Lionel Aldridge; Schizophrenia
Ryan Perdue
Ivy Tech, Community College
PSYCH 101 – HAF
September 27, 2012
Over looking the world on a mountain top could put one's life in a perspective like no one else could ever see. But to be on the mountain top one moment, and the fall into the depths of a life consumed by a mental disorder could change everything. It must be something like this to lose touch with reality. Schizophrenia is a disabling mental illness that cause a person to become psychotic, to lose touch with reality. One of the most difficult, but treatable is Paranoid schizophrenia. A three time world champion football player, Lionel Aldridge, suffered from Paranoid schizophrenia.
Aldridge, originally from Louisiana ,and now a resident of Shorewood,Wisconsin, was a defensive end when he joined the Green Bay Packers in 1963 (Clark, 2012). After his career in the football league, Aldridge took a sportscaster job for WTMJ radio (Clark, 2012). After all of this in Aldridge's career so far, still, no symptoms for schizophrenia were shown (Clark, 2012). Going on 32 years of age, Aldridge had lived the perfect life until there was a bump in the process. “ I really didn't start getting sick until I was 33,” said Aldridge (Clark, 2012). “ I was working full-time at WTMJ at the time and things just started to fall apart,” (Clark, 2012). Aldrige stated, “There was extreme paranoia and irritability and I was difficult for me to get along with others. I was unable to work at the time,” (Clark,2012). When these events of schizophrenia started to show, he was forced through a divorce before leaving Milwaukee to travel the country (Clark, 2012). Due to his status of incapability, he was homeless from 1982-1984 and then for a short time a few years later, and simply lived day-by-day to survive (Clark, 2012). He would eventually return to Milwaukee to seek the much needed help of friends and family (Clark, 2012). “I didn't consider myself a drifter; I was just a victim of schizophrenia,” said Aldridge, who lost both Super bowl rings when he was homeless (Clark, 2012). Aldridge shared, “I had gone ten years without getting any treatment. Once I accepted and cooperated with the treatment, I started to beat the illness” (Clark, 2012).
The symptoms of Paranoid schizophrenia could be taken many ways. Below they are as follows stated by the DSM IV , tr (2000), “schizophrenia”.
Diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia: 295.30
A. Characteristic symptoms: Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated): 1. Delusions 2. hallucinations 3. disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence) 4. grossly disorganized catatonic behavior 5. negative symptoms, i.e., affective flattening, alogia, or avolition .
B. Social/occupational dysfunction: For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations , or self care are markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset (or when the onset is in childhood or adolescents, failure to achieve expected level of interpersonal, academic, or occupational achievement).
Duration: Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months. This 6- month period must include at least 1-month of symptoms (or less if successfully treated) that meet criteria A (i.e., active- phase symptoms) and may include periods of prodromial or residual symptoms. During these prodromial or residual periods, the signs of disturbance may be manifested by only negative symptoms or two or more symptoms listed in Criterion A present in an attenuated form (e.g., odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences).
