The Schizophrenia - Research Paper Example

Biopsychology al Affiliation) Introduction and Background of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that affects the way an individual thinks, acts, and sees the world. Schizophrenia alters people’s perception of reality. Patients with schizophrenia often suffer a significant loss of contact with reality. Bio-psychologists believe that experiences and behaviors are a product of activity in the nervous system. That is, the things that individuals do, think, feel, and say are in one way or another caused by electrochemical events between and within the neurons of the nervous system, specific those in brain (Cole, 2007). Importance of Schizophrenia in Biological Psychology Schizophrenia is important in the understanding of biological psychology as the condition affects the brain and distorts the nervous system. Schizophrenia relates to biological factors such as medication, clinical features, physical symptoms, drug misuse, and genetic factors. Research indicates that medication can suppress the symptoms of Schizophrenia. On the other hand, distinct clinical features such as symptoms, age of onset and course often typify Schizophrenia. There are different physical symptoms that associate with Schizophrenia. Such physical symptoms include persons having difficulty in organizing their thoughts and experiencing unusual ways of thinking as well as movement disorders where patients exhibit certain motions repeatedly. Research has shown that drug misuse can increase the risk of developing Schizophrenia. Drugs such as cannabis and cocaine may trigger symptoms of Schizophrenia in people who are at risk (Maj, 2003). This demonstrates that biological factors can in fact be causes of Schizophrenia. Additionally, Schizophrenia tends to develop in families. It is likely that different combinations of genes make individuals vulnerable to Schizophrenia. Findings from genetic studies indicate that inheritance influences Schizophrenia. The link of Schizophrenia and the biological factors make it an important area of study in the field of biopsychology. Researchers conclude from these findings that indeed biological factors are the pre-dominant causes of Schizophrenia, which elevates the biopsychology as the best way to conceive Schizophrenia. As researchers and psychologists continue to make advances, Schizophrenia remains one of the important psychiatric disorders in shaping biological psychology (Segal, 1997). Incidence and Prevalence of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is arguably one of the worst diseases affecting humankind. As commonly misconstrued, Schizophrenia is not split personality. Important questions remain unanswered about the classification of Schizophrenia. The condition is a common psychiatric disorder with roughly one in every 100 people developing it during the course of their lifetime. In the United States, nearly 1.2 million have Schizophrenia (America Psychology Association). The onset of Schizophrenia occurs during the early 20’s and the late teens, with a generally worse prognosis and younger age of onset in men. Studies indicate that Schizophrenia increases the risk of suicide (Maj, 2003). More than 40% of patients with Schizophrenia attempt suicide at least once. Statistics indicate that suicide is the number one cause of premature death for persons with Schizophrenia (Segal, 1997) Problem Statement Although Schizophrenia does not follow a worsening course like other diseases, there are significant and enduring conditions for many individuals with this condition. Currently, there exists no definite cure of Schizophrenia: however, there are different treatments that can control some of the symptoms. The optimal treatment of Schizophrenia integrates supportive psychosocial treatment and antipsychotic drugs. There is need to pay more attention to the development of cure for the disorder to reduce levels of deaths and improve the quality of life of people with Schizophrenia (Maj, 2003). Rationale/Purpose of the Paper This paper synthesizes the link between psychological factors of Schizophrenia and biological considerations. It explores psychological considerations such as symptoms of the condition as well as biological factors that relate to Schizophrenia. The study of the link between psychological factors and biological considerations is crucial in understanding concepts of biological psychology. The study explains how the symptoms of Schizophrenia affect the activities of the nervous system leading to the experiences of people with the condition such as their thoughts and perceptions about reality. It is this better understanding of biopsychology that is crucial in addressing the symptoms of Schizophrenia. Psychological Considerations The symptoms of Schizophrenia can combine in different ways with their duration and severity fluctuating over time. However, its symptoms are well defined. The symptoms of Schizophrenia are in five classes (American