Abstract
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder currently affecting several individuals due to stresses and strains for life. Despite there not being a cure for the disorder as yet, there are current treatments available and meant to eliminate the majority of symptoms associated with the disorder thus enabling such individuals to live healthy lives in society.
Personal Interest in this topic
Personal interest was developed in the topic concerning Schizophrenia because it developed a curiosity in wanting to observe other people’s perceptions of the movies and their thoughts on the disorder. I also wanted to learn more about Schizophrenia and how I can best identify its symptoms. In this way, I would be in a better position to handle and deal with individuals suffering from the disorder if I am ever placed or if I ever find myself in such a situation.
Introduction
Psychology can be defined as the study of the mind and/or soul of an individual in addition to his/her mental behaviors and functions (Bermudez, 2001). It is a diverse and wide field consisting of major areas of application within itself, for instance, abnormal and biological psychology. Biological psychology or biopsychology is that part charged with studying how biological processes affect the behavior and mind of an individual (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). On the other hand, abnormal psychology studies psychopathology and abnormal human behavior (Zahavi, 2001). In this case, professional psychiatrists dealing with mental health usually make use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as the DSM-IV in diagnosing various mental disorders which include Schizophrenia (Hirsch & Weinberger, 2003).
Term Paper
A Brief Synopsis of Revolution #9
There have been recent films depicting the mental disorder, Schizophrenia which includes A Beautiful Mind and Conspiracy Theory. In these films, the challenges faced by individuals suffering from this mental disorder are portrayed as well as the toll it has on friends and families associated with such individuals (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). Revolution #9 is a film by Tim McCann depicting some form of slipping down the life of the protagonist. Jackson, played by Michael Risley appears to be a normal average man who all of a sudden develops this belief that he is being surrounded by secret messages (Bermudez, 2001).
Being an expressive writer for a certain online magazine dealing with arts, he believes that these messages are sent through e-mail spam and television perfume advertisement. He also suspects the nephew of his fiancĂ©e, Kim Kelly, played by Adrienne Shelly as being part of the conspiracy (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). Jackson and Kelly who work as a restaurant bartender have been together for the last year and a half when he announces their upcoming wedding to his fiancĂ©e’s relatives. Kelly’s nephew (Jase Blankfort) is an 11-year-old computer whiz whom Jackson suspects of sending those secret messages as a way of controlling his mind and other people’s minds (Zahavi, 2001).
While Kelly makes an effort to deal with Jackson’s bizarre behavior, the character’s life takes a downward spiral with Jackson going to the extent of hunting down the photographer responsible for shooting the perfume commercial (Hirsch & Weinberger, 2003). The photographer is Scooter, played by Spalding Gray. In the end, Jackson ends up being committed to a mental facility and his ever-loyal girlfriend does everything in her power to cope with the situation. She even makes over the apartment that she and Jackson share while anticipating his quick recovery and return home (Bermudez, 2001). Even though Jackson is trying as much as he can to present himself as being on his way to recovery, he is not improving. His insanity is on a steady increase and the treatment does him no good.
Unfortunately, the film comes to an abrupt and unexpected halt but the diagnosis made on Jackson as concerns his bizarre behavior is Schizophrenia (Zahavi, 2001). The film also portrays the challenges faced by Kelly as she bears the brunt of her fiancé’s self-destructive behavior as well as paranoia while on the other hand trying to deal with the bureaucracy and inadequacies presented by the mental health system (Frith & Gallagher, 2002).
