Schizophrenia
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Schizophrenia
Saylor R. Beezel
Pierpont Caperton Center
Abstract
This essays purpose is to inform readers of the psychotic disorder Schizophrenia. It is a semi-uncommon disorder in people, but the symptoms can potentially be severe, and can require a great deal of medical attention. A person with this disorder faces a disconnect from “normal” day-to-day life, and the reader will see how a person facing life with schizophrenia lives, is diagnosed, and treated in order to live the most normal life possible.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a serious psychological disorder that takes over nearly the entire life of a person. Due to the complexity of schizophrenia, it is confused with multiple personality disorder due to the Greek roots of the word; however, “schizophrenia is considered a psychotic disorder, or one in which a person’s thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors are impaired to the point where she is not able to function normally in life,” (Psychology, 2014). Unlike many people who live with multiple personality disorder, those with schizophrenia are not typically homeless, and they typically live with families or on their own. In addition, those with schizophrenia are not usually violent and do not pose any harm to others. This disorder causes difficulty when a person attempts to hold down a job, pay bills, or even tasks as simple as maintain their hygiene. Cultivating relationships with others becomes a challenge as well. A person with schizophrenia faces a severe disconnect from the world in which people commonly live in. The disorder is relatively rare, only affecting 1% of the population, but while it is uncommon for a person to be diagnosed with the Schizophrenia, anyone can be diagnosed at nearly any age. The common age range for a person to be diagnosed with this disorder differs depending on gender. In males, symptoms begin in the late teens and early 20s. In women, symptoms do not commonly begin until the late 20s into their early and mid 30s (“What is Schizophrenia,” n.d.).
Symptoms
Active schizophrenia can cause a person to be unable to distinguish between real experiences and unreal experiences. Hallucinations are one prominent symptom. People often hear voices and create exaggerated or distorted perceptions of reality. The voices a person hears can be a number of different tones that say a variety of things. They can be critical or threatening to the person hearing them. They can also be voices that are known by the person or they can be unfamiliar. Seeing and smelling things that are not real are also common for a person who is facing hallucinations (“What is Schizophrenia,” n.d.).
Additionally, people with schizophrenia face negative symptoms. These symptoms may include: speaking in a dull, disconnected manner, being emotionally flat, and lack of motivation. A person may not have the ability to start an activity or to follow through with one. A person may also show a lack of interest in life, and maintaining relationships may also be a challenge. With these negative symptoms, they can occasionally be confused with clinical depression (Schizophrenia n.d.). Emotions of a person with negative symptoms are often diminished. Facial expressions, speech, and movements are often impaired, even when they are completely normal. A lack of motivation causes those to avoid basic tasks such as bathing themselves and keeping up with simple hygiene. This lack of motivation is known as avolition. Patients with negative symptoms also lack in the area of speaking. Alogia refers to this lack of speech in patients. Social withdrawal is another symptom included among the negative symptoms. People choose to isolate themselves from others. Finally, there is anhedonia, and this refers to a person’s inability to experience pleasure. A person facing this finds activities and hobbies others would see as enjoyable to be of little enjoyment (Psychology, 2014).
Final symptoms of schizophrenia include disorganized thinking and abnormal motor behaviors. People with schizophrenia often have a difficult time paying attention and concentrating on things. Their thoughts are jumbled, and remembering is a difficult task. Because of this, a person has a difficult time completing even simple tasks. Motor behaviors of people are abnormal in the sense that a person may make facial expressions and gestures that are uncommon. The person’s posture may also be awkward and rigid for an extended period of time. The thoughts of a person with schizophrenia are often mixed up, and words such as train could become confused. For example, a person could take job training to mean riding on an actual train. It leaves the person in a tough place when they cannot control the way in which they are thinking.
History of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is not a new psychological disorder. It has been around for a great amount of time. In the 19th century, Dr. Emil Krapelin described schizophrenia as premature dementia. He believed that the illness steadily became worse, and there were little improvements with time, if any at all. While his work may not have been completed, he paved the way for further research to be done, and he was able to distinguish “schizophrenia” from other disorders that were known at the time. In 1911, a man by the name of Eugen Bleuler coined the term schizophrenia, and unlike Krapelin, he believed that people showed improvement over time.
Victorian asylums were built in order to house those with schizophrenia, and often times these people were confined to these spaces for years even until death. When they were originally built, these asylums were viewed as a compassionate and caring place for those with psychological disorders to go and seek help and treatment rather than being thrown into prison where they did not belong or left to fend for themselves on the street; however, in later years, these asylums were revealed to be abusive. Treatments during this time were rather controversial. Electric shock therapy and brain surgery were two common treatments for patients at this time, and continued to be used until antipsychotic drugs were produced for people to use. People with schizophrenia were often heavily drugged, and left in a confined space to themselves.
The 20th century is when antipsychotic drugs really began to take off, and while they were introduced to help patients, the side effects of such medications as chlorpromazine, haloperidol and flupenthixol proved to be greater than intended. Many had symptoms similar to that of Parkinsons Disease (Schizophrenia: A Brief History, n.d.).
Much of the early treatments for Schizophrenia were trial and error. Many people were told to just attend church in order to help clear their chaotic minds. In 1910, Winston Churchill wrote to the prime minister that there should be a “mass sterilization” of those with severe mental illness. People with schizophrenia were viewed as harmful and violent people, even though violence is not considered to be a symptom of the disorder. People often had to wait years upon years to find not even a cure, but a treatment for their disorder, and it was all a long process of trial and error (“Schizophrenia: 100 Years” n.d.).
