Most Common Side Effects example essay topic

Picture this. Everybody is out to get you. You hear voices, or you hallucinate, These are just a few symptoms of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that effects about 1% of America. It is the most common mental disorder in the country. There is no cure for schizophrenia.

There is no known cause to schizophrenia, but some people have theories. The normal progression of logical thought is disrupted, thus being called the? thought disorder?? A glitch in the timing of cell responses may help account for these people's fragmented experience of the world around them. Electrical activity fails to synchronize with a specific sound as frequently as a normal healthy prison (Bower online).?

Inheritance may also play a role. The risk increases with the number of relatives already affected. The risk is about the same in the schizophrenic's siblings as in their offspring. Increased risks are seen in second and third degree relatives of the schizophrenics.?

The expectation of becoming schizophrenic increases from 9% in a sibling to 16% when a parent and their sibling have the disorder. The risk is about 46% when both parents have it (Mcg ruffin online).? The course of schizophrenia is variable from person to person. People diagnosed with schizophrenia display a wide ranging breakdown of perception and thought. They have trouble making sense of sights, sounds and feelings. They may laugh or cry for no apparent reason.

They may move more slowly, or walk in a circular motion.? A good prognosis is more likely if the psychosis is an acute onset of florid symptoms, marked by fluent mood change, in addition to disturbances in thinking (Torrey Online).? Specific abnormalities include delusions, hallucinations, alteration of senses, inability to sort and respond to incoming sensations appropriately, altered sense of self, and changes in emotions movements and behavior. The delusions make them believe that people are reading their minds or plotting against them (Paranoid Schizophrenia), and / or they may believe they control other peoples thoughts. The hallucinations, or alteration of senses, are when they see, hear, or smell things that are not there, 75% of schizophrenics hear voices at one time or another.

They may have disorganized thinking and / or speech, by not communicating in coherent sentences, or making no sense when they speak. They cannot organize their thoughts logically. A few may be aggressive or dangerous, but most are passive, withdrawn or no threat to others. Schizophrenics are prone to more diseases.

Individuals have more infections, heart disease, type II diabetes, and breast cancer in females. Some people may have an elevated pain threshold, so they may not complain when the symptoms are no longer treatable. In normal cases the patient will be admitted to a psychiatric unit. The treatment consists of antipsychotic drugs, combined with physiotherapy.

Antipsychotic drugs are used in treatment because they help relieve delusion, hallucinations, and thinking problems. Many patients may need to try several different antipsychotic drugs before they find the right one, or combination that works the best for them. The drugs work by correcting the imbalances in the chemicals that brain cells communicate with one another. Conventional / standard antipsychotics (the older ones with more side effects) include Thorazine, Prolix in, H aldol, Navan e, Stela zine, Tri lafon, and Mell aril.

Atypical Antipsychotics (the newer ones with less side effects) include Risperdal, Clozaril, and Zyprexa. The most common side effects include dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, and drowsiness. Less common side effects include deceased sexual desire, menstrual changes, and stiff muscles in neck and jaw. More serious side effects include restlessness, muscle stiffness, slurred speech, tremors in hands and feet, and Agranulocytosis.? 25% of people that schizophrenia effects recover fully, 50% recover to some extent, and the rest need long term institutionalization (Schizophrenia).? Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that has serious effects.

There is no cure and only people pull through 100%. Write a letter to congress and tell them to fund research on schizophrenia so that they will find a cure.