Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout the world. It has affected over 2.4 million American adults over the age of 18. (National Alliance on Mental Illness) “People with the disorder may hear voices other people don't hear. They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. This can terrify people with the illness and make them withdrawn or extremely agitated.” (National Institute of Mental Health) Schizophrenia has been around throughout history, back in the day people believed that those suffering from the illness were possessed by demons and they were feared. It has been found that it is easier for people to deal with the idea of cancer than to deal with the idea of a loved one displaying odd behavior, hallucinations, and strange ideas like those of a patient with schizophrenia. Most mental disorders are not well understood by many, and the causes of schizophrenia are also poorly understood. Schizophrenia is an illness that often requires lifetime treatment, but there is hope of finding a better treatment for this illness that many fear.
Schizophrenia is characterized by a broad range of unusual behaviors that cause disruption in the lives of the people living with it, as well as the people that surround them. Schizophrenia can occur in anyone no matter race, gender, or social class. (Bengston, 2013) Scientist have known that schizophrenia runs in the family. The illness occurs in 1 percent of the population, but it occurs to 10 percent of people who have an immediate family member with the condition. The risk is highest with identical twins if one has the condition then there is a 45 to 60 percent chance t...
... middle of paper ...
...does it affect them but their family members as well. People who are dealing with the symptoms for the first time need the support from family and friends as it may become a lonely experience.
Of all forms of abnormal behavior, no disorder is more challenging than schizophrenia. It is one of the most disruptive disorders as it affects the person’s ability to function and the symptoms that are part of the illness affects the individual and surroundings. Family members need to be able to understand and cope with the fact the having schizophrenia may push the individual to lose hope in themselves and the ability to function normally in society as well as having thoughts of suicide. Having the love and support from family and friends will help them get through treatment and have positive results. They will be able to lead a successful and totally normal life.
Every year one hundred thousand young Americans are diagnosed with the disease schizophrenia (Carman Research). Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that is associated with unnatural behavior or thinking . The disease usually affects people during the late adolescence stage or early adulthood, typically during this time they develop the symptoms linked to the disease.
Family Psychoeducation for Schizophrenia has previously been supported in treatment recommendations and guidelines for best practise in hospitals. In their review of 15 new studies in the area, Lisa Dixon M.D (University of Maryland), Curtis Adams M.D (University of Maryland) and Alicia Luckstead M.D (University of Maryland) reinforce support for family psychoeducation for schizophrenia.
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is a life-altering event. During this time, life is not only difficult for the patient, but also for their loved ones. Families must learn to cope together and to work out the best options for the patient and the rest of the family. Although it may not be fair at times, things may need to be centered on or around the patient no matter what the circumstance. (Abbott, 2003) Sacrifices may have to be made during difficult times. Many factors are involved when dealing with chronic illnesses. Coping with chronic illnesses alter many different emotions for the patients and the loved ones. Many changes occur that are very different and difficult to get used to. (Abbott, 2003) It is not easy for someone to sympathize with you when they haven’t been in the situation themselves. No matter how many books they read or people they talk to, they cannot come close to understanding.
According to the DSM-IV, schizophrenia is classified under the section of “Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders”. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious major chronic brain disorders in the field of mental health; it is a neurological disorder that affects the cognitive functions of the human brain. People living with this incapacitating illness can experience multiple symptoms that will cause extreme strain in their own and their families and friends life. The individual can lose reality, unable to work, have delusions and hallucinations, may have disorganized speech and thought processes, will withdraw from people and activities, they may become suspicious and paranoid, may behave inappropriately in every day social situations. They may neglect personal hygiene and dress improperly, use excessive make-up; every day life is becoming chaotic for everyone involved.
