Schizophrenia: Its Causes and Forms

873 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What causes schizophrenia essay

At 3:40 on July 18th 1984 James Huberty killed 21 people at a San Ysidro McDonald’s and was shot and killed by a sniper after 77 minutes of continuous shooting (Noe). Huberty’s episode is attributed to his hearing voices before his excursion, a symptom of Paranoid Schizophrenia, a disease that Huberty was diagnosed with (Coon, Mitterer 488). This incident shows, in a very extreme way, that Schizophrenia of any type has the ability to alter ones realization of reality and may be caused by several things.
In order for Huberty to be diagnosed with schizophrenia he would have had to have shown signs of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, or other symptoms that cause social or occupational dysfunction for six months which would have had to have include at least one month of active symptoms. In his day only one of the symptoms would of have to been present but the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders requires that at least two symptoms be present for a patient to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia(“Schizophrenia”).
Another change that was made in the fifth addition of the DSM is the eradication of subtypes of Schizophrenia as they were generally unclear and caused much confusion. Instead the edition calls for “specifiers” to help with treatment. These specifiers are similar to the old subtypes, but instead of using them to narrow the field of a patient’s treatment they are instead used to broaden the horizon on what may be helpful to the patient based upon specific symptoms (“Schizophrenia”),
One thing that may be used as a specifier is the almost complete personality disintegration that characterizes Disorganized Schizophrenia. This classification is further characterized by ...

... middle of paper ...

...ts for one category, and is more likely that they will display a few symptoms of each, or bounce between the categories. And like it is hard to categorize Schizophrenic patients it is difficult to pinpoint what may cause the disease. Currently scientists believe that while some people may have a hereditary disposition to develop Schizophrenia due to the make-up of their brains it is also likely to occur in those with no chemical disposition if they have been exposed to the correct stresses.

Works Cited
Coon, Dennis, and John O. Mitterer. Introduction to Psycology. 13th ed. Belmont, Ca: Cengage Learning, 2013. 484-91. Print.
"Schizophrenia." American Psychiatric Publishing. American Psychiatric Association, May 2013. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
Noe, Denise. "James Huberty and the McDonald's Massacre." Crime Library. Turner Entertainment, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Biography of James Swann Jr.

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tsuang, M. T., Faraone, S. V., & Glatt, S. J. (2011). Schizophrenia. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Read More

  • The Causes of Schizophrenia

    3207 Words  | 7 Pages

    and its constituents may suggest that it is multifarious in its origin (Kolb & Whishaw, 2011).

    Read More

  • A child Called It by Dave Pelzer

    2130 Words  | 5 Pages

    The World of Psychology. (2002). A Pearson Education Company. Boston, MA: Samuel Wood & Ellen Green Wood p. 593

    Read More

  • Case Study of Gerald: Living with Schizophrenia

    2528 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Milgram and Zimbardo: Overpowering Situations

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Haney, Craig; Zimbardo, Philip. American Psychologist, Jul98, Vol. 53 Issue 7, p709, 19p, 2 Black and White Photographs,

    Read More

  • Paranoid Schizophrenia Essay

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    Coined by Eugen Bleuler in 1950, the term ‘Schizophrenia’ refers to a group of mental disorders with heterogeneous outcomes. The most prevalent subtype of schizophrenia is the paranoid subtype. Typically, this disorder is characterized by psychosis, in which the patient suffers from altered perceptions of reality. According to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM – V), the typical subtypes – paranoid, catatonic and disorganized, among others have been eliminated, although the general definition of the disorder remains unchanged. These changes were made due to the clinically diverse prognosis, pathophysiology and etiology of the disorder, which add to its heterogeneity1, 2. In addition, sex of the patient and age of onset of the disorder also contribute to schizophrenia’s diverse effects. The age of onset and sex of the patient heavily influence the demographics and course of paranoid schizophrenia, and in turn are also affected by the patients ethnicity and any premorbid conditions the patient may have suffered1, 3...

    Read More

  • Perspective of Aging: A Phenomenological Approach

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    Davis, S. F., & Palladino, J. J. (2003). Psychology. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

    Read More

  • Ted Kaczynski Aka The Unabomber

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gall, S. B., Beins, B., & Feldman, A. (2001). The gale encyclopedia of psychology. (2nd ed.). Detroit, MI: Gale Group.