Psychology Association). Firstly, delusions are ideas that patients with Schizophrenia firmly hold despite obvious evidence that the idea is not true. Delusions occur in more than 80% of patients with Schizophrenia. Most of the time, delusions involve bizarre or illogical fantasies or ideas. Secondly, hallucinations are sensations that patients with Schizophrenia experience as real but exist in their minds only. The most common form of hallucinations is auditory hallucination. Auditory hallucinations occur when people with Schizophrenia misconstrue their own inner self-talk as coming from another person, usually people they know. The voices are often abusive and critical. Thirdly, patients with Schizophrenia experience disorganized speech. They tend to have difficulties maintaining and concentrating on a line of thought. Fourthly, patients with Schizophrenia often experience disorganized behaviors. Schizophrenia interferes with goal-directed activity leading to impairments in a peoples’ ability to care for themselves. A decline in daily functioning and lack of impulse control are some of the forms of disorganized behavior. Finally, the absence of normal behaviors found in healthy persons could indicate presence Schizophrenia. Negative symptoms include lack of emotional expression, lack of enthusiasm, and speech difficulties (American Psychology Association). Biological Considerations Interlink between dopamine and glutamine is crucial in addressing the symptom domains of Schizophrenia. Positive symptoms of Schizophrenia are a result of excess dopaminergic activity in the mesolimbic pathway, from ventral tegmental region to the nucleus accumbens. Some side effects of antipsychotic medication are due to the blockage in dopamine circuit in the nigrostriatal pathway that runs from substantia nigra to the striatum. Symptoms of Schizophrenia lead to a hypo-dopaminergic state existing in the mesocortical pathways and a hyper-dopaminergic state in the mesolimbic pathway resulting in negative and positive symptoms respectively (Citrome, 2011). Glutamate is the universal excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. Glutamate is engages in synaptic transmission and in neuroplasticity functions, including memory. Extreme glutamate can induce neurotoxicity. Certain vulnerable genes have been identified for schizophrenia that directly relate to the function of glutamate receptors. There are different types of glutamate receptor that exist on both the pre and postsynaptic neuron and on glial cells. There are numerous glutamate pathways in some key brain regions. These pathways include projections from the cortex down to the ventral tegmental zone. In conclusion, the relationship between psychological factors of Schizophrenia and biological considerations expand the understanding of biological psychology. The hope of a cure for Schizophrenia lies in research on the field of biological psychology. However, there is no complete understanding of the brain and the knowledge of behavior is still scant. There is need for advancement of knowledge about the brain to propound sophisticated hypothesis and enhance the understanding of how the brain works. This would lead to more unveiling of the biology of Schizophrenia and psychiatric disorders at large. While treatment for symptoms of this condition exist, the side effects, which are serious in some cases, are common. One of the greatest hopes of biological research is the development of drugs that treat Schizophrenia and the identification of a combination of genes that cause the condition. The increasing research on the actions of chemicals in the brain continues to facilitate the development of new medication and the general understanding of biological psychology concepts. I would champion for increases in funds directed towards research in a bid to explore further issues in biological psychology in a bid to innovation of a permanent cure of Schizophrenia. References Citrome, L. (2011, September 1). Neurochemical Models of Schizophrenia: Transcending Dopamine. Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/home/article/neurochemical-models-of-schizophrenia-transcending-dopamine/4f7518a8bacfe236fcff835774ea8db3.html Cole, L. E. (2007). Human behavior; psychology as a biosocial science. Yonkers, N.Y: World Book Co. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. (Fifth Ed.). (2013). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association Maj, M. (2003). Schizophrenia (2nd Ed.). Chichester: Wiley. Medical Model - Treating Mental Disorders | Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/medical-model.html Psychiatric Disorders and Mental Health Issues. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://psychiatric-disorders.com/ Top of Form Bottom of Form Segal, N. (1997). Uniting psychology and biology: Integrative perspectives on human development. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of FormBottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More