Schizophrenia

Do schizophrenics have a gift or are they just plainly crazy? In some societies in the past people who saw “visions” or communicated with voices were thought of as holy or considered prophets. In other societies they are considered insane. But most people who experience visions and voices most definitely have a psychological disorder. The most common disorder to fit this description would be schizophrenia.

In reality, schizophrenics are neither gifted nor “crazy.” They are people, whose minds are filled with threatening and uncontrollable thoughts that live fearful and lonely lives. Schizophrenia is a brain disease, with concrete and specific symptoms due to physical and biochemical changes in the brain that is almost always treatable with regular use of medication. Without any treatment, most schizophrenics would lose touch with reality and get stuck in another world that’s going on in their head forever.

Researchers now agree that while they do not know what “causes” schizophrenia, many pieces of the puzzle are coming together and making it clearer. They also constantly consider the role a person’s surroundings might play in either causing psychological disorders or triggering the symptoms.

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For example there are drugs which can make the symptoms worse or trigger a psychotic episode if a person already has schizophrenia. For example, the person may actually hear, see, smell, or feel sensations that are not really there. This causes the schizophrenic to look dazed and hardly make any eye contact or respond to anyone. It is not possible to know in advance what medication will work best for an individual. This condition produces uncontrollable, sometimes grotesque movements of the body and face.

Negative symptoms, on the other hand, are loss of normal functioning ability. The purpose of hospitalization is proper medical care and protection. This is when the schizophrenic thinks that authors, song writers or columnists are writing about them in their books, songs, or articles. Persecution is the most common delusion. Neurotransmitters allow communication between the brain cells. Symptoms are not the same for everyone.

Although schizophrenia is not yet a curable disease, it is treatable. The family therapy helps the family to understand more about the person’s illness and how they should help and work with them so they feel more comfortable at home. The person may sit for long periods of time and show little interest in participating in work or social activities.

Approximate Word count = 1677
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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