Definition and Description of Schizophrenia
The above-mentioned film together with the example films mentioned depicts an abnormal mental disorder known as Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia can be defined as a chronic disabling mental disorder that is severe and affects both men and women with equal frequency (Zahavi, 2001). This disorder causes impairment in the vocational or social functioning of an individual and is characterized by a psychotic phase involving hallucinations, bizarre behavior, and speech as well as delusions. Schizophrenia is derived from a Greek term meaning having a split mind (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). Moreover, this disorder is usually diagnosed in individuals aged between 17 years and 35 years, being observed earlier in men as compared to women. It has also been observed that approximately 1% of the American population suffers from this disorder at any time every year (Bermudez, 2001). In addition, approximately 50% of those admitted to hospital psychiatric care are diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
People suffering from this disorder tend to develop mood abnormalities for instance anger or silly facial expressions and generally losing interest or pleasure in the simple things in life (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). Schizophrenics also tend to pace up and down and lack interest in food. In addition, they may hear voices that other individuals cannot and may tend to believe that others may be trying to control their thoughts, read their minds, or conspire against them to cause harm (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). The majority of people suffering from this disorder are not usually aware that they are having it. This can lead them to become suicidal or entertain suicidal thoughts due to their having poor insight into reality (Zahavi, 2001).
There have not been specifically recognized causes of schizophrenia although biological, genetic, and environmental factors have been considered as being a cause. Recent studies have shown Schizophrenia to be hereditary in that there is a 10% chance of a child having a parent suffering from the disorder also developing it (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). People do not realize that families and the general society are affected as a result of having an individual’s suffering from the disorder amongst them. This is because they are charged with the responsibility of taking care of schizophrenics and ensuring that they are comfortable and their needs are catered to (Bermudez, 2001). Therefore, clinicians need to investigate possible causes of any acute change in an individual’s mental behavior or health to be able to diagnose the disorder early enough.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Symptoms associated with this disorder come in many forms but are categorized into negative symptoms, positive symptoms, affective symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Negative symptoms include having difficulties in expressing emotions and being withdrawn socially (Bermudez, 2001). Positive symptoms, on the other hand, include being suspicious, having delusions, and hearing voices. Affective symptoms, also known as mood symptoms mainly include depression which leads to the individual having suicidal thoughts (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). In the last category which is that of cognitive symptoms, the individual has difficulty in processing information, remembering simple tasks assigned to him/her, and having difficulty in understanding the environment they are in (Hirsch & Weinberger, 2003).
Many individuals suffering from schizophrenia may hear voices for longer periods before close relatives and family realize that there is a problem to be attended to. These voices may order the individual to perform certain tasks or warn him/her of a looming danger (Zahavi, 2001). In this case, the individual is said to be having hallucinations. In the case of being delusional, the person suffering from Schizophrenia tends to hold on to false beliefs not associated with his/her culture and sticks to them (Hirsch & Weinberger, 2003). To some extent, they may also tend to believe that they are a famous historical figure or that someone is trying to send them special secret messages, as seen in the film Revolution #9.
In the film Revolution #9, it can be observed that the main protagonist exhibited symptoms related to Schizophrenia where Jackson’s symptoms worsened by the day. Even though persons suffering from the disorder might not necessarily display any outward symptoms of being ill, the disorder might become apparent with time, causing the individual to behave bizarrely, as seen in the film (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). Due to the severe abnormal mental behaviors of such individuals, their life expectancy is usually shorter as compared to the general population.
Importance of Studying Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia has been rated as being the fifth major leading cause of lost years as a result of disability in men while it is the sixth major leading cause amongst women (Zahavi, 2001). Contrary to popular belief, the disorder does not involve having a split personality but is a separate condition altogether. Schizophrenia affects approximately 2.2 million Americans and has been observed to be the most common psychotic disease accounting for high costs in mental health care (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). It is therefore vital for the community to be well informed and educated on Schizophrenia, its symptoms, and how best to handle patients suffering from the disorder to ensure that such individuals lead fulfilled lives in the end.
