Ian DeBarro
Professor Damm
Psyc 1
December 18th, 2013
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic brain disorder that is disabling to the person with it. Schizophrenia is a disorder that makes a person hear voices others do not hear and other symptoms as well. The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three categories: cognitive, negative, and positive symptoms. Schizophrenia is mainly caused by several different factors and only about one percent of Americans. There is currently no known treatment to cure schizophrenia, so most of the treatments done are to eliminate the symptoms of schizophrenia. The most common treatments for the symptoms are antipsychotic medication and a variety of psychosocial treatments. The main issues that come along with Schizophrenia are entirely mental issues. Those with schizophrenia may think that their minds are being read by others, people plotting to harm them, and even others controlling their thoughts. often times you cannot tell if someone has schizophrenia until they begin to talk about what they are really thinking and what is on their mind. People affected with schizophrenia may also not always make sense when they talk. Schizophrenia also makes it very difficult to maintain a job or care for themselves, so addition care may be required by others such as a caregiver. Schizophrenia is a hereditary disease so it is know to run in families. Schizophrenia only affects about one percent of the population but the chances of getting schizophrenia jumps to ten percent if a first-degree relative has the disease. This just in susceptibility to the disorder increases if second-degree relatives, such as aunts or cousins, have the disorder as well. Scientists believe several genes are associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia, but that no gene causes the disease by itself (NIMH). The disorder is involved with higher rates of rare genetic mutations and hundreds of diverse genes. Other recent studies suggest that schizophrenia may result in part when a certain gene that is key to making important brain chemicals malfunctions (NIMH). The part of the brain that is involved in higher functioning skills is most likely where the problem occurs. Another likely cause of schizophrenia is an imbalance in the complex chemical reactions in the brain. These chemical reactions involve the neurotransmitters glutamate and dopamine. One of the three categories of symptoms are positive symptoms. Positive symptoms are psychotic behaviors not seen in healthy people (NIMH). People with positive symptoms "lose touch" with reality. This specific symptom though can be severe sometimes, and other times is hardly noticeable. Some examples of positive symptoms are hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and movement disorders. Hallucinations involve sensing things that appear to be real while conscious, but have really been created by the mind. The most common type of hallucination associated with schizophrenia are the "voices" that are heard. Delusions are false beliefs that are not part of the affected person's culture. These delusions are still believed by the person with schizophrenia even after others prove that they are illogical and not true. An example of this would be believing your neighbors are controlling your thoughts and behavior with magnetic waves. Thought disorders are just dysfunctional ways of thinking. Such as when a person have trouble organizing his or her thoughts or connecting them logically (NIMH). Movement disorders appear mostly as agitated movements of the body. Certain body motions may be repeated over and over by someone with the disorder. In extreme circumstances a person may become catatonic. Catatonia is a state in which a person does not move and does not respond to other (NIMH). Catatonia was more common when treatment for schizophrenia was not obtainable, and is very rare today. Negative and cognitive symptoms are not as extensive as the positive symptoms are