Schizophrenia And Its Treatments :: Disorder Illness Schizophrenic Medical Essays

schizophrenia And Its Treatmentsschizophrenic disorder is a devastating brain disorder affecting large number worldwide of allages, races, and economic levels. It causes mortalality disintegration and lossof conform to with reality (Sinclair). It is the most common psychosis and it isestimated that one percent of the U.S. population exit be diagnosed with it overthe course of their lives (Torrey 2). Recognition of this disease dates back tothe 1800s when Emil Kraepelin reason after a comprehensive study ofthousands of patients that a state of alienation was supposed to followprecociously or soon after the invasion of the illness. Eugene Bleuler, a famousSwiss psychiatrist, coined the term schizophrenia, referring to what he calledthe splitting of the several(a) psychic functions (Honig 209-211). Having asplit personality is often incorrectly associated with schizophrenia.Possessing binary personalities on different occasions is a form of neurosis sin psychosis (Chapman). Sym ptoms most commonly associated with schizophreniainclude delusions, hallucinations, and thought disorder (Torrey 1). Delusions be irrational ideas, routinely absurd and outlandish. A patient may cogitatethat he or she is possessed of great wealth, intellect, importance or power.sometimes the patient may think he is George Washington or another(prenominal) greathistorical person (Chapman). Hallucinations are common, particularly auditory,as voices in the third person or commenting upon the patients thoughts andactions (Arieti). Persons may also hear medication or see nonexistent images(Sinclair). Schizophrenic thought disorder is the small-scale ability to thinkclearly and logically (Torrey 2). M any(prenominal) times, schizophrenics invent tonic words(called neologisms) with unique meanings (Chapman). Often it is apparent bydisconnected and unimportant language that renders the person incapable ofparticipating in conversation and add to his alienation from his family,friends, and society (Torrey 2). There appears to be three major subtypes ofSchizophrenia paranoid, hebephrenic, and catatonic. Delusions, often ofprosecution, are prominent in the paranoid type (Arieti). hebephrenicschizophrenia is characterized by thought disorder, chaotic language, silliness,and giggling (Eysenck, Arnold, and Meili 961-962). In the catatonic form, theperson may sit, stand, or lie in fixed postures or attitudes for weeks or monthson end. The person may also have a type known as waxy flexibility in whichthe victim go forth maintain positions of the body in which he is put for longperiods of time, til now if they are uncomfortable (Arieti). There have been manytheories to explain what causes schizophrenia. Heredity, stress, health checkillness, and physical injury to the brain are all thought to be factors butresearch has not yet pinpointed the specific combination of factors that kindlethe disease (Sinclair). While schizophrenia can affect anyone at any point in