Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which brain functioning is disrupted. People suffering from Schizophrenia are often unable to decipher what they are experiencing from reality. Although the person suffering from this particular illness could be highly educated and well spoken, their symptoms can make it near impossible to understand what is happening in the world around them. Some people suffer from intense audio and visual hallucinations, while others may experience slight delusions and are able to recognize the onset. Signs that usually indicate the onset of schizophrenia are not only audio and visual hallucinations, but also include delusions, thought disorder, and an inability to convey ideas and thoughts clearly to family and friends (Spearing, Melissa). The following is a look into the mindset and delusions of Susan K. Weiner, a woman who has suffered the affects of schizophrenia.
Susan starts her first person account with stating her educational background and job at the time. She had been teaching at a high school and decided that she wanted to return to school as a graduate student and assistant at a West Coast college. She describes how she enjoyed this life and was very happy, until later that year she would experience the onset of delusions. Susan is very descriptive in her account of her delusions. They started off as nightmares for her, each getting more and more gruesomely violent until she had awoken from her sleep thinking that her unconscious had been influenced by some sort of evil dictator. She describes the nightmares in very bloody and morbid detail, explaining how she had interpreted this as a sign that this evil dictator was attempting to convert her into a serial killer. She felt that there was a g...
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... she used in a final attempt at suicide. Susan has relapsed three times since first being diagnosed. Because of all of the prescriptions and side effects Susan is now unable to live life to the fullest. She says on a good day she can clean up a little and garden but on a bad day her body aches and she gets massive headaches. Although she is now able to cope with what has happened to her, she is saddened by her inability to live out her dreams. She believes strongly in the quote from Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never give up.”
Works Cited
Weiner, S. K., (2003). First person account: Living with the delusions and effects of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 29(4), 877-879. Retrieved from http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/4/877.full.pdf
Spearing, Melissa E. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.schizophrenia.com/family/sz.overview.htm
In this essay, the author
- Explains that schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which brain functioning is disrupted. people suffering from schizophrenia are often unable to decipher what they are experiencing from reality.
- Analyzes susan's first person account of her delusions, which began as nightmares and became violent until she awoke from her sleep thinking that her unconscious had been influenced by an evil dictator.
- Analyzes how susan's paranoia and fear of the evil dictator led her to justify suicide as a means to end her suffering. the symptoms continued with experiences of hidden messages and details in posters, movie scripts, and ordinarily insignificant acts.
- Analyzes how susan interpreted a message on the radio as being directly to her, letting her know that her friends were not real friends or depicted as spies for the cia. this frightened susan to the point where she changed her name, moved, dyed her hair, and cut off contact with her family.
- Analyzes how susan addresses discrimination, society and familial responses by explaining what she had felt after another four failed attempts at suicide led her to be admitted into an institution.
- Describes how susan's medication changed to risperidone and diazepam helped her regain control of her mind. she has relapsed three times since being diagnosed.
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In this essay, the author
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In this essay, the author
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- Analyzes how the man decides to stay home from work for a day, not because he is sick, but just because.
- Analyzes how the man wanted to be better at his job, improve his mind, learn more about the business world, and become a lover of beautiful women. somewhere along the line, the bad side of him emerged.
- Speculates why he was so intent on watching his life as it was. maybe we all would like to see ourselves in a better light. he was doing the same thing through his tv self.
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- Opines that the ability of people with schizophrenia to function normally and to care for themselves will deteriorate over time.
- Explains that schizophrenia is a group of severe brain disorders in which people interpret reality abnormally.
- Explains schizophrenia isn't split personalities or multiple personalities, but a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking. schizophrenia requires lifelong treatment.
- Narrates how their cousin's strange behavior led to him setting fire to a barn hayloft to get rid of the demons hiding in it.
- Narrates how their cousin, who was a star football player and popular with the girls, changed from being outgoing to avoiding contact with people. he continued to study, get good grades, and farm with his dad.
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1446 wordsRead More