Schizophrenia Research Paper

I chose to write my research paper over Schizophrenia. It is a psychological disorder that I have always found fascinating. It is a serious disorder that consumes a person's life and is nearly impossible to control. In this paper, I will talk about the definition of Schizophrenia, the diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia in children, suicide, sexually related characteristics of the disease, sleep disorders caused by the disease, differences in the disease on different ethnicities, and insensitivity to pain.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder often characterized by abnormal social behaviour and failure to recognize what is real. Common symptoms include false beliefs, unclear or confused thinking, auditory hallucinations, reduced social engagement and emotional expression, and inactivity. A person with schizophrenia often hears voices, experiences delusions and hallucinations and may believe thoughts, feelings and actions are controlled or shared by someone else.

Throughout the many years, there have been many negative public perceptions of Schizophrenia, which is known by majority of the public as an indication of mental illness. This disorder is most of the time perceived by the public as caused by psychological factors. People with this mental illness are considered to be unpredictable and threatening (Angermeyer & Matschinger, 2003, p. 526). Most patients have a behavioural dysfunction. Victims, families and society carry a substantial burden due to this illness (Wood & Freedman, 2003).

In the world today, there are many illnesses and disorders that affect people each and every day. One illness in particular that is very big in the US and all around the world is Schizophrenia. It is also the most researched topic. A person who is diagnosed with Schizophrenia lives a very different lifestyle than someone who is not. Many people would consider a person with schizophrenia to be “crazy.” Sadly enough, people with this illness do posses symptoms that might come off as crazy or insane. There are many different causes that come along with schizophrenia. A person who is diagnosed may not know it at first but they do later realize that they have some interesting thoughts, depending on the type of symptoms they posses while having this illness. Although the symptoms may be very brutal and causes cannot be controlled, there still is hope and treatments for individuals who have schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia, although affecting only one percent of the population, has a direct affect on society today. This disease, if left untreated, poses threat to health care professionals (including psychiatrists), law enforcement personnel, and family members responsible for the care and support of the schizophrenia patient. This paper addresses the causes of schizophrenia and the myths surrounding this complicated ailment, the affect of untreated or misunderstood aspects of schizophrenia has on society and important crisis intervention strategies for those in close contact to victims of schizophrenia.

Before watching the video, “The World of Abnormal Psychology” and reading the article “6 Schizophrenia Myths Debunked”, every time I heard Schizophrenia I assumed the individual with the illness was crazy, violent, out of his mind. However, schizophrenia is much more than that. It is a complicated severe mental illness that cripples the person suffering it. Some patients, as the video mentions, live in a different space of time controlled by the different voices operating their minds. Schizophrenia is a combination of hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and change in behavior. The illness has two different patterns, the chronic, which is developed over time and is long lasting and acute, which occurs spontaneously. Sadly, there hasn’t been

Schizophrenia is the most commonly diagnosed psychotic disorder (Steel, 2012), affecting 1 out of every 100 hundred people on average (Taurier & Wykes, 2004). Symptoms of the disorder include positive symptoms, which are auditory and visual hallucinations, as well as disordered patterns of thought such as delusions (Taurier & Wykes, 2004). Auditory hallucinations are the most common positive symptom, and often come in the form of voices (Steel, 2012). Delusions, which are the most common symptom of schizophrenia, involve a false belief that exists despite evidence being available that suggests otherwise (Steel, 2012).

Schizophrenia, a thought process that has affected many lives, is characterized by disruptions to the thinking processes, emotions, as well as one's sensory perception. Schizophrenia is a multi-faceted affliction in that individuals suffer audio and visual hallucinations and often deal with financial burdens as well. Many individuals fail to realize that they suffer from this mental disease until symptoms and effects begin to manifest themselves. Treatment for this illness consists of a combination of drug therapy with changes to diet, lasting an entire lifetime. Living with schizophrenia is difficult for

In 1968 the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) updated the definition of schizophrenia to include hostility, aggressiveness, and lack of acceptance of oneself. The next social, or cultural influence is that of stigma against mental illness in our daily lives. These attitudes play on decisions made in our lives that affect the larger world. In a recent poll released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) finds misconceptions to be prominent by American society. “Slightly more than 70 percent of those surveyed would be afraid for their own safety around a person who has not received treatment for schizophrenia, and 21 percent would be afraid for their own safety around a person who had been treated for the disorder, according to the results” (American Psychiatric Association, 2011).

People with mental illness are experiencing a lot of stigma and judgment from the society, they are judged for not being able to fit into their societal roles. Schizophrenia is one form of mental illness that is not as often researched or understood as other mental illness such as depression or anxiety disorder. Individuals that are diagnosed with schizophrenia in our society are dealing with a lot of prejudice and discrimination, which causes them to distant themselves from society. Stigma imposed by societal norms can affect the social identity of individuals with mental illness; this can be seen by the example of individuals with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is an extremely complex mental disorder that has yet to be fully understood. This particular disorder has affected much of the population today, causing many different emotional, physical, and psychological problems in every affected individual. These symptoms include: “distorted thoughts, hallucinations, and feelings of fright and paranoia. Psychiatrists evaluate symptoms, tests, and medical history, and prescribe medications and psychotherapy for treatment” (Kirkpatrick). Schizophrenia affects approximately 2.4 million adults in the United States today (We Live With...). Schizophrenia should be thought of as a neurological disorder with emotional and cognitive symptoms, rather than pure insanity.

Schizophrenia is a very rare, debilitating mental disorder that affects about 1% of the world’s population. (Mental Health America). According to the DSM-5 the disorder is characterized by “delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and other symptoms that cause social or occupational dysfunction.” (American Physchiatric Association , 2013) Patients often hear voices, and see non-existent things, such as people and objects. These hallucinations can make it very difficult for an individual to be an active part of society due to social withdrawal, lack of motivation, and not being responsive to emotions. This mental disorder takes a very strong toll on the family of the patient as well because of the same

There is a large amount of stigma attached to schizophrenia, possibly due a lack of understanding of the illness causing unrealistic negative views towards sufferers. Symptoms will often be disturbing to both a sufferer and family members. Often sufferers will not understand they are mentally ill and will be resistant to treatment, in many cases this can result in carers calling the police as a last resort because they cannot persuade a sufferer to attend hospital. this usually results in hospitalisation and is where a patient will first be diagnosed.

Schizophrenia is a psychological condition that causes delusions or hallucinations making it extremely difficult for those who have the disorder to discern between reality and the imaginations (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These fictitious experiences are often frightening situations where the victim cannot properly respond if the danger were reality because he/she believes everything is reality, even events that are produced by the imagination. “Emil Kraepelin, who coined the term schizophrenia (literally “split mind”) in the 1890s, viewed the disorder as a split from reality, not a split attitude or split personality as is sometimes mistakenly assumed” (Feist and Rosenburg, 2012, p. 607). Schizophrenia is widely recognized by society as the disorder where the victim hears voices that really are just fantasies of their imagination. This is often a major symptom, but it can include other symptoms as well. People with schizophrenia have a distorted view of society and their interactions with it including the idea that people are controlling them and that someone is plotting evil against them (NIMH, 2007). Speech is often disorganized an incoherent because of this disorder, which reflects the cognitive state of thinking, also being disjointed.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects how a person feels, thinks and behaves. It is a mysterious and misunderstood mental illness. Schizophrenics may have lost touch with the reality. Among its symptoms are hallucinations, delusions, thought and movement disorders, reduced feelings