Major Myths about Schizophrenia - Essay Example

Coping with the symptoms is very difficult mostly on the side of the parents. The sudden onset of the symptoms is referred to as the acute phase of the disorder. Hallucinations, which are caused by disturbances of sensory perceptionThe first signs of schizophrenia often, appear as confusing, or even and/or delusions, which are false yet strongly held personal beliefs that result from an inability to separate real from unreal experiences. Less obvious symptoms, such as social isolation or withdrawal, or unusual speech, thinking, or behavior, may precede, be seen along with, or follow the psychotic symptoms.

There are a lot of myths about this kind of disorder. Some say that their body is being housed with evil spirits; some say that they are usually dangerous and should not be getting close to them. People with this disorder are more likely to be victims and not criminals. They are usually misjudged and misunderstood.

Approximately there is 1 percent of the population will acquire schizophrenia during their lifetime. About 2 million Americans are suffering from this kind of disorder every year. There is an equal frequency effect of this disorder in men and women but the men’s symptoms for this disorder appear much early compared to the women (Michigirl, 2005).

A news story from Crime and Justice (1998) reported about a case of a boy named Klarquist, who committed the crime of 13 offenses. He had a history of this kind of disease and was brought to the hospital while young because he clawed his eye out. He was brought to be treated by psychiatric tests but was out and lived normally after that incident.

But as he was in his adolescence he clawed his other eye again which made him officially blind. They were able to find a remedy to restore the eyesight of his other eye and therefore can still see. In October 1997, the devastating effects of that illness became clear to Klarquist's family. Driving his car north in the southbound lanes of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Klarquist plowed into five other cars waiting at the stoplight on East Burnside Street.

"He went across the intersection aiming his car at the people there", said John Colby, the deputy district attorney assigned to the case. Although no one was very seriously injured, Colby's theory was that Klarquist was trying to commit suicide. Klarquist was charged with 13 offenses, including second-degree assault, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of almost six years in prison.

Klarquist pleaded guilty but he used the insanity defense, agreeing to serve a 10-year sentence under the jurisdiction of the Psychiatric Security Review Board. In this case, Klarquist should be treated at a hospital for such a disorder but he was not given a chance.

The hospital did not accept Klarquist because his paper works were not properly filled out. While he was waiting for the case and mess to clear out he took out his eyes. It was clear that he was not given fair treatment. Though his papers were not filed out properly with his prior treatment for his disorder, he should still be accepted by the hospital.

The hospital that did accept him during his treatment after his trial should be sued. The ethics have gone away by neglecting any patient that has to be treated. They must help those people and should not just rely on the processing of their papers.

In this case, society is misunderstanding this kind of people. They don’t know about the disorder so they judge too quickly. They should be educated about this kind of personality disorder.

Although there is presently no permanent cure for schizophrenia, the symptoms of the illness can be effectively controlled in many patients by the use of antipsychotic (neuroleptic) drugs. Most individuals can obtain improvement in their symptoms with the use of modern drugs and modern approaches to management.

Successful drug treatment of schizophrenia is dependent on:
- Careful assessment of the individual,
- Careful selection of the antipsychotic drug and dosage, and
- Provision of appropriate information and support for the patients and their families.