An Essay On Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that causes hallucinations, delusions, changes in emotional experience, and severe decrease in social, cognitive, and occupational functioning. It’s the most expensive psychiatric condition, it is estimated to account for over 2.5% of the total cost of all health care in the country, while only 1% of Americans have it. Due to their functional impairments and poverty, most patients receive substandard medical care. It is 1 of the 3 most costly illnesses in the U.S., along with heart disease and cancer. The indirect cost is approximately three times more than the direct cost of treating this disorder. Before a person can be diagnosed with schizophrenia a number of symptoms must be reported and identified. There is no single biological marker to determine who has it, but people with this disorder demonstrate biological differences. However, there is a new manual that helps mental health specialists distinguish it from other disorders. Schizophrenia is not characterized by multiple personalities, instead the symptoms are two or more of the following: ha...