Symptoms Of Schizophrenia example essay topic

Schizophrenia -- -What Is It? What exactly is Schizophrenia? It is a disease that strikes young people in their prime. This disease distorts the senses, making it very difficult for the individual to tell what is real from what is not.

The usual onset of this disorder is between the ages of sixteen and twenty five. With this disease they will have a disorder that will last for at least six months and includes at least one month of active phase symptoms (i.e. two [or more] of the following delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior). Only one symptom is required if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the persons behavior or thoughts and if there are two or more conversing with each other. The essential features of schizophrenia are a mixtures of characteristic signs and symptoms which can be either positive or negative. These are broken down into criterions, which range from A thru F. Criterion A May be conceptualized as falling into two broad categories, negative or positive. The positive symptoms appear to reflect an excessive or distortion of normal function, whereas the negative symptoms appear to diminution or loss of normal functions.

Criterion A-1 are delusions that are erroneous beliefs that usually involve misinterpretations of perceptions or experiences, their content may include a variety of themes. Persecutory delusion are the most common; the person believes he or she is being tormented, followed, tricked, spied on or subjected to ridicule. Refential delusions are also common; the person believes that certain gestures or environmental cues are specifically directed to them. Criterion A-2 are hallucinations may occur in any sensory modality (e.g. auditory or visual etc.) but auditory hallucinations are by far the most common and characteristic of schizophrenia. Auditory hallucinations are usually experienced as voices whether familiar or unfamiliar, that are perceived as distinct from the person's own thoughts.

The content may vary quite a bit, although, threatening voices are especially common. If these hallucinations only occur when falling asleep or waking up they are considered to be within the range of normal experiences. Criterion B These one or more signs and symptoms are associated with marked social or occupational dysfunction. Interpersonal relations, work, education or self care is functioning below that which have been achieved before the onset of symptoms. If the onset is in childhood or adolescence there may be a failure to achieve what would have been expected rather that a deterioration in functioning. Criterion C Prodromal (an early symptom of a disease, often different in nature from the later symptoms) symptoms are present for a continuous six months.

They are often present prior to the active phase and residual symptoms may follow. Some prodromal and residual symptoms may be mild or sub-threshold forms of the positive symptoms in criterion A. In addition to these positive and negative like symptoms are particularly common in prodromal and residual phase and can often be quite severe. Individuals who had been socially active may become withdrawn; they lose interest in previously pleasurable activities; they may become less talkative and inquisitive. Criterion D &E These are individuals who has had a previous diagnosis of autistic disorder or another pervasive developmental disorder. They will be diagnosed with schizophrenia only if prominent delusions or hallucinations are present for one month. Criterion F The characteristic symptoms involve a range of cognitive and emotional dysfunctions that include perception, inferential thinking, language and communication monitoring, affect, fluency and productivity of thought and speech, hedonic capacity, volition and drive and attention.

No single symptom is pathognomonic of schizophrenia the diagnosis involves the recognition of a constellation of signs and symptoms associated with impaired occupational and social functioning. Along with the criterions there are five different types of schizophrenia. Paranoid type- is the presence of prominent delusions or auditory hallucinations in the context of relative preservation of cognitive functioning and affect. Delusions are typically presecutory or grandiose or both, but delusions with other themes may occur. The delusions may be multiple, but are usually organized around a coherent theme. Hallucinations associated features include anxiety, anger, aloofness, and argumentativeness.

The individual may have persecutory a superior and patronizing manner and either a stilted, formal quality or extreme intensity in interpersonal interactions. The presecutory themes may predispose the individual to suicidal behavior, and the combination of presecutory and grandiose delusions with anger may predispose the individual to violence. The onset tends to be later in life than the other types. Some evidence suggest that the prognosis may be considerably better than that for the other types. Disorganized type- have disorganized speech and behavior, flat or inappropriate affect.

