What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia today means “a psychotic mental illness that is charecterized by a twisted view of the real world, by a greatly reduced ability to carry out one’s daily tasks; to behave or have ways of acting, thinking or feeling abnormal” (Merriam-Webster). However, a little over a century ago, it was named by Paul Eugen Bleuler, from the Greek words “schizien” and “phren” which together mean split mind (Merriam-Webster) (Burton). He did not mean for this to mean “split personality disorder”, that is another illness entirely. Many people interchange those terms, but it is incorrect. The orginal name “dementia praecox” was created by a German doctor named Emil Kraepelin (Burton). Schizophrenia had many names before it was settled as the current because people failed to understand what exactly it was, so naming it was difficult. The German thought that is was a disease similar to what we now call Tay-Sachs, appearing in small children and stopping brain devolpment. Bleuler discovered it was the exact oppisite; instead of slowing devolpment causing a backslide, the patient expirences a higher level of awareness than normal (Burton). What causes this illness? The etiology is the study of the causes and orgins of diseases (Merriam-Webster). Most etilogists believe that Schizophrenia is brought on by a chemical imbalance, but it can be inherited. There is not a single gene mutation that causes this disease (Spearing). This imbalance causes impariment of brain fuction, which causes some of the delusions and other symptoms to be discussed later in the paper. What is it’s prevalence? There is no particular prevalence when it comes to who gets Schizophrenia, all races and both genders are equally capable of d... ... middle of paper ... ...he most famous artists of the world. He battled many demons and it was said he used them to create masterpieces. It is important to try to be successful and not go into a downhill spiral. Staying positive can do much more than various medications. Bibliography Burton, Neel. "A Brief History of Schizophrenia." 8 September 2012. Psychology Today. 17 12 2013. "Chapter 5." Mark. The Holy Bible (KJV). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988. 1501-1502. Merriam-Webster. "Etiology." Merriam-Webster. Webster's New Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Popuar Publishing Company, 2001. 178. Merriam-Webster. "Schizophrenia." Webster's New Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Popular Publishing Company, 2001. 466. Mo. The rise & fall of the prefrontal lobotomy. 24 July 2007. 19 12 2013. Spearing, Melissa K. Overview of Schizophrenia. 1999. 16 12 2013.
Tsuang, M. T., Faraone, S. V., & Glatt, S. J. (2011). Schizophrenia. New York: Oxford University Press.
Long, Phillip W. M.D. “Schizophrenia: Youth’s Greatest Disabler.” British Columbia Schizophrenic Society. 8th edition. April 12, 2000. www.Mentalhealth.com.
Schizophrenia: From Mind to Molecule. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press. Kalat, J. (2004). Biological Psychology.
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Schizophrenia." Definition. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 24 Jan. 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
There is still no unanimously accepted definition of schizophrenia, and appreciable differences exist between the narrowest and widest definition (Tsuang 13). It is a disease that includes a disturbance in cognition that renders the individual "out of touch with reality". Emotions are distorted in schizophrenia and they are typified by being socially withdrawn (Lahey 555).
To understand what mental illness is you have to know what it means. Mental health is the state of our well-being. Mental health has to do with the mind. According to thefreedictionary.com mental health is “a state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life”. Mental illness are behavioral, psychological, and emotional disorders that effect the mind. Mental illness is not something that should be avoided. There many different types of mental illnesses. There are also mental healthcare services that can help people with their mental illnesses.
There are a number of ways that schizophrenia can develop through a person. There can be even more factors that contribute to the development of the disorder. Scientists are still observing and researching anything they could possibly find out, whether that is gene related or environment related. It is still a disorder that confuses everyone in our society today.
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.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2009) (as cited in Regier et al, 1993), “Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history and about 1 percent of Americans have this illness” (p. 85-94).
Duckworth M.D., Ken. “Schizophrenia.” NAMI.org. National Alliance on Mental Illness, Feb. 2007. Web. 28 March 2010.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that alters a persons’ thinking ability as well as their actions, emotions, and their judgment of reality. Schizophrenics find a hard time to deal with society and even harder in their relationships with either their loved ones or their colleagues. Schizophrenia has no cure but it can be controlled with proper treatment and medication.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Arasse, Daniel. Complete Guide to Mental Health. Allen Lane Press,New York, 1989. Gingerich, Susan. Coping With Schizophrenia. New Harbinger Publications, Inc. Oakland, 1994. Kass, Stephen. Schizophrenia: The Facts. Oxford University Press. New York, 1997. Muesen, Kim. “Schizophrenia”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation, 1998. Young, Patrick. The Encyclopedia od Health, Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment. Herrington Publications. New York, 1991.
"Schizophrenia." NIMH RSS. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
WHAT IS SCHIZOPHRENIA? The modern definition of schizophrenia describes it as a long-lasting psychotic disorder (involving a severe break with reality), in which there is an inability to distinguish what is real from fantasy as well as disturbances in thinking, emotions, behavior, and perception (Cicarelli, p. 557). SYMPTOMS Schizophrenia includes several symptoms.
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