Causes and Diagnosis
There are various factors that can play into the cause of schizophrenia. The first factor that plays a role in schizophrenia is genetics. There are a number of genetic factors that can play a role in causing the disorder. While schizophrenia only affects 1% of the population, the risk is greater in those who have a family history of family psychosis. Schizophrenia occurs at roughly 10% of people who have a first-degree relative with the disorder, such as a parent or sibling. The risk is even higher, 50%, in identical twins if one develops the disorder. Studies have been conducted in which 97 children, 47 of which whose mothers had schizophrenia were separated from their mothers at an early age. These “children” were then observed for a 36 year period, and five of the 47 children were diagnosed with schizophrenia. This is in contrast the 50 control adoptees. This study concluded that children whose biological mothers have schizophrenia are at a higher risk to also develop the disorder. In addition to genetics, a person’s environment also can increase their risk. Exposure to viruses or malnutrition during pregnancy can increase the risk of schizophrenia. This risk is even greater during the first and second trimesters. The stress level of the mother also plays a key role in the increased risk of the child developing schizophrenia. If, for example, the mother were to lose a close relative or friend in death during her pregnancy, the child’s risk is increased substantially. Furthermore, if a person were to have chemicals off within their brain, it could increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Neurotransmitters including dopamine and glutamine do not communicate within the person’s brain in the correct manner. If and when a person’s brain produced an overabundance of dopamine, it was an early setting for schizophrenia to develop. This excessive amount of dopamine can cause the hallucinations and delusions a person with schizophrenia experiences. The networks of neurons within a person are also off balanced, and can increase the risk as well (“Schizophrenia” n.d.). An additional cause for schizophrenia has to do with the anatomy of a person’s brain. There is a potential link between schizophrenia and a lack of brain tissue in a person. When studying a person’s brain with schizophrenia, it often shows that the person has enlarged ventricles, and these enlarged ventricles suggests that other areas of the brain are not developed, therefore they are reduced in their size. This leads to a lack of grey matter in the frontal lobes which causes less activity in a person when performing cognitive tasks. This lack of activity shows itself based on a person’s behavior as well as their speech, movement, attention, and their problem solving abilities. While these are all factors a person often does not have control over, there are also factors a person has control over. Substance abuse can cause a person to develop schizophrenia. Using types of mind-altering drugs during a person’s teens is linked to the development of schizophrenia. One drug that has been reported on is marijuana. Various reports have stated individuals with schizophrenia are more likely to use marijuana than those without the disorder, and while investigations cannot determine for a fact that the use of marijuana is linked to the development of schizophrenia. The greatest risk in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders came from those who use marijuana, specifically those who use it frequently. It is believed that marijuana use among teens whose brains are still in developmental stages set the stage for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders (Psychology, 2014).
Diagnosing schizophrenia is not always a simple task. People who use mind-altering drugs such as LSD can have schizophrenia-like symptoms. It also makes it difficult to diagnose due to the fact many people do not believe they have the disorder. For a person to be diagnosed, they must have two or more of the symptoms mentioned earlier. In order for the disorder to be managed effectively, early diagnosis is important. Often times, people are misdiagnosed due to their cultural background. For example, African Americans and Latinos are often the likely people to be misdiagnosed, possibly because of their culture, religious beliefs, or the language barrier. It is important, though for people to seek medical attention regardless of their culture or background, and when help is sought out, it is important for the person’s medical professional to accept and understand the person’s circumstances in life (“Schizophrenia” n.d.)
Treatments Today
While schizophrenia is not able to be cured, there are various ways for a person to treat and maintain their disorder. One method of treatment is antipsychotic medications. Typically these are taken on a daily basis in either pill or liquid form. Antipsychotic injections can also be given to a person once or twice a month. There are potential side effects to every medication, and the antipsychotics are no exception; however the majority of the side effects go away after a few days of taking the medication. Like in previous years, finding the correct doses and medications is often a game of chance, and it may take several tried before the medication and dosage is correct. Medical professionals are able to work with their patients in order to find this correct treatment efficiently. In addition to medications, psychosocial treatments are also used in order to help those with schizophrenia. After finding a medicinal combination that works for the patient, a doctor will assist their patient to cope with and address everyday situations. This will help a person to attend school, work, or other day-to-day activities a person may have to do. A final treatment is very involved and includes medical treatment, psychosocial treatment, family involvement, and supported education and employment services. This form of treatment is called coordinated specialty care and it is aimed to help a person to reduce their symptoms of schizophrenia and to increase the overall quality of the person’s life. This is a long-term form of treatment, and changes the trajectory and prognosis of schizophrenia through coordinated specialty care treatment in the earliest stages of the disorder. Treatment for schizophrenia is necessary, and often times, family and friends must assist in the person attaining the help they need. It is important to remember that even though their hallucinations and delusions seem crazy, they seem very realistic. It is also important to support the person and show them the love they need. Their treatment must start with their family and friend’s assistance.
References
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Schizophrenia: A Brief History. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2017, from https://www.livingwithschizophreniauk.org/advice-sheets/schizophrenia-a-brief-history/
Schizophrenia. (2016, February). Retrieved October 28, 2017, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml
What is Schizophrenia? (2017, January). Retrieved October 29, 2017, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia
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