Abstract
This research paper takes a look at a case study in which the individual is suffering from delusional disorder. Because delusional disorder and schizophrenia share many of the same characteristics, it is easy to mistake one for the other; therefore, the psychology professional must look at all the present symptoms as well as the history of the individual to make a clear diagnosis. When using the pharmacological approach in treating delusional disorders, the psychology professional must consider the ways in which the medication will alter the brain chemistry and influence behavior in the patient.
Pharmacological Treatment Interventions for Mental Health Disorders Mental illness is very prevalent in our society and is often
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He has been experiencing insomnia, restless sleep, and “bad dreams” during the past month. Mr. S describes himself as being in good health and does not take any medications. He reports some alcohol use but denies abuse of illicit drugs. He smokes two packs of cigarettes a day and admits to drinking “a lot of coffee.” During your clinical evaluation you discover that he worries a lot about buses that pass his apartment and seem to him to slow down by his apartment. He worries that people riding those buses are there to watch him. He also admits to hearing voices that mumble unintelligible things to him. He appears to be quite anxious and somewhat agitated as he talks. Mr. S. describes himself as a loner but has connections with his immediate family. He says that he has always felt “empty.”
Diagnosis
In the case of Mr. S, it could be assumed that smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and drinking a lot of caffeine could be the reason he is experiencing all of the symptoms, but neither nicotine nor caffeine are directly related to psychiatric disorders (Crocq, 2003). They could however be the reasoning behind his insomnia and restlessness. Studies do however show that psychiatric patients such as those suffering from schizophrenia tend to smoke cigarettes and drink caffeine at a higher rate than the general population (Crocq, 2003). Mr. S reports that besides the current symptoms he is experiencing, he
Schizophrenia occurs in people from all cultures and from all walks of life. Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects a small portion of the population in the world. When schizophrenia is active there are many different symptoms that can appear. Some symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, trouble with thinking and concentration, and lack of motivation. When these symptoms are treated, most people with schizophrenia will improve over time with treatment. With the different studies we are able to see how schizophrenia works in different ways. The different ways being what is happening in the brain when a person has schizophrenia. Along with the different treatments from counseling to medication what works better.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder often characterized by abnormal social behavior 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 lack of motivation. Diagnosis is based on observed behavior and the person 's reported experiences. Genetics and early environment, as well as psychological and social processes, appear to be important contributory factors. Some recreational and prescription drugs appear to cause or worsen symptoms. The many possible combinations of symptoms have triggered debate about whether the diagnosis represents a single disorder or a number of separate syndromes. Despite the
Let us discuss and dive into the study of a disease called schizophrenia. We will be taking a look at its symptoms, its causes, the areas of the brain it affects, its neural basis, and the appropriate drug therapies for the disease. Having an informed understanding of the disease and what it entails is crucial to making sure patients that suffer from schizophrenia receive the proper treatment and care from their psychiatrists. Afterwards, we will also be looking at a couple of case studies involving anxiety and drug abuse. As for now, our focus will be on the terrible disease of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), is a psychotic disorder that is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behaviour, and other symptoms that cause social or occupational dysfunction (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). The symptoms of schizophrenia invade every aspect of a person: the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves; which implicates their interpersonal and working relationships. Individuals suffering from schizophrenia are more likely to be harassed in public (Tarrier, Khan, Cater, & Picken, 2007), involved in substance abuse (Fowler, Carr, Carter, & Lewin, 1998), committing suicide and dying from any causes (Saha, Chant, & McGrath, 2007), The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia is slightly less than 1 percent (APA, 2013), and it affects men slightly more often than women (Kirkbride, Fearon, Morgan, et al., 2006; Walker, Kestler, Bollini, Huchman, 2004). Even with extensive research on the causes and advancement in medical treatment of schizophrenia, complete recovery from the disorder is rare, with only 25 percent of patients recovering completely, while another 25 percent of patients were either hospitalized or deceased due to suicide (Stephens, 1978). The evidence from genetic, brain imaging, clinical and pharmacologic studies indicates that schizophrenia is a heterogeneous group of disorders (Kirkpatrick et al., 2001; Harrison and Weinberger, 2004). Therefore, order
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that consists of hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and thought. “Schizo” if Greek for Split while “phrene” means mind; schizophrenia literally translates to split mind (Burton, 2012). Why is schizophrenia considered to be split minded? According to Khouzam, 2012 split mind is used to describe the disruption within the thought process Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that has subcategories that include paranoia, catatonia, disorganized, residual and undifferentiated type. This is partially what makes schizophrenia terrifying because each subtype needs to be treated differently due to a different combination of behavior/symptomology. This fact is why psychologists must ensure proper
Many people around the world may have Schizophrenia in their genes and won’t even realize it until it’s too late. Stress can trigger the gene and cause the person to become schizophrenic. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that causes a person to behave, think, and see the world differently from other people. There are many different ways to treat the disorder but there is no cure. When treated properly, many people with schizophrenia are able to enjoy life and function within their families, friends, and loved ones. If you don’t treat this condition, you could possibly harm yourself, harm others or worse, end your life. With the help of doctors, therapist, and loved ones, anything is possible to treat.
