Schizophrenia

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Schizophrenia

INTRO

Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling brain disease and is one of the most common mental illnesses. This disease affects about 1 of every 100 people, or 1% of the population (www.schizophrenia.com). Schizophrenia does not discriminate by race or culture. This disorder is found throughout the world and in all races and cultures. Schizophrenia affects men and women in equal numbers, yet men seem to develop schizophrenia earlier than women. The word schizophrenia comes from the Greek words meaning "split" and "mind" yet people with schizophrenia do not have split personalities as the meaning suggests (www.schizophrenia.com). The "split mind" definition refers to the way that people with schizophrenia are split off from reality, basically unaware of what is real and what is not real.

SYMPTOMS Buy cheap Schizophrenia term paper

People with schizophrenia often suffer terrifying episodes, also known as "psychosis", of hearing internal voices not heard by others, or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. Their speech and behavior can be so disorganized that they may be incomprehensible or frightening to others, as well as themselves. Delusions are bizarre, false beliefs that seem real to the person with schizophrenia, but they are not real. Some examples of delusions a schizophrenic may experience are the belief that aliens or spies are controlling his or her behavior, mind and thoughts, or the belief that someone is "out to get them." Schizophrenics may also experience hallucinations, which are unreal perceptions of the environment and disturbances in sensory perceptions, such as hearing voices, seeing lights, objects or faces, smelling things, or experience feelings that bugs are crawling on or under their skin. Some first warning signs of the onset of schizophrenia are social withdrawal and/or isolation, excessive fatigue and sleepiness or an inability to sleep, deterioration of social relationships, inability to concentrate or cope with minor problems, apparent indifference, even in highly important situations, dropping out of activities, decline in academic and athletic performance, deterioration of personal hygiene, eccentric dress, frequent moves or trips or long walks leading nowhere, drug or alcohol abuse, undue preoccupation with spiritual or religious matters, bizarre behavior, inappropriate laughter, strange posturing, inability to express emotion, irrational statements, peculiar use of words or language structure, forgetfulness, and conversation that is not logical or coherent (www.world-schizophrenia.org). These symptoms, or warning signs, do not necessarily mean that someone has schizophrenia, but being aware of the potential symptoms may help detect the disease early and early diagnosis and treatment reduces relapses and re-hospitalizations.

CAUSES

There is no known single cause of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia most likely has several causes, but scientists do not know all of the factors that produce this mental disorder. Many diseases, such as heart disease, result from a mixture of genetic, behavioral, and other factors; and this may be the case for schizophrenia as well (www.schizophrenia.com) Scientists do not yet understand all of the factors necessary to produce schizophrenia, but all the tools of modern biomedical research are being used to search for genes, critical moments in brain development, and other factors that may lead to the illness. It has long been known that schizophrenia runs in families. People who have a close relative with schizophrenia are more likely to develop the disorder than are people who have no relatives with the illness (www.schizophrenia.com). Although genetics plays a big part in the development of the disease, it cannot be the only factor in developing schizophrenia. This evidence stems from twin studies. Identical twins have exactly the same genetic makeup and fraternal twins share only half of their genetic makeup. This being said, if one identical twin develops schizophrenia, the other twin should develop the disease as well. But the statistics show a different result. The chances of both of the twins developing schizophrenia is only 0-50%, while the chances of both fraternal twins developing the disease is around 15% (www.schizophrenia.com). Some non-genetic factors that may cause schizophrenia to develop are family stress, poor social interactions, infections or viruses at an early age, or trauma at an early age. It is believed that these non-genetic factors combine with the genetic factors and the result is schizophrenia.

DIAGNOSIS

In order to be diagnosed properly, a patient must have psychotic, "loss of reality" symptoms for at least six months and must have difficulty in functioning normally. It is important to rule out other illnesses that may mimic schizophrenia, as sometimes people suffer severe mental symptoms or even psychosis due to undetected underlying medical conditions. For this reason, a medical history should be taken and a physical examination and laboratory tests should be done to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms before concluding that a person has schizophrenia. In addition, since commonly abused drugs may cause symptoms resembling schizophrenia, blood or urine samples from the person can be tested at hospitals or physicians offices for the presence of these drugs. At times, it is difficult to tell one mental disorder from another. For instance, some people with symptoms of schizophrenia exhibit prolonged extremes of elated or depressed mood, and it is important to determine whether such a patient has schizophrenia or actually has a manic-depressive (or bipolar) disorder or major depressive disorder.

TREATMENT

Since schizophrenia may not be a single condition and its causes are not yet known, current treatment methods are based on both clinical research and experience. These approaches are chosen on the basis of their ability to reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia and to lessen the chances that symptoms will return. It is important to receive some type of treatment as early as possible to help avoid or reduce frequent relapses and re-hospitalizations. Some studies suggest that early intervention may forestall the worst long-term outcomes of schizophrenia. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, hospitalization may be required. Hospitalization is necessary to treat severe delusions or hallucinations, serious suicidal inclinations, inability to care for oneself, or severe problems with drugs or alcohol. Medications improve the long-term prognosis and studies show that after 10 years of treatment, one-fourth of those diagnosed with schizophrenia have recovered completely, one-fourth have improved considerably, and one-fourth have improved modestly. Of the other 5%, 15% did not improve at all, and 10% are dead (www.schizophrenia.com). Medications have greatly improved the outlook for schizophrenic patients. These medications reduce the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia and usually allow the patient to function more effectively and appropriately. Antipsychotic drugs are the best treatment now available, but they do not cure schizophrenia or ensure that there will be no further psychotic episodes, but the large majority of people with schizophrenia show substantial improvement when treated with these antipsychotic drugs. Another form of treatment is rehabilitation. Rehabilitation programs emphasize social and vocational training to help patients and former patients overcome difficulties in these areas. Programs may include vocational counseling, job training, problem-solving and money management skills, use of public transportation, and social skills training. These approaches are important for the success of the community-centered treatment of schizophrenia, because they provide discharged patients with the skills necessary to lead productive lives outside the sheltered confines of a mental hospital. At home support is also crucial in the treatment of schizophrenia. When patients with schizophrenia are discharged from the hospital into the care of their family, it is important that family members learn all they can about schizophrenia and understand the difficulties and problems associated with the illness. It is also helpful for family members to learn ways to minimize the patients chance of relapse, for example, by using different treatment adherence strategies and to be aware of the various kinds of outpatient and family services available in the period after hospitalization. Families must be taught various coping strategies and problem-solving skills, which may help them deal more effectively with their ill relative and may contribute to an improved outcome for the patient.

CONCLUSION

Although progress has been made toward better understanding and treatment of schizophrenia, continued investigation is urgently needed. Research has made great strides in developing ways for sufferers of this disease to live better lives, or to be able to cope with the everyday ups and downs in life, or just be able to function as a human being. The cause of schizophrenia has not yet been discovered and identified, and therefore cannot be prevented, but as we learn more about the potential causes and successful treatments of schizophrenia, patients have a better chance to achieve successful outcomes and lead independent satisfying lives.

REFERENCES

World Fellowship for Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 00 from http//www.world-schizophrenia.org/publications/0-warnings.html

The Schizophrenia Homepage - An Introduction to Schizophrenia. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 00 from http//www.schizophrenia.com/newsletter/buckets/family/schizintro.html

Treatment Advocacy Center Website General Resources Facts on Schizophrenia. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 00 from http//www.psychlaws.org/GeneralResources/Fact5.htm

Treatment Advocacy Center Website Medical Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 00 from http//www.psychlaws.org/GeneralResources/Fact5.htm

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