Mentail Illness Poem

Poetry Post #1 (Schizophrenia)

I have chosen to analyze schizophrenia which is a condition that involves a range of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional symptoms. According to the DSM V for the diagnosis of schizophrenia, the condition is characterized by the occurrence of the following four main symptoms. First, hallucinations involve hearing and seeing things that are not real which have a full impact on a normal experience in people with schizophrenia. Hearing voices is one of the main types of hallucination that people with this disorder undergo. Second, delusions are based on having a feeling of false beliefs that are not real. Most of the time, they have feelings of being harassed or harmed which are not real experiences. Furthermore, people with schizophrenia experience disorganized speech with the frequent derailment. It involves the expression of childlike behavior to unpredictable agitations with random behaviors that lack focus, including bizarre posture, resistance to follow instructions, and complete lack of response.

Also, they are grossly disorganized, characterized by impaired communication and giving partially unrelated answers. Sometimes speech may be characterized by putting together meaningless words referred to as word salad. The symptoms are present at a significant period of 1-month with negative symptoms, including diminished emotional expression. The disorder affects the level of functioning in one or more areas like work, self-care, or interpersonal relations lower than the level achieved before adolescence. Therefore, the condition affects the level of interpersonal, occupational functioning, and academic capabilities. Besides, this disorder's symptoms continue for more than six months, including one full month of symptoms according to the first criteria, which may include periods of residual symptoms. During this period, the symptoms are expressed in a less severe form, with manic episodes appearing concurrently.

One of the causes believed to cause schizophrenia is genetic inheritance. The disorder is theorized to run in the family in cases whereby a close relative, sibling, or parent had the condition, which exposes an individual to the probability of acquiring it genetically. The disorder is believed to be inherited through several genes that can make a person susceptible to this condition. Besides, the chemical change in the brain is another theory believed to cause schizophrenia. It involves a series of interrelated chemicals located in the brain referred to as neurotransmitters responsible for the transmission of signals between brain cells (Holland, 2018). Therefore, the imbalance of these chemicals is believed to result in developing this disorder and other mental health conditions. Furthermore, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that acts as a chemical messenger between neurons and is one of the chemicals that are believed to cause the development of schizophrenia.

Treatment using antipsychotic medications is the primary way that is used in the treatment of schizophrenia currently. They work by triggering a decrease in the severity of the disorder's symptoms by regulating the level of chemicals that are believed to be associated with schizophrenia to maintain quality of life. However, this medication can cause sexual problems, weight gain, and shakiness. Besides, physical therapy is another criterion that is used in the management of schizophrenia disorder. It helps enable affected individuals to carry on with their jobs, finish school, or even practice effective communication. Furthermore, my interest in analyzing this disorder regards my childhood friend who developed this condition while in high school. It affected his studies up to appoint he had to drop out of school, which frustrated me a lot as we were very close, making me to be interested in knowing more about schizophrenia.