Living life imagining people and objects that are non-existent, already seems like a difficult way of living. Patients often turn to antipsychotic medications for help with Schizophrenia. The antipsychotic medication can help the patient minimize their hallucinations. The medication can also help the patient depict between what is real and what is a hallucination made up in their mind. According to Awad, “The clinical picture includes a range of symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, agitation, suspiciousness, hostility, conceptual disorganization, blunted affect, emotional and social withdrawal, lack of spontaneity, poverty of speech and a wide range of neurocognitive deficits” (Awad 877). Needless to say, there are a lot of symptoms
As a nationally and globally spread issue, schizophrenia has been a debilitating psychological disorder for centuries. Known as one of the most severe disorders, schizophrenia is growing more and more capable of treatment by medication and other modes of therapy, but the disorder itself markedly changes the patient who is diagnosed. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. The symptoms can frighten people with the disorder, causing them to become removed and distressed. Schizophrenic patients can sometimes seem simply odd but not remarkably different until they begin to speak their mind on what they are actually thinking and experiencing. This affects patients’’ families
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder and it is defined by the diagnostic statistical manual of mental disorder (DSM-IV) as a term introduced by Bleuler, which refers to a persistent, often chronic and usually serious mental disorder affecting a variety of aspects of behavior, thinking, and emotion. Patients with delusions or hallucinations may be described as psychotic. Thinking may be disconnected and illogical. Peculiar behaviors may be associated with social withdrawal and disinterest. According to the DSM-IV, schizophrenia is divided into positive and negative clusters of mental symptoms. The positive may be considered as symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. Unlike the positive symptoms, the negative cluster of symptoms for
Symptoms vary between three different diagnoses including Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, and cyclothymic disorder. Each diagnosis has similarities but different time lengths between depressive and manic episodes. Bipolar 1 being more severe, can lead to hospitalization opposed to mild symptoms of Bipolar 2 and cyclothymic, causing more depressive episodes rather than experiencing extreme manic episodes.
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a psychological brain disorder, which expresses the manifestations in the form of abnormal mental functions and disturbed behavior. It affects about 1% of the adult population among different ethnic groups (Bromet and Fennig, 1999). Mainly begins at the age of mid second through the third decade of a person’s life (A Lewis et al., 2000). Schizophrenia patients have complex clinical features that comprises positive symptoms (e.g. hallucinations, delusions, disordered thoughts and speech), negative symptoms (e.g. inappropriate emotions and depression) and cognitive symptoms (e.g. deficits in attention and working memory and learning disabilities) (Otte et al., 2009). Patients with the symptoms anxiety and depression may
Table 1 displays the proposed criteria for schizophrenia for DSM-V. As new research is conducted and new advancements are made the definition and criteria for schizophrenia develope. There are changes in the criteria for schizophrenia from DSM-IV to DSM-V. For criterion A, at least one of the two characteristic symptoms must include delusions, hallucinations and/or disorganized speech. For criterion F, 'other communication disorder of childhood onset ' was added to the section. In addition to the criterion changes, in the DSM-V there was the elimination of the classic subtypes of schizophrenia, a clarification of the longitudinal and
Schizophrenia, paranoid type was researched in terms of diagnostic criteria based on many different actions that affect people in multiple ways. Schizophrenia is a disease in the brain that is an emotionally draining illness that can affect the victim along with anyone in contact with the victim. RB a young man has a diagnosis of schizophrenia, paranoid type. He lives at home with a loving family and he was always socially active and great student. Schizophrenia has been a severely stigmatized disorder has many different aspects to the disorder. The standard diagnostic criteria for Schizophrenia are characteristic symptoms, social and occupational dysfunction and the duration of the symptoms. Everyday health describes Paranoid Schizophrenia as “Delusions of grandeur or persecution afflict paranoid schizophrenics, along with feelings of anger. These patients often argue a lot and can be violent.” RB is believed to have all the concerning aspects that clients with Schizophrenia have. I will be developing a case study to discuss RB’s positive and negative symptoms, delusional thinking, what medications would be helpful, screenings important to RB’s diagnosis and psychosocial treatments that he would benefit from.
The symptoms of schizophrenia are wide and varied, typically falling into three main categories, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Each of these symptom types affect the patient in different ways, and in different degrees of severity. The symptoms may range from mildly irritating, to severe and debilitating. Positive symptoms are behaviors not normally seen in healthy people. Negative symptoms are behaviors that are usually exhibited in healthy people but are lacking in the patient. Cognitive symptoms are subtle symptoms that affect the patient’s thought processes and cognitive functioning.
Schizophrenia may develop in a persons teens or early twenties if they are susceptible to the illness. Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that can effect logical thinking and natural behavior. Schizophrenia is believed to be the result of both genetic and environment causes (Schizophrenia. 2013). Different biological as well as psychological factors have been investigated and are strong factors in schizophrenia but their is no proof yet behind what truly causes the illness. There are different types of symptoms that contribute to schizophrenia, and treatment varies (King, L. 2014). One study proves that more research needs to be done in order to prevent suicidal tendencies in those who have schizophrenia.