Description of the Disorder
Schizophrenia is a severe condition of mind that has symptoms such as poor contact with reality, peculiar behavior, unsystematic speech and thinking, low expression of emotions, and social withdrawal. Although victims of the disorder may not manifest all these symptoms, they have an indication of some of them. Schizophrenia means a ‘split mind’.
It is worth noting that schizophrenia doe not result in split personality. Rather, it greatly alters the functioning of the mind. Victims of this personality disorder do not depict double personality. In fact, they may depict some characteristics that are close to those of a mad person (Lemma, 1996). Sometimes, people mistake schizophrenia to insanity.
The disease debilitates the lives of victims. Richard and Brahm (2012, p. 758) assert that people who suffer from schizophrenia have difficulties in distinguishing what is real and what is unreal in life, what is logical and illogical, and what is appropriate and inappropriate. Out of these effects, victims are not able to work well.
They cannot be in good relationships with others, go to school, and/or take good care of others. The victims are prone to committing suicide. They are also likely to be hospitalized due to personal inflicted injuries and suicidal thoughts. According to Van Dyke (2013, p. 51), there is no cure for the schizophrenia.
Therefore, victims experience the disorder for the rest of their life. Treatment is done after a doctor’s interview with the victim. However, treatment only suppresses the symptoms in an effort to enable victims’ to live better lives. This paper seeks to discuss schizophrenia as a personality disorder.
How the Disorder Develops
According to Van Dyke (2013, p. 51), schizophrenia begins to develop in the early adulthood years of the victim from the age of 15 to 30 years. It is only in very few instances that the disease develops later in life. The initial development of the condition is slow. However, as the victim grows older, the condition develops faster. Victims normally experience a variation of the symptoms over time.
Researches indicate that the symptoms may become lesser in later years of the victim. It has also been found that 25% of the victims of schizophrenia become symptom-free later in their lives. Such symptoms of schizophrenia include delusion, hallucinations, uncanny conduct, disorganized communication and thinking, and social withdrawal.
Out of these symptoms, the victim develops uncontrolled movement. However, Richard and Brahm (2012, p. 757) observe that the victims do not appreciate that their minds are disrupted. When they depict hallucination symptoms, they have false beliefs in their minds. For example, a victim may believe that he or she is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces in his or her country thus beginning to behave like a person with such a position.
In other instances, victims may believe that other people are spying on them, or that other people within their surrounding can ‘hear’ what they are thinking about in any given time. Therefore, the victim may feel insecure or begin to hide or sometimes turn violent to his or her neighbors. Such individuals may also believe that the police are looking for them, or an aircraft that flies around them is looking for them.
In some cases, getting them to the doctors proves difficult since they may believe that doctors want to treat them of a disease that they are not suffering from. Hallucination is normally characterized by false sensory perceptions. Victims experience various symptoms. For example, Van Dyke (2013, p. 51) asserts that victims smell, see, and touch unrealistic things.
When they experience auditory hallucinations, they hear sounds that do not exist in reality. Researches indicate that such voices may include the voice of a known or unknown person ordering the victim to behave in a certain way or to do something (Lilienfeld et al. 2010). The voice may also be of certain people who talk about the victim, hence annoying him or her.
According to Van Dyke (2013, p. 51), bizarre behaviors as symptoms of schizophrenia include characteristics such as victims talking to themselves, laughing suddenly for no apparent reason, walking backwards instantly, masturbating in public, or even making funny faces in public. They may maintain a particular bizarre act for long hours without an end. In some cases, the victim may just keep on moving without a sense of direction, or keep on jumping for no reason.
When schizophrenic patients experience disorganized thinking and speech, it is easy to identify them. These affected people talk in nonsensical ways, utter confused words, and have confused thoughts. For example, when talking or discussing with others, they mix various ideas and topics. In other instances, the speech may go low since the mind also works slowly.
For example, they use very few words and talk very slowly. Others decide to keep quiet even when they are expected to say something. In some instances, they may keep quiet at the middle of a conversation thus leaving the other people perplexed. Another symptom of schizophrenia is social withdrawal. The victims may act in ways that suggest that other people do not exist at all.
In some cases, the victim ignores the decision or the wellbeing of other people completely. In fact, he or she may act as if he or she is just alone in the world. Richard and Brahm (2012, p. 759) argue that, in extreme cases, schizophrenic people may completely avoid others. Sometimes, the victims may have blank facial expressions hence making it difficult to know what they are thinking.
They do not send any signals both verbally and nonverbally. Others will just avoid eye contact with other people. For example, the victim may immediately look down or sideways whenever one looks at them straight through their eyes.