The disorganized speech may be accompanied by silliness and laughter that are not closely related to the content of speech. Behavioral disorganization may lead to severe disruption in the ability to preform activities of daily living. Associated features include grimacing mannerisms, and other oddities of behavior. Early and insidious onset, and continuous course without significant remission. Catatonic type- is a marked psychomotor disturbance that may involve motoric immobility, excessive motor activity. Extreme negativism, mutism, peculiarities of voluntary movement echolalia or echopraxia.

Motoric immobility may be manifested by catalepsy (waxy flexibility) or stupor. The excessive motor activity is apparently purposeless and is not influenced by an external stimuli. The extreme negativism may have the maintenance of a rigid posture having resistance against attempts to be moved or resistance to instruction. Echolalia is the pathological parrot like and apparently senseless repetition of a word or phrase just spoken by another person.

Echopraxia is the repetitive imitation of movement. There is no determination of the onset of symptoms. Undifferentiated type - the presence of symptoms that meet the criterion A of schizophrenia, but do not meet the criteria for the paranoid, disorganized or the catatonic type. Residual type - should be used when there has been at least one episode of schizophrenia, but the current clinical picture is without prominent positive psychotic symptoms. If delusions and hallucinations are present they are not prominent and are not accompanied by strong affect. The course for the residual type may be time limited and represent a transition between a full blown episode or a complete remission.

However, it may also be continuously present for many years with or without acute symptoms. (D.S.M. IV- TR 4th edition) With all this knowledge about what schizophrenia is the psychological and medical field has had many misleading treatments. Throughout this century the quest for a cure for this frightening disorder has led to desperate methods of treatment. In the belief of centrifugal force would drive more blood to the head and therefore, would improve thinking. Patients were strapped onto a board and their head pointing outward and rotated rapidly. A theory of fear of injuring oneself would shock the patients into clear thinking. The doctors would spray a strong stream of cold water to the spine hoping that the patients would become so fearful that they would begin to think clearly.

By the 1920's psychiatrist advised doctors to pull out all their teeth to eliminate the hidden toxins. In the 1930's doctors began injecting the patients with large doses of horse serum, hoping this would calm them down. In the 1940's they used enemas; in the 1950's huge dosed of vitamins, all which did no good. By the late 1950's and early 1960's the doctors began treating the patients with anti-psychotic drugs along with psycho-social counseling and rehabilitation's. Great progress has been made in the treatment, but no cure has been found for this disabling disorder. Psychiatrist have come up with recommendations for the medication that should be given and how much should be given.

Recommendation 1 anti-psychotic medications other than clozapine should be used as the first-line treatment to reduce psychotic symptoms for persons experiencing an acute symptom episode of schizophrenia. Recommendation 2 the dosage of anti-psychotic medication for an acute symptom episode should be in the range of 300-1000 chlorpromazine (CPU) equivalents per day for a minimum of six week. Reasons for dosages outside this range should be justified. The minimum effective dose should be used. Recommendation 8 persons who experience acute symptom relief with an anti-psychotic medication should continue to receive this medication for at least one year subsequent to symptom stabilization to reduce the risk of relapse or worsening of positive symptoms. Recommendation 23 individual and group therapies employing well specified combinations of support, education, and behavioral and cognitive skills training approaches designed to address the specific deficits of persons with schizophrenia should be offered over time to improve functioning and enhance other target problems, such as medication noncompliance.

Recommendation 24 patients who have ongoing contact with their families should be offered a family psycho-social intervention that spans at least nine months and that provides a combination of education about the illness, family support, crisis intervention, and problem-solving skills training. Such interventions should also be offered to non-family members. (web) Along with these recommendations the surgeon general the doctors have come to realize that ethnicity has a major role in the amount and type of medications can be used for different ethnic groups. There has been a growing awareness that ethnicity and culture influence patients' response to medications. This is how the field of Ethno-psychopharmacology became prominent in the past decade. Studies have shown that psychiatric medications interact with patient ethnicity in multiple ways, with the response to the same medication and dose varying by patient ethnicity. For example, due to racial and ethnic variation in pharmacokinetics, Asians and Hispanics with schizophrenia may require lower doses of anti-psychotics than Caucasian to achieve the same blood levels.