In the early and mid 20th Century, psychosis (conditions affecting the mind causing an individual to become detached from reality) observed in teenagers was perceived to be a reaction to stress or a phase in the development of the individual (Bermudez, 2001). This was due to a lack of sufficient research carried out as concerns the disorder. In the movie Revolution #9, it is revealed to the audience that an individual suffering from Schizophrenia usually tends to see something that other people do not or cannot see this leading to their bizarre behaviors (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). In other words, once the illness becomes active, the schizophrenic experiences episodes where he/she is unable to differentiate between real experiences and those that are not. The rise of psychology made the disorder to be recognized as a mental abnormality or illness, leaving the individual incapable of relating socially with others (Zahavi, 2001).
Schizophrenia needs to be identified in its early stages to be able to help the individuals in the best ways possible. It is unfortunate for the protagonist in the movie Revolution #9 that he did not acquire the necessary help needed to help him deal with his symptoms. If the woman he was in love with had information concerning schizophrenia, she would have been in a better position to assist Jackson in obtaining the necessary assistance for instance through psychological therapies (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). The same case applies in the movies A Beautiful Mind and Conspiracy Theory. This shows viewers the importance of studying the disorder and its relevance in that certain consequences can be prevented through dealing with the symptoms once identified (Hirsch & Weinberger, 2003).
Psychopathology of the Character (characteristics of the protagonist that meet DSM-IV-TR Standards)
Psychopathology can be defined as the manifestation of experiences and behaviors indicative of a certain degree of psychological or mental impairment (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). It can also refer to the study of mental distress or illness (Zahavi, 2001). In the movie Revolution #9, the main character portrayed one of the symptoms associated with the disorder and this was that of hallucinating that secret text messages were being sent through television perfume advertisements and e-mail spam. Believing that these secret messages were true, helps in the reduction of his being lonely and in the process consoling him in his being rejected by other individuals around him (Hirsch & Weinberger, 2003). Taking the examples of A Beautiful Mind and Conspiracy Theory, the main character was portrayed as hearing voices and imagining hearing the sound of the black helicopters, respectively (Bermudez, 2001).
DSM-IV-TR or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition is a manual or guideline used to classify different mental disorders in various mental institutions and hospitals (Frith & Gallagher, 2002). It serves the purpose of determining known causes of all mental health disorders while providing a prognosis and stating the statistics of the disorders in terms of age at onset and gender (Hirsch & Weinberger, 2003). For a disorder to be diagnosed as a mental illness, according to the DSM-IV-TR, it has to meet certain requirements and standards of the manual. For instance, an individual is said to be suffering from schizophrenia if he/she is exhibiting either disorganized speech, delusions, grossly disorganized behavior, or hallucinations during 1 month (Zahavi, 2001). According to the manual, the individual suffering from schizophrenia portrays occupational and social dysfunction at the onset of the symptoms. If these symptoms persist for at least 6 more months, then the individual is diagnosed as suffering from Schizophrenia by the DSM-IV-TR (Frith & Gallagher, 2002).
From this movie, there are several characteristics of the main character that meet the DSM-IV-TR standards for instance their display of hallucinations, being paranoid, and having mood episodes such as depression (Frith & Gallagher, 2002).
Conclusion
Once the symptoms associated with Schizophrenia are brought under control, therapy can be applied to enable such individuals to cope with stress, lengthen periods of remission as well as learn social skills as they carry on with their daily activities. Relatives, family members, and friends should lend a hand in assisting people suffering from Schizophrenia to lead healthy, meaningful, and fulfilling lives (Wong, 2010).
References
Frith, C. and Gallagher, S. (2002). Models of the Pathological Mind. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 9(4). Pp. 57 – 80.
Zahavi, D. (2001). Schizophrenia and Self-Awareness. Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology. Special Issue 8(4). Pp. 339 – 341.
Bermudez, J. (2001). Normativity and Rationality in Delusional Psychiatric Disorders. Mind and Language, 16(5). Pp. 457 – 493.
Hirsch, S. and Weinberger, D. (2003). Schizophrenia. 2nd Edition. Wiley-Blackwell.
Wong, P. (N.D). Schizophrenia Internet mental health. 2010. Web.