SCHIZOPHRENIA

            Imagine experiencing spontaneous dream like episodes with material that resembles art, myth, poetry, and B-movies. This is how many schizophrenia sufferers go through life. The word schizophrenia comes from the Greek words meaning "split" and "mind." This, however, does not describe the personality of one who has Schizophrenia. .
             There are several symptoms of schizophrenia. One who suffers from schizophrenia may have delusions. They may believe that they are they are an African prince, when in fact they are not. Hallucinations are another symptom of the disease. A schizophrenic may see, hear, and smell a dog next to him or her, when in truth there is no dog. Unusual behavior is another symptom of schizophrenia. This behavior includes a fixed pose for several hours, laughing at inappropriate time, and making obscene gestures. .
             Schizophrenics often do not have clear trains of thought. This affects their speech. They may not have good conversational reflexes, meaning that they cannot always answer trivial questions immediately after asked. A very common symptom of the disease is social withdrawal. .
             Schizophrenia is a disease of the brain. It is most likely due to some sort of chemical imbalance. Genes and family history are strongly associated. An offspring of a Schizophrenic has a high chance of becoming one himself. As noted in one of my articles, Schizophrenics have brain and skull abnormalities. Many scientists believe that this is due to prenatal care. If a pregnant woman has the flu, or does not have a nutritious diet, she poses her unborn child to be at risk for the disease. .
             There is no cure for schizophrenia. However, some forms of treatment are available. Antipsychotic drugs are often prescribed to schizophrenic patients. They reduce hallucinations and delusions. .
             In the news recently, there has been much speculation over certain schizophrenia medications and type 2 diabetes. Taking antipsychotics can significantly increase the risk of diabetes, although there are not many other forms of treatment available.