One may be overwhelmed by the various feelings of guilt, frustration, anger, and hopelessness, but giving up on the one you love should not be an option. Approximately 10%-15% of schizophrenic patients have committed suicide, and approximately 60% have attempted suicide. Some triggers that prompted patients to harm themselves is over the fact that they didn’t feel accepted, living through periods where they feel out of touch with reality, and also during the first few months of taking medication and being in denial over their disorder (Schizophrenia.com). It is important to remember that one should be considerate of the patient diagnosed with schizophrenia, being realistic about what they could do, and respecting their concepts should all be taken into account when being around a schizophrenic. Learning to accept schizophrenics for how they are and helping them cope with what they are going through will not only alleviate one’s thoughts of hopelessness but will also show the patient that they are
Chien, W. (2010). Stress of Family Members in Caring for a Relative with Schizophrenia. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
As an overview, schizophrenia is a disease to the brain. It is one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man. It has been misunderstood for a long time. It has a biological basis, so it is like other diseases. It is a very common disease; one percent to one and a half percent of the U.S. has been diagnosed within some point in their life. There is no cure for this disease, although there is treatable medicine. Schizophrenia is not a multiple personality disorder. People who take medicine for it are able to lead normal fulfilling lives.
There are several people every year that are diagnosed with a mental disorder. In the world’s entire population, more than one percent of people have been diagnosed with schizophrenia (Brain and Behavior Research Foundation). When thinking of the billions of people in the world, it might not seem like that many people but once the number of those diagnosed is calculated it seems much larger. Currently there are more than seventy million people in the world that have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, only diagnosed. There are probably several more people who have this disorder and have not been diagnosed or are unable to obtain the resources to be diagnosed.
The domination of schizophrenia in specific geographical countries suggests a strong association between genetics and schizophrenia’s aetiology. Surveys regarding adopted, by different families, monozygotic twins were made. These surveys were established to investigate the relationship between schizophrenia and genes. The studies showed a potent genetic aetiology. Chances increase by fifty percent to develop schizophrenia once the other twins be diagnose with the disorder. Among schizophrenic patients, having schizophrenic siblings increases the chances of developing schizophrenia by eight percent. Other family studies have showed that 12% of children with schizoph...
Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects one to two percent of people worldwide. The disorder can develop as early as the age of five, though it is very rare at such an early age. (3)) Most men become ill between the ages of 16 and 25 whereas most women become ill between the ages of 25 and 30. Even though there are differences in the age of development between the sexes, men and women are equally at risk for schizophrenia. (4) There is of yet no definitive answer as to what causes the disorder. It is believed to be a combination of factors including genetic make-up, pre-natal viruses, and early brain damage which cause neurotransmitter problems in the brain. (3)
Schizophrenia is defined as a severe disabling mental illness. A person with this illness may be completely out of touch with what is going on around them. For example, the individual suffering from Schizophrenia may hear voices, see people who are not there (ghost in other words), and or feel bugs crawling on their skin when in actuality there are now. They may also have disorganized speech and behavior, physically rigid, emotionless, and delusions. The type of delusions where they believe that people are reading their minds, have control over their thoughts, and or plotting to hurt them. They have difficulty holding jobs and taking care of themselves.
“A disorder in which people may hear voices other people don’t hear. They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. This can terrify people with the illness and make them withdrawn or extremely agitated. People with schizophrenia may not make sense when they talk. They may sit for hours without moving or talking. Sometimes people with Schizophrenia seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking” (p.1).
At some point a human might have a relative, or heard of someone, or even experienced itself of suffering from Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects many humans throughout the world. People living with this mental disorder may depend on a family member or someone close to take care of him/her. Certain individuals have a good chance of inheriting schizophrenia if a family member appears to show a history of this mental disorder. Unlike others can develop this psychotic disorder while growing up. For instance, a young woman or man may begin to show some signs or symptoms within his/her teen years. Well unfortunately, I have a brother who inherited Schizophrenia and it is extremely difficult to cope with him at certain times.
Schizophrenia is a group of psychotic disorders with major impairments in thought, emotion, and behavior; there is a constant prevalence rate of one percent with the occurrence being slightly higher in men. Though different psychologists have various theories on whether the disorder is linked to genetics or social economic status, schizophrenia in all
According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine Website , schizophrenia is “a mental illness that usually strikes in late adolescence or early adulthood, but can strike at any time in life” that is characterized by “delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behavior, [and] disorganized speech” among other symptoms. Schizophrenia is, at its core, the altering of a person’s perception of reality by some somatic means and when observed by a psychologically sound individual, can be quite unsettling. After all, seeing a person whose reality is fractured causes us to doubt our own reality, if only in a fleeting thought.