Paranoid Personality Disorder
Handbook of Disabilities
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Description of the Disability
Schizophrenia is a significant, chronic disorder of the brain that can cause serious problems with how a person thinks, feels, and acts. A person with schizophrenia may have difficulty distinguishing what is real and not real and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations. Although it cannot be cured, schizophrenia can often be successfully treated and controlled. Researchers do not know what causes schizophrenia, but they suspect a combination of contributing factors including physical and chemical changes in the brain, nutritional imbalances, viral infection, and hereditary susceptibility.
Schizophrenia usually starts slowly in young adulthood, although difficulty with cognitive functions may have already shown up in childhood. The most common time for the first psychotic event is after the person leaves home for the first time as a young adult. This is often the first years of college or the first years working full-time. However, VR counselors generally do not see individuals in the early-onset stage of the disorder. Individuals with schizophrenia seeking VR services are often in late-stage treatment after many years of drug therapy and other approaches. First impressions of the individual with schizophrenia give you no real hint of how well they will do in employment. Individuals who appear significantly affected (rumpled clothing, disheveled appearance) may do very well in a job, while individuals who seem to have few symptoms may have great difficulty. As with all disabilities, each situation is different.
There are distinct phases to the cycle of the disorder. It generally starts with a prodromal phase
(symptoms that signal a coming episode), followed by an active phase with delusions, hallucinations, or both, and possibly leading to a residual phase in which the disorder may be in remission. However, some individuals have
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Description of the Disability
Schizophrenia is a significant, chronic disorder of the brain that can cause serious problems with how a person thinks, feels, and acts. A person with schizophrenia may have difficulty distinguishing what is real and not real and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations. Although it cannot be cured, schizophrenia can often be successfully treated and controlled. Researchers do not know what causes schizophrenia, but they suspect a combination of contributing factors including physical and chemical changes in the brain, nutritional imbalances, viral infection, and hereditary susceptibility.
Schizophrenia usually starts slowly in young adulthood, although difficulty with cognitive functions may have already shown up in childhood. The most common time for the first psychotic event is after the person leaves home for the first time as a young adult. This is often the first years of college or the first years working full-time. However, VR counselors generally do not see individuals in the early-onset stage of the disorder. Individuals with schizophrenia seeking VR services are often in late-stage treatment after many years of drug therapy and other approaches. First impressions of the individual with schizophrenia give you no real hint of how well they will do in employment. Individuals who appear significantly affected (rumpled clothing, disheveled appearance) may do very well in a job, while individuals who seem to have few symptoms may have great difficulty. As with all disabilities, each situation is different.
There are distinct phases to the cycle of the disorder. It generally starts with a prodromal phase
(symptoms that signal a coming episode), followed by an active phase with delusions, hallucinations, or both, and possibly leading to a residual phase in which the disorder may be in remission. However, some individuals have