Schizophrenia «SKIHT suh FREE nee uh », is a severe mental disease characterized by unpredictable disturbances in thinking. The word schizophrenia means a splitting of the mind. It refers to the characteristic schizophrenic behavior of withdrawing from reality and thinking in illogical, confused patterns. The term does not mean that a patient has more than one personality. .
Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental disorders. It afflicts about 1 percent of the world's population. Most patients develop the disease from their late teens to mid-20's. Men tend to develop it earlier than women and often more severely.
Many people with schizophrenia develop delusions and behave as though they live in a fantasy world. They may hear "voices" that others cannot hear. The patients may believe that these "voices" carry messages from important people, or even from God. Schizophrenics often suffer disturbances in mood and behavior. Some patients seem to feel no emotions, but others may display inappropriate emotions, such as laughing at sad situations. Some patients withdraw from their family and friends and talk mainly to themselves or to their "voices.".
Physicians do not know the cause of schizophrenia. Viral infections, drug abuse, or trauma during birth may increase a person's risk of developing the disease. Genetic factors may be partly responsible for some cases. Abnormal brain chemistry also plays a role. Chemicals called neurotransmitters, which allow nerve cells to communicate with each other, have been found at abnormal levels in some people with schizophrenia. In addition, medical imaging studies show that schizophrenics have less neural tissue, called gray matter, in their brains than healthy individuals. This loss of brain tissue occurs in regions controlling short-term memory, which is also impaired in patients with schizophrenia. In individuals who develop a severe case of the disease early in life, the loss of gray matter progresses over time, with worsening hallucinations and depression.
Schizophrenia is a disease that takes place in the brain. ... It does appear however that Schizophrenia is somewhat genetic. ... (A.D.A.M "Schizophrenia" 2002) There are five different types of Schizophrenia. ... In Catatonic Schizophrenia there is a period of inactivity and striking motor skills. ... (Ryan Irvan, "Schizophrenia" 2001) The diagnosis of Schizophrenia is very difficult. ...
It is a disorder called schizophrenia. ... The exact cause of schizophrenia is not known. ... There have been causes where only one of the identical twins has schizophrenia. ... Studies are also looking at neurotransmitters in the process of developing schizophrenia. ... There are many theories about the causes of schizophrenia. ...
Schizophrenia Introduction Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, disabling brain disease that affects approximately one percent of the population. ... Signs and Symptoms of Schizophrenia Generally, schizophrenia's onset is in adolescence or young adulthood. Schizophrenia affects young men just as much as young women. ... Delusions are also common in those with schizophrenia. ... Suicide is a serious danger to those with schizophrenia. ...
This is how many schizophrenia sufferers go through life. ... There are several symptoms of schizophrenia. One who suffers from schizophrenia may have delusions. ... Schizophrenia is a disease of the brain. ... There is no cure for schizophrenia. ...
During my research I found out that many more people have Schizophrenia than most would like to admit. ... Schizophrenia is a disease that takes over your brain. ... Schizophrenia emerges at different times in men and women. ... I hope this paper has cleared up a few questions about schizophrenia. ... "New Hope for People With Schizophrenia." ...
Types of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a group of disorders that are characterized by the loss of contact with reality, and the marked disturbances of thought and perception as well as bizarre behavior. ... Since then there has been several different classifications of schizophrenia that have been made. ... The first subtype of schizophrenia that I will be discussing is the paranoid subtype. ... The next subtype of schizophrenia is the disorganized type. ... Catatonic schizophrenia is another subtype. ...
People with schizophrenia describe strange of unrealistic thoughts. ... Catatonic schizophrenia is marked by striking motor behavior. ... Schizophrenia seems to be a syndrome of multiple causes and types. Genetics seem to play a role, but there is no single "schizophrenia gene". ... One of the most recent advances in treating schizophrenia is the drug clozapine. ...
A person with catatonic schizophrenia presents a nursing challenge. ... Schizophrenia appears to be extremely complex. ... Schizophrenia always involves change in ability and personality. ... Stress does not cause schizophrenia. ... People with schizophrenia show the same increase in frontal lobe activi...
There are many ways to define what schizophrenia is, not only by what the illness truly is to the different forms of schizophrenia, which includes paranoid schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, disorganized schizophrenia and undifferentiated schizophrenia. I will be focusing on what schizophrenia in general is: what the true definition of this common mental illness. ... Schizophrenia is a disease of the brain, which can be one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to humans. ... Schizophrenia deals with an individual who is hearing voices or seeing things that...