Studies on the Disorder
Researches indicate that approximately 1% of the people who exist in the world experience schizophrenia at certain points of their lives. In addition, researches also indicate that roughly 1.8 million people who live in the United States suffer from schizophrenia. The presence of schizophrenia cuts across cultures, age, and sex. Women have less severe experiences of symptoms, hence recording lesser hospitalization cases and better social life in relation to men.
Cases of schizophrenia are not very specific. In fact, researches indicate that the disorder is caused by various factors. Scientists believe that schizophrenia is caused by genetic factors, structural brain abnormalities, chemical imbalance in the brain, and prenatal development abnormality resulting from the environment (Lemma, 1996).
In addition to people who are predisposed to schizophrenia, experience of stressful life may result in the development of the psychological disorder (Lilienfeld et al. 2010). Researches on genetic factors indicate that genes that are inherited from parents may predispose someone to the condition. For example, studies reveal that, the more closely that an individual is related to a person with the condition, the more likely he or she is to have the condition.
According to Van Dyke (2013, 51) studies show that children of a schizophrenia victim have up to 13% likelihood of contracting the disease. Children from parents suffering from schizophrenia have approximately 46% chances of developing the condition. However, those in the ordinary society have 1% likelihood of developing schizophrenia.
Other researches point out that chemical imbalance in the brain neurotransmitters may also result in the condition. The neurotransmitters enable brain cells to communicate. When there are excess activities of dopamine in certain areas of the brain, the condition develops. Amphetamines increases dopamine activity thus making psychotic symptoms in victims of schizophrenia.
Serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter, also exacerbates the schizophrenic condition in the victim. Richard and Brahm (2012, p. 757) affirm that the use of brain imaging, for example magnetic resonance and positron-emission tomography, indicates structural abnormalities in the brains of victims, for instance, having larger brain ventricles, small volumes of the brain tissue, low activities of the brain lobe that controls judgment, planning, and thought.
In prenatal environmental causes, pregnant women who are exposed to the influenza virus are likely to have a baby who will develop schizophrenia. Delivery of children with forceps increases the chances of children getting schizophrenia.
Review of Treatment Options
Although no cure for schizophrenia has been realized, treatment of the condition through medication, treatment of the symptoms and problems that victims go through, and rehabilitation enables them to live a better life. Medical treatment of schizophrenia use antipsychotic drugs.
According to Van Dyke (2013, p. 51), antipsychotic drugs that have been adapted include resperidone, olanzapine, clozapine, quetiaphine, haloperidol, thioridazine, fluphenazine, trifuoperazine, and chlorpromazine. The medication is taken for the rest of the victim’s life to control the symptoms. However, Richard and Brahm (2012, p. 757) argue that medication may not treat other symptoms of the condition such as withdrawal from social life and apathy.
Sometimes, it can cause muscle spasms, terdive dyskinesia, and cramps. Fatal conditions such as agranulocytosis may also result. Psychological and social rehabilitation has also worked in checking schizophrenia. This strategy also teaches them self-care skills such as personal hygiene, nutrition, and financial management.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a type of psychotherapy, enables that victim to reduce hallucinations, social withdrawal, and delusion. Family members also come in to understand and monitor that victims take medication by monitoring their symptoms. Associated problems such as substance abuse, for instance drug abuse, are also treatable. Diseases such as hepatitis B and C, and HIV among others can be managed through medication.
Success of Treatment
Treatment of schizophrenic victims has been successful especial with antipsychotic drugs. However, up to date, there is no cure for schizophrenia. Patients of the condition have to take medication for the rest of their lives. According to Van Dyke (2013, p. 56), combination of medication and therapy helps patients to live better and comfortable lives. However, medication has side effects. Management of such side effect has enabled victims to have a healthy life.
Conclusion
Schizophrenia is a mental condition that has no cure. It affects a big percentage of people. A victim that I have witnessed depicted various symptoms such as hallucination and delusion. The victim has been treated by the use of antipsychotic drugs and therapy. However, he has depicted side effects, for instance constipation due to medication and weight gain. The use of antipsychotic drugs reduced the symptoms by 80-90% on the patient.
Reference List
Lemma, A. (1996). Introduction to Pscychopathology. London, Sage Publications.
Lilienfeld, S. et al. (2010). Psychology: A Framework for Everyday Thinking. London: Pearson Publishers.
Richard, D., & Brahm, C. (2012). Schizophrenia and the immune system: Pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 69(9), 757-766.
Van Dyke, C. (2013). Research Policies for Schizophrenia in the Global Health Context. International Journal of Mental Health, 42(1), 51-76.