Informative Essay: Living With Schizophrenia
Living with Schizophrenia
Kaplan University
CM107: College Composition
Living with Schizophrenia According to Schizophrenia.com, "The number of people who will be diagnosed as having schizophrenia in a year is about one in 4,000. So about 1.5 million people will be diagnosed with schizophrenia this year, worldwide" (Schizophrenia.com, 2010). Men and women are affected the same by this disease, but women start their symptoms around ages 16-30. Men usually generate this illness around the teenage years. Early causes of Schizophrenia result in genetic or environmental determinants. Although Schizophrenia is an intriguing type of mental illness to investigate with difficult symptoms, there are many group therapies and pharmaceuticals to …show more content…
help relieve it. To understand Schizophrenia, it is important to know its description, its effects, and treatments for this illness.
There are many theories that pertain to the causes of schizophrenia, but one would prefer that the mental illness genesis tie into a genetic factor.
In the genetic research that has taken place, websites that give information about this research apparently state those abnormal genes are more common among schizophrenics than in the normal public. Schizophrenia appears to be a NBD, or a neurobiological disease; NBD relates to one’s mental thoughts. For reference, NBD is not only in Schizophrenia, but also in mental illnesses like bipolar, manic depression, major depression, OCD, and panic disorders. It is no deceit to say that Schizophrenia is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some cases of schizophrenia are found in types of environments like pregnancy, which Mark Opler and Ezra Susser (2005) say that, “Several studies report that exposures to infection and nutritional deprivation during early development may elevate the risk of later developing schizophrenia, specifically during the prenatal …show more content…
period.”
Because of the symptoms Schizophrenia possess, one’s personal, social, and job-related performing abilities decay. As stated in by the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) (2009), there are three types of symptoms that most happens in schizophrenics: positive, negative and cognitive. Positive schizophrenic symptoms are extremely conspicuous and include delusions, disordered thought and speech. Another symptom is called a hallucination, and they consist of tactile, auditory, visual, odorous, and sensory. One of the many “positive” symptoms that schizophrenics face according to Dewan Naakesh (2012) is “having hallucinations, which means hearing voices that no one else can hear, seeing people or objects that are not there, or feeling something that is not there.” Negative symptoms can affect how schizophrenics function on a daily basis and can affect their behavior. These symptoms are often mistaken against other mental illnesses. They cannot demonstrate emotions, inability to show pleasure in life, or cannot execute planned outings or activities. Linda Bernstein (2008) explains it simply by, “Negative symptoms are personality elements that disappear because of the disease, such as the ability to enjoy activities and the ability to relate to other people.” Cognitive symptoms are only noticeable when certain analyses are performed. The studies at NIMH (2009) suggest that these cognitive symptoms are: the capability of retaining\ information and putting it to use, having difficulties concentrating, and having complications with one’s “working memory”. As one can see, cognitive symptoms are more like those that come from ADHD and other mental illnesses.
Therapies and pharmaceuticals are some of the recommended solutions to Schizophrenia, but they do not knock out the illness itself.
Though, one would say that years of treatment will result in a big improvement. The first treatment to Schizophrenia is medication. Pharmaceuticals for schizophrenics come in a variety, some of which are newer than others. One has to take the daily dose otherwise one will end up in relapse. There are new medicines on the market, like Clozapine. This medicine is what patients take when one does not act in a positive response to the regular prescriptions. Alas, there are other treatments, like therapies that can reduce the effects of Schizophrenia. Therapies include things like, psychotherapy, individual and family education, avoidance of street drugs and alcohol, support groups, and support from family, friends, mental health professionals, and government programs. Dewan Naakesh (2012) lists one example in her report, “cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on thinking and behavior.” Linda Bernstein (2008) also states that a person’s loved ones acts as a foundation to where a schizophrenic can be helped
behaviorally.
In conclusion, Schizophrenia is confusing yet discouraging mental illness. Because of the disorientation within the study of Schizophrenia, there are no known ways to completely avoid getting this illness; however, one can ease the symptoms by going to group therapies and taking the daily medications that are recommended. As it states on the National Institute of Mental Health website, "The outlook for people with schizophrenia continues to improve. ... Continued research and understanding in genetics, neuroscience, and behavioral science will help scientists and health professionals understand the causes of the disorder and how it may be predicted and prevented" (NIMH, 2009). Although Schizophrenia is an intriguing type of mental illness to investigate with difficult symptoms, there are many group therapies and pharmaceuticals to help relieve it.
References
Bernstein, L. (2008). The Puzzle of Schizophrenia. Current Health 2, 34(7), 12-15.
Naakesh A. Dewan, M. D. (2012). Schizophrenia. CRS - Adult Health Advisor, 1.
