Schizophrenia - Research Paper Example

? Schizophrenia November 20, Schizophrenia What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a “chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009)” and mental illness that is diagnosed psychiatrically. Schizophrenia is primarily distinguished from other mental disorders by mental lapses in the form of disintegration of thought processes and emotional responsiveness. With schizophrenia comes a diminishment on the comprehension of reality, such as hallucinations, delusions, or hearing voices that others do not. When a person suffers from schizophrenia, they gradually lose their sense of reality and become unable to determine what is really there and what is a manifestation of their disorder. Signs and symptoms The signs and symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three distinct categories: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Positive symptoms are psychotic reactions that are not common in people with good health. The symptoms in this category are characterized by their ability to detach a schizophrenia patient from reality. These symptoms do not always hang around, but come and go throughout the duration of the disorder. Though these symptoms can be incredibly severe, there are other times when they go completely unnoticed. The most common symptoms in this category are hallucinations, which is when a person hears, sees, feels, or smells things that are not present to other people. People can experience delusions or have thought disorders, which are abnormal and dysfunctional ways of thinking. When a person has delusions, they can be convinced that they are another person or they can become paranoid that someone is trying to bring harm to them. Thought disorders cause schizophrenia patients to have difficulties thinking in an organized way, to become unable to connect thoughts logically in their head, or to make up words that sound like nonsense to others, yet the individual speaking them is able to comprehend what they are saying. Another set of symptoms in the positive category are movement disorders. When an individual experiences a movement disorder, they may continuously repeat a certain movement. In more extreme cases, the individual may become catatonic. Catatonia is when a person does not move and does not respond to or acknowledge the presence of others. Catatonia is not very common today, though schizophrenics may be subjected to it if they do not get the proper treatment in the right amount of time. Negative symptoms “refer to a diminishment or absence of characteristics of normal function (Plumbo, 2010)” and often appear years before positive symptoms make themselves known. Negative symptoms include a loss of interest in once-enjoyed activities, a withdrawal from friends and family, and a loss of motivation and drive to accomplish even the most simple task, such as tending to personal hygiene. An individual lacks emotion and does not speak or socialize with others, even if they are being forced to interact. When schizophrenics experience negative symptoms, they require help with going about their basic daily tasks. Cognitive symptoms are often hard to detect and difficult to connect with schizophrenia. These symptoms are only ever found when specific tests are performed to recognize them. When a schizophrenic has cognitive symptoms, they could have trouble in comprehending information and piecing it together to make certain decisions. They display signs of short-term memory and other difficulties in remembering information. These individuals also find it hard to concentration or pay attention. Risk factors and causes Approximately two million Americans suffer from schizophrenia; outside of the United States, roughly twenty-five million people have been diagnosed with schizophrenia (Rose, 2010). Schizophrenia affects men and women equally, and there are no risk factors based on ethnic groups. However, children, teenagers, and young adults are more susceptible to developing schizophrenia than infants or older adults. Since there is no definable and definite cause of schizophrenia, it becomes difficult to determine who is at risk for developing the disorder or even who already has the disorder. Due to the lack of understanding when it comes to schizophrenia, many people are misdiagnosed until certain symptoms appear, such as those more common to schizophrenia, or else common to another disorder. Until such symptoms arise, a person could be treated for a disorder they do not have or not be properly treated for a disorder that is going undiagnosed. However, doctors, psychiatrists, and scientists have still managed to compile a small list of possible causes of schizophrenia. Genetics is believed to play a large role in the developing of schizophrenia. As is the case with most mental disorders, if a person is directly related to someone else who has been diagnosed with certain disorders, that person is likely to develop it themselves. It is not entirely known what specific gene causes schizophrenia, though it has become clear that the gene is a mutation, but it has been proven that numerous family members are capable of being diagnosed with the disorder. There are a few doctors that even believe too much subjectivity to a family member with schizophrenia can put an individual at risk for developing