    Read More

  • Greek and Roman Influence in Psychology

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    Corsini, Raymond J. (1994). Encyclopedia of Psychology. John Wiley and Sons, Inc: New York, New York.

    Read More

  • James Oliver Huberty

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    On July 18, 1984 one of America’s most horrific and shocking killings took place in San Ysidro, California. A man originally from Ohio committed the fourth-deadliest shooting massacre by a single perpetrator in United States history, killing twenty-one and wounding nineteen others. The “McDonald’s Massacre”, as it came to be called, was a tragic event in a San Ysidro McDonalds.

    Read More

  • Schizophrenia

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Schizophrenia is a serious, chronic mental disorder characterized by loss of contact with reality and disturbances of thought, mood, and perception. Schizophrenia is the most common and the most potentially sever and disabling of the psychosis, a term encompassing several severe mental disorders that result in the loss of contact with reality along with major personality derangements. Schizophrenia patients experience delusions, hallucinations and often lose thought process. Schizophrenia affects an estimated one percent of the population in every country of the world. Victims share a range of symptoms that can be devastating to themselves as well as to families and friends. They may have trouble dealing with the most minor everyday stresses and insignificant changes in their surroundings. They may avoid social contact, ignore personal hygiene and behave oddly (Kass, 194). Many people outside the mental health profession believe that schizophrenia refers to a “split personality”. The word “schizophrenia” comes from the Greek schizo, meaning split and phrenia refers to the diaphragm once thought to be the location of a person’s mind and soul. When the word “schizophrenia” was established by European psychiatrists, they meant to describe a shattering, or breakdown, of basic psychological functions. Eugene Bleuler is one of the most influential psychiatrists of his time. He is best known today for his introduction of the term “schizophrenia” to describe the disorder previously known as dementia praecox and for his studies of schizophrenics. The illness can best be described as a collection of particular symptoms that usually fall into four basic categories: formal thought disorder, perception disorder, feeling/emotional disturbance, and behavior disorders (Young, 23). People with schizophrenia describe strange of unrealistic thoughts. Their speech is sometimes hard to follow because of disordered thinking. Phrases seem disconnected, and ideas move from topic to topic with no logical pattern in what is being said. In some cases, individuals with schizophrenia say that they have no idea at all or that their heads seem “empty”. Many schizophrenic patients think they possess extraordinary powers such as x-ray vision or super strength. They may believe that their thoughts are being controlled by others or that everyone knows what they are thinking. These beliefs ar...

    Read More

  • The Enigma of Schizophrenia

    2627 Words  | 6 Pages

    Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2011). Schizophrenia and Other Psycholtic Disorders. In J. Marshall (Ed.), Abnormal psychology in a changing world (pp. 390-425).

    Read More

  • Rational Choice Theory

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ciccarelli, Saundra, and White, J. Noland. Psychology Second Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. 2009. Print.

    Read More

  • Epidemiology of Schizophrenia

    1680 Words  | 4 Pages

    Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating disease to the individuals and families it affects. Despite the incidence of schizophrenia being relatively low schizophrenia is also a major contributor to the global burden of disease. This substantial burden stems from two critical features, the early onset of the disorder and the large proportion of individuals who experience persisting or fluctuating incapacitating symptoms despite receiving treatments. Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia usually experience a combination of symptoms which can be categorized into three broad categories, negative, positive, and cognitive symptoms. Psychotic behaviors not seen in healthy people such as person experiencing hallucinations which would include hearing voices, delusions, patterns of disorganized speech and abnormal motor behavior can be categorized as positive symptoms. Negative symptoms are associated with disruptions in what would be considered as normal behavior or emotional reactions. These symptoms would include an individual showing a lack of pleasure in everyday life, ability to start and complete simple tasks efficiently and projecting a dull or monotonous voice while speaking. Cognitive symptoms are more subtle in presentation and can include an individual unable to perform simple cerebral tasks including the inability to process information or focus and pay attention. Although schizophrenia been researched for decades, its etiology and pathogenesis remains ambiguous.

    Read More

  • Parent-Child Relationship

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edited by Raymond J. Corsini. Encyclopedia of Psychology, Second Edition, Volume 1. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

    Read More

More about Schizophrenia: Its Causes and Forms

Open Document