms. The bizarre behavior patterns, otherwise known as “pathological excesses”, fall under the positive symptoms; delusions, hallucinations, inappropriate affect, and disorganized speech and thoughts. Negative symptoms are those related to social withdrawal, alogia or reduction in speech, avolition or extreme fatigue and a lack of motivation and interest. Comer (2011) tells us delusions are believed wholeheartedly by the sufferer, although there is no basis in fact. Delusions can guide the patient throughout their entire life or the delusions can vary and they experience many different types of delusions. Disorganized speech and thoughts leave the individual unable to articulate their thoughts into words, or they may not make sense, and they may repeat what someone is saying to them (Comer, 2011). People who suffer from schizophrenia are often unable to respond to...
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...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...
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