the disorder. In recent years, “brain scans using magnetic resonance imaging have shown a number of abnormalities in the brain’s structure associated with schizophrenia (Simon, 2009).” These scans have shown nerve damage and disconnections in the pathways that transport chemicals throughout the brain. The brains of schizophrenics have also shown imbalances in neurotransmitters and other chemicals, such as dopamine and reelin. Furthermore, the structure of these brains reveal a mass disruption of connections between nerve cells. For example, when a schizophrenic begins to speak in gibberish, this could be due to a disconnection of the circuits that control speech processing. Additional evidence points to a lack of communication between the right and left sides of the brain. These findings show that the cause of schizophrenia can be a physical process, as well as a mental one. A final possible cause of schizophrenia can be the environment in which one grows up. If a person lives in crowded conditions, such as with a large family, they risk developing schizophrenia. This holds especially true if there are small intervals of time between the birth of each child. Similarly, people that live in cities for a prolonged period of time have a higher chance of developing schizophrenia than people who live in the country or in small towns or suburbs. Diagnosis As previously mentioned, diagnosing schizophrenia can be difficult unless specific symptoms have been revealed. Schizophrenia shares symptoms with other mental and mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder or depression; some symptoms are even similar to those experienced if an individual is taking illegal drugs (Weaver, 2007). Many of the symptoms can also be confused with a person simply becoming antisocial. As such, there is no single diagnostic test that can be used to determine if an individual has schizophrenia. Instead, a health care provider will evaluate the symptoms for six months and follow the course of the individual’s illness before attempting to make an accurate diagnosis. Treatment and prognosis Like many mood and mental disorders, there is no cure to schizophrenia. Numerous medications and therapy options are available, which can help ease the symptoms associated with schizophrenia or prevent the patient from having schizophrenic episodes. In the majority of cases, chlorpromazine, a medication that was designed to specifically treat schizophrenia, is implemented into treatment plans. This medication has a “calming effect without sedating patients, allowing them to live a nearly normal life (Public Broadcasting Service, 1998).” In the cases that schizophrenia is less severe or newly developed, patients are given medications designed to tackle their individual symptoms, such as mood swings or difficulties in concentrating and paying attention. Therapy and support groups are also available to schizophrenics. Social skills training therapy helps an individual to improve their communicative and social skills, while vocational rehabilitation aids schizophrenics in finding and maintaining jobs. Individual therapy, and sometimes group therapy, can help patients learn various coping techniques to help them deal with their stress and schizophrenic episodes in the healthiest manner. Some therapies are also designed to help schizophrenics identify early warning signs for possible schizophrenic relapse episodes. The sooner that schizophrenia is diagnosed in a patient, the easier it is to treat them. “Ten years after initial diagnosis, approximately fifty percent of people diagnosed with schizophrenia are either noted to be completely recovered or improved to the point of being able to function independently (Nemade & Dombeck, 2005).” Even if a person recovers from schizophrenia, they are still at risk for relapsing; schizophrenia is not able to be completely cured. Scientists and doctors are working around the clock in the hopes of finding a more definite cure for schizophrenia. Until that time, though, as long as patients undergo the proper treatment, they still have hope for living a normal, fulfilling life. References National Institute of Mental Health. (2009, September 3). Schizophrenia. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia/complete-index.shtml#pub2 Nemade, R., & Dombeck, M. (2005, May 26). Prognosis and recovery factors of schizophrenia. El Paso Mental Health and Mental Retardation. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from info.epmhmr.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=8806&cn=7 Plumbo, G. (2010, January 30). Schizophrenia: Symptoms. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/schizophrenia/DS00196/DSECTION=symptoms Public Broadcasting Service. (1998, July 15). A science odyssey: Drug for treating schizophrenia identified. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dh52dr.html Rose, D. (2010, July 18). Schizophrenia Facts and Statistics. Schizophrenia. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm Simon, H. (2009, January 22). Schizophrenia: Causes. University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_causes_schizophrenia_000047_2.htm Weaver, M. (2007, October 4). Diagnosing Schizophrenia. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Schizophrenia9&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=117959 Read More