Furthermore, studies have suggest that medication differences among African American people diagnosed with schizophrenia may reflect clinician biases in diagnosis and prescription practices more than differences in medication metabolism or health behaviors alone. At the same time, it is possible that the documented medication differences are the result of underlying biological mechanisms of the mental illness related to ethnicity, culture and gender variations. ( . Mental health / treatment /schizophrenia. com) They are assessing the symptoms of schizophrenia in socioeconomic or cultural situations that are different from their own must take cultural differences into account.

Ideas that may appear to be delusional in one culture (sorcery and witchcraft) may be commonly held in another. In some cultures, visual or auditory hallucinations with a religious content may be a normal part of religious experience. There are some evidence that doctors may have a tendency over diagnose schizophrenia in some ethnic groups. Cultural differences have been noted in the presentation, course and outcome of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental disorders it affects approximately 1% of the worlds population. About one and every one hundred fifty people suffer from this disorder which occurs all over the world. In the United States at least 2.5 million Americans may have an active phase of schizophrenia at any given time. Most of those that are affected by this disorder it will have developed between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five.

Many researchers believe that all types of schizophrenia always develop before the age of forty-five. Men and women are affected equally, but men ten to have an earlier onset. Men also suffer more chronic and severe symptoms then that of women. Schizophrenia can also begin later in life. Late onset cases tend to be similar to earlier onset, except for a higher ratio of women, a better occupational history, and a greater frequency of having been married. The presentation is more likely to include paranoid delusions and hallucinations, and less likely to include disorganized and negative symptoms.

The course is usually chronic, although individuals are often quite responsive to anti-psychotic medications in lower doses. Because of the chronic and disabling nature of this disorder many are unable to live on their own. An estimated 360,000 persons with schizophrenia reside in a state hospitals, half way houses, subsidized hotels, or group homes. Although, the number changes rapidly there is still approximately 200,000 living in homeless shelters or on the streets. The cause of schizophrenia is a biological disorder. Characterized by abnormalities in the brain structure and chemistry, but not influenced by environment or stress.

Some psychologist argue over the relative influences of biological and environmental factors the interaction between the two seem more important than either factor alone. Schizophrenia is definitely more common in certain families than in others. There is no way of knowing who will get this disorder and who will not. If this disorder runs in your family then your chances of suffering from this is greater than others. If one of your parents or brother or sister is ill the risk is 10% -- if both of your parents are ill your risk is 40% -- if a nonidentical twin is ill the risk is 10-15% -- if you are a grandchild, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle of someone who is ill the risk is 3%. (web) Environment factors may contribute to the in illness in various ways. An usually high incidence of birth complications and childhood head injuries has been observed in those who are later hospitalized for schizophrenia.

Viral infections during pregnancy may affect the developing brain of the fetus. The antibodies needed to fight the infection may attack the brain after the infection has been cleared. The onset may be abrupt or insidious, but the majority of individuals display some type of prodromal phase manifested by the slow and gradual development of a variety of signs and symptoms. Family members may find this behavior difficult to interpret and assume that the person is 'going through a phase. ' Eventually, however, the appearance of some active phase symptom marks the disturbance as schizophrenia. People can not cause schizophrenia, social theories that linked schizophrenia to the stress of living in poverty in urban slums have been discounted.

A person with a considerable amount of wealth may drift downward to poverty and bad living conditions is more likely to be the consequences of schizophrenia the its cause. Schizophrenia is arguably the worst disease affecting mankind. It assails throughout perception, emotion, behavior and movements. Distorting an individuals personal experience of life and crippling his or her ability to participate in society..