NIMH. (2009). Schizophrenia. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia/what-are-the-symptoms-of-schizophrenia.shtml
Opler, M. A., & Susser, E. S. (2005). Fetal Environment and Schizophrenia. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(9), 1239-1242. doi:10.1289/ehp.7572
Schizophrenia.com. (2010). The causes of schizophrenia. Retrieved from http://www.schizophrenia.com/hypo.php
Kaplan University
CM107: College Composition
Living with Schizophrenia According to Schizophrenia.com, "The number of people who will be diagnosed as having schizophrenia in a year is about one in 4,000. So about 1.5 million people will be diagnosed with schizophrenia this year, worldwide" (Schizophrenia.com, 2010). Men and women are affected the same by this disease, but women start their symptoms around ages 16-30. Men usually generate this illness around the teenage years. Early causes of Schizophrenia result in genetic or environmental determinants. Although Schizophrenia is an intriguing type of mental illness to investigate with difficult symptoms, there are many group therapies and pharmaceuticals to …show more content…
help relieve it. To understand Schizophrenia, it is important to know its description, its effects, and treatments for this illness.
There are many theories that pertain to the causes of schizophrenia, but one would prefer that the mental illness genesis tie into a genetic factor.
In the genetic research that has taken place, websites that give information about this research apparently state those abnormal genes are more common among schizophrenics than in the normal public. Schizophrenia appears to be a NBD, or a neurobiological disease; NBD relates to one’s mental thoughts. For reference, NBD is not only in Schizophrenia, but also in mental illnesses like bipolar, manic depression, major depression, OCD, and panic disorders. It is no deceit to say that Schizophrenia is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some cases of schizophrenia are found in types of environments like pregnancy, which Mark Opler and Ezra Susser (2005) say that, “Several studies report that exposures to infection and nutritional deprivation during early development may elevate the risk of later developing schizophrenia, specifically during the prenatal …show more content…
period.”
Because of the symptoms Schizophrenia possess, one’s personal, social, and job-related performing abilities decay. As stated in by the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) (2009), there are three types of symptoms that most happens in schizophrenics: positive, negative and cognitive. Positive schizophrenic symptoms are extremely conspicuous and include delusions, disordered thought and speech. Another symptom is called a hallucination, and they consist of tactile, auditory, visual, odorous, and sensory. One of the many “positive” symptoms that schizophrenics face according to Dewan Naakesh (2012) is “having hallucinations, which means hearing voices that no one else can hear, seeing people or objects that are not there, or feeling something that is not there.” Negative symptoms can affect how schizophrenics function on a daily basis and can affect their behavior. These symptoms are often mistaken against other mental illnesses. They cannot demonstrate emotions, inability to show pleasure in life, or cannot execute planned outings or activities. Linda Bernstein (2008) explains it simply by, “Negative symptoms are personality elements that disappear because of the disease, such as the ability to enjoy activities and the ability to relate to other people.” Cognitive symptoms are only noticeable when certain analyses are performed. The studies at NIMH (2009) suggest that these cognitive symptoms are: the capability of retaining\ information and putting it to use, having difficulties concentrating, and having complications with one’s “working memory”. As one can see, cognitive symptoms are more like those that come from ADHD and other mental illnesses.
Therapies and pharmaceuticals are some of the recommended solutions to Schizophrenia, but they do not knock out the illness itself.
Though, one would say that years of treatment will result in a big improvement. The first treatment to Schizophrenia is medication. Pharmaceuticals for schizophrenics come in a variety, some of which are newer than others. One has to take the daily dose otherwise one will end up in relapse. There are new medicines on the market, like Clozapine. This medicine is what patients take when one does not act in a positive response to the regular prescriptions. Alas, there are other treatments, like therapies that can reduce the effects of Schizophrenia. Therapies include things like, psychotherapy, individual and family education, avoidance of street drugs and alcohol, support groups, and support from family, friends, mental health professionals, and government programs. Dewan Naakesh (2012) lists one example in her report, “cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on thinking and behavior.” Linda Bernstein (2008) also states that a person’s loved ones acts as a foundation to where a schizophrenic can be helped
behaviorally.
In conclusion, Schizophrenia is confusing yet discouraging mental illness. Because of the disorientation within the study of Schizophrenia, there are no known ways to completely avoid getting this illness; however, one can ease the symptoms by going to group therapies and taking the daily medications that are recommended. As it states on the National Institute of Mental Health website, "The outlook for people with schizophrenia continues to improve. ... Continued research and understanding in genetics, neuroscience, and behavioral science will help scientists and health professionals understand the causes of the disorder and how it may be predicted and prevented" (NIMH, 2009). Although Schizophrenia is an intriguing type of mental illness to investigate with difficult symptoms, there are many group therapies and pharmaceuticals to help relieve it.
References
Bernstein, L. (2008). The Puzzle of Schizophrenia. Current Health 2, 34(7), 12-15.
Naakesh A. Dewan, M. D. (2012). Schizophrenia. CRS - Adult Health Advisor, 1.
NIMH. (2009). Schizophrenia. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia/what-are-the-symptoms-of-schizophrenia.shtml
Opler, M. A., & Susser, E. S. (2005). Fetal Environment and Schizophrenia. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(9), 1239-1242. doi:10.1289/ehp.7572
Schizophrenia.com. (2010). The causes of schizophrenia. Retrieved from http://www.schizophrenia.com/hypo.php