Schizophrenia: Understanding the Psychological Disorder
Schizophrenia
Understanding the Psychological Disorder
Mariah J. Ordaz
Coastal Bend College
Schizophrenia: Understanding the Psychological Disorder
Schizophrenia, it’s a term many people associate with crazy, psychotic, and bizarre behaviors. This disorder has many signs and symptoms and the cause has yet to be discovered. Various studies have been conducted, but one singular cause of the disorder has not been discovered. Understanding this serious and baffling psychological disorder is an important and informative key for understanding the human psyche.
Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder that involves severely distorted beliefs, perceptions, and thought processes (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2011, p. 563). People who have schizophrenia are not capable of telling the difference between what is real and what is not. They become engulfed in an entirely different inner world, one that is often characterized by mental chaos, disorientation, and frustration (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2011, p. 563).
The symptoms of schizophrenia can be characterized into two different categories: positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functioning (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2011, p. 563). Positive symptoms add to the person’s everyday life by way of hallucinations, delusions, and severely disorganized thought processes, speech, and behavior. Delusions are a false belief that continues despite overwhelming contradictory evidence. Schizophrenic delusions are often far-fetched and nonsensical notions, not simply inaccurate beliefs. The person may believe that aliens are attempting to abduct them. This delusion would fall under the delusions of being controlled category. There are also delusions of persecution and delusions of reference. Some people have delusions of grandeur in which they believe they are extremely important, powerful, or wealthy. Identifying with biblical characters is a common delusion of
Understanding the Psychological Disorder
Mariah J. Ordaz
Coastal Bend College
Schizophrenia: Understanding the Psychological Disorder
Schizophrenia, it’s a term many people associate with crazy, psychotic, and bizarre behaviors. This disorder has many signs and symptoms and the cause has yet to be discovered. Various studies have been conducted, but one singular cause of the disorder has not been discovered. Understanding this serious and baffling psychological disorder is an important and informative key for understanding the human psyche.
Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder that involves severely distorted beliefs, perceptions, and thought processes (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2011, p. 563). People who have schizophrenia are not capable of telling the difference between what is real and what is not. They become engulfed in an entirely different inner world, one that is often characterized by mental chaos, disorientation, and frustration (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2011, p. 563).
The symptoms of schizophrenia can be characterized into two different categories: positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functioning (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2011, p. 563). Positive symptoms add to the person’s everyday life by way of hallucinations, delusions, and severely disorganized thought processes, speech, and behavior. Delusions are a false belief that continues despite overwhelming contradictory evidence. Schizophrenic delusions are often far-fetched and nonsensical notions, not simply inaccurate beliefs. The person may believe that aliens are attempting to abduct them. This delusion would fall under the delusions of being controlled category. There are also delusions of persecution and delusions of reference. Some people have delusions of grandeur in which they believe they are extremely important, powerful, or wealthy. Identifying with biblical characters is a common delusion of