Schizophrenia

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 * WHAT IS SCHIZOPHRENIA? **

schiz·o·phre·ni·a/ˌskitsəˈfrēnēə/

 * Noun: ||  || # A long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation. Schizophrenia is not placed into a specific category of mental disorders as it makes up its own category. ||   ||

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that usually strikes in late adolescence or early adulthood, but can strike at any time in life. The signs and symptoms vary from individual to individual, but all people with the disorder show one or more of the following symptoms:
 * WHAT ARE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA? **


 * 1. Delusions: These are beliefs that are not true, such as feeling people are following or trying to hurt them, believing other people can read their minds, or beliefs that they have special powers or abilities. ||
 * 2. Hallucinations: This usually takes the form of hearing voices that are not there, but people with schizophrenia may also see, smell, taste, and feel things that are not there. ||
 * 3. Bizarre behavior: This can be expressed in many different ways. In short, the individual behaves in ways that seem inappropriate or strange to other people. ||
 * 4. Disorganized speech: The individual speaks in ways that are hard to understand. For instance, sentences might not make sense, or topic of conversation changes with little or no connection between sentences. Sometimes speech is completely incomprehensible. ||
 * 5. "Negative symptoms": This includes lack of motivation or interest, diminished cognitive functioning, and decreased emotional expression. Individuals may lose interest in attending to their own personal hygiene, have little interest in interacting with others, and rarely seem to feel or express strong emotions. ||

Experts now agree that schizophrenia develops as a result of inheriting certain genes and the kind of environment a person is exposed to. These lines of research are converging: brain development disruption is now known to be the result of genetic and environmental stressors early in development (pregnancy or early childhood), leading to subtle alterations in the brain that make a person susceptible to developing schizophrenia. Environmental factors later in life can either damage the brain further and thereby increase the risk of schizophrenia, or lessen the expression of genetic defects and decrease the risk of schizophrenia. In fact experts now say that schizophrenia (and all other mental illness) is caused by a combination of biological, psychological and social factors.
 * WHAT CAUSES SCHIZOPHRENIA?IS IT GENETIC?IS IT COMMON IN FAMILIES? **

There is no question that genes play a role in Schizophrenia. People with a close relative who is schizophrenic (such as a parent or sibling) are at an increased risk of developing the disease themselves--a 10% risk compared to the 1% found in the general population. Those with slightly more distant relatives (an aunt, uncle, grandparent, or cousin) are also at an increased risk. The greatest risk is for those who have an identical twin diagnosed with Schizophrenia--their risk of developing the disease is around 50%.

Schizophrenia is more common than most people think. About 1 percent of the people in the United States will develop schizophrenia over the course of their lives. It's also important to know that schizophrenia has many different symptoms and can show up in many different ways.

The greatest misconception (64%) is that "split or multiple personalities" are symptoms of schizophrenia. Symptoms such as drug abuse (24%), alcohol abuse (23%), insomnia (41%), and disorganized speech (35%) are also not widely recognized. Violent behavior as a symptom was selected by 60% of the public, which represents a fundamental fault line in how Americans view schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Ironically, most individuals with schizophrenia are not prone to violence; they typically withdraw from social interaction and simply prefer to be left alone.
 * WHAT IS THE GENERAL PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF SCHIZOPHRENIA? **


 * WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA? **

Fortunately, there are no controversial treatments with the mental disorder of Schizophrenia. Just as different people with schizophrenia can experience different symptoms, the effective treatment for each person is different. Each individual's treatment program can include one or more of the following: Schizophrenia is labeled of its own category;therefore, it is not in relation to any other form of mental disorders.
 * Medication: Finding the right medication can be difficult, and a trial-and-error process may have to occur. It is important to be open with the psychiatrist, reporting what symptoms and side-effects are occurring, so the doctor can help to find the best medication to meet individual needs of each patient. It is also important to learn the contraindications of certain medications, such as the effects of alcohol or sunlight on the effectiveness of the medication. ||
 * Education: The person with schizophrenia and his or her family members can benefit from learning all they can about the disorder, including how to diminish stress and conflict, which can sometimes help spark a relapse. It is also important to learn what resources are available in the community for treating mental illnesses. ||
 * Individual, group, and family therapy: This can help with problems that arise day to day, as well as setting realistic goals and defining strategies for reaching those goals. ||
 * Hospitalization: This is required during some acute phases of the illness or sometimes in order to make changes in medication in a well-controlled, monitored environment. ||
 * Support groups: These can be very important for those with schizophrenia and for their family members and friends. See below for a list of support groups. ||
 * Residential, day-treatment, and vocational programs: These programs can help the person with schizophrenia reach his or her highest potential and greatest level of independence. Staff in these programs become well-acquainted with their clients and can help find living arrangements, work, and recreational activities that are well-suited to each client's needs. ||
 * DOES SCHIZOPHRENIA LINK TO ANY OTHER MENTAL DISORDERS? **

"...the burden of psychiatric conditions has been heavily underestimated..." []
 * EQ: HOW DO MENTAL DISORDERS AFFECT SOCIETY? **

"All About Schizophrenia and Psychosis." //All About Schizophrenia and Psychosis//. Web. 06 May 2012. [].
 * WORK CITED **

"Born Schizophrenic: Janny's World." //Discovery Health//. Web. 06 May 2012.\ [].

"CartoonStock - Cartoon Pictures, Political Cartoons, Animations." //CartoonStock-// //Cartoon Pictures, Political Cartoons, Animations.// Web. 06 May 2012. [].

"NIMH: The Impact of Mental Illness on Society." //NIMH: The Impact of Mental Illness on Society//. Web. 06 May 2012. .

"Schizophrenia Center: Types, Symptoms, Medications, Causes, and Tests." //WebMD//. WebMD. Web. 06 May 2012. [].