Introduction
Schizophrenia is a mental illness or disorder that affects a considerable amount of people around the world. The mental illness adversely affects the neurological and psychological functioning of the individual that lead to skewed perceptions of reality and hallucinations. Most schizophrenic patients have distorted perceptions of reality and portray atypical social behavior along with vague thinking, various pretenses, and lack of emotional or social engagement (Keshavan & Diwadkar, 2012). Schizophrenia patients usually develop other mental illnesses, including depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders. Although schizophrenia is not as prevalent as other mental illnesses, a severe condition involves a broad range of discomforting and hazardous symptoms.
History
The history of schizophrenia is complex and non-linear mainly because of the absence of historical records of mental illnesses that resemble schizophrenia before the 19th Century. However, the earliest accounts of the disorder include a comprehensive case report by James Matthews in 1797 and records published by Philippe Pinel in 1809. Heinrich Schule utilized the term dementia praecox in 1886 to classify schizophrenia, and Emil Kraepelin used the same term in 1899 to illustrate variations in mental illnesses. Kurt Schneider developed the first-rank symptoms during the early 20th Century to differentiate schizophrenia from other mental illnesses (Ross, 2014). The symptoms included delusions regarding external mind control, perceptions of mind manipulation, hallucinations, and belief of mind reading. The Schneider’s first-rank symptoms played a vital role in the development and improvement of the modern schizophrenia diagnostic process. Eugen Bleuler coined the term schizophrenia in 1908 from the Greek language that translates to the splitting or division of the mind. The development of chlorpromazine in the 1950s opened new venues of treatment primarily due to the identification of schizophrenia as a distinct disease by Bleuler.
Symptoms
The symptoms of schizophrenia differ with patients mainly because of the varying intensity and nature of the disorder. However, hallucinations and delusions are two of the most prominent signs of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia involves positive and negative symptoms according to the deficiency of a particular element or excessive presence of specific signs. The positive symptoms include the limited symptoms of schizophrenic patients, including delusions and hallucinations. Negative symptoms involve the deficiencies of the patients in comparison to the public, including healthy emotional or social behavior. The prominent symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, delusions, disoriented speech or thoughts, social isolation, asymmetrical perceptions, qualms, and uncertainties (Haan, Schirmbeck, & Zink, 2015). Schizophrenic patients also exhibit deficiencies in social or emotional attachment, lack of response to medication or treatment, and distorted sense or perception of reality.
Causes
The causes of schizophrenia are complex and undetectable primarily due to the lack of uniformity among numerous patients. However, environmental and genetic factors play a primary role in the development of the illness in many patients. The most prominent causes of schizophrenia include chemical imbalances in the brain, prenatal stressors, and history of the disorder in the family (Ross, 2014). Neuron imbalances and genetic aspects are the two most prominent causes of schizophrenia in most patients throughout the world.
Having a family history of schizophrenia develops a higher risk of schizophrenia. Similarly, imbalances in different neurotransmitters are also a primary reason of schizophrenia. The imbalance usually occurs in the glutamate and dopamine that is present in the brain. Several individuals also suffer from schizophrenia because of substance abuse and drug use. Similarly, different infections and other related stressors cause malnutrition in the body that increases the overall risk of schizophrenia.
Treatment
The treatment of schizophrenia includes perspectives like medications and psychosocial therapy. However, crisis periods and intense impact of this mental illness requires hospitalization that helps patients in relaxing and proving adequate amount of sleep. Medications play an important role towards the treatment of schizophrenia, but patients avoid medications because of different side effects. Medical practitioners convince patients to opt for injections if they do not opt for medications. Different antipsychotics work effectively well for schizophrenic patients.
Certain psychosocial interventions also play an important role for different schizophrenic patients. Interventions like individual therapy, social skills training, family therapy and vocational rehabilitation play an important role in controlling the negative effects of schizophrenia (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016).
Schizophrenia is a dangerous disease that affects the overall lifestyle of an individual. Several million people in the United States suffer from this psychological disorder. The course of schizophrenia depicts that early intervention can control the problem because it gets complex with the advent of time. It is a viable strategy that consultation should be done at an earlier stage to avoid complications. Teen suicide can also occur because of schizophrenia, as children with schizophrenia possess a 50% risk of committing a suicide (SZhelp, 2016). The course of illness of schizophrenia suggests that this problem gets worse with the advent of time.
Conclusion
Schizophrenia is a dangerous disorder that negatively affects the lives of different individuals. Proper care and evaluation play an important role in curing schizophrenia. However, medical practitioners and supporting staff should take appropriate care of patients suffering from schizophrenia.
References
Haan, L. D., Schirmbeck, F., & Zink, M. (2015). Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Schizophrenia. New York, NY: Springer.
Keshavan, M. S., & Diwadkar, V. A. (2012). Schizophrenia as a Developmental Brain Disorder. In B. A. Marcopulos, Clinical Neuropsychological Foundations of Schizophrenia (pp. 27-54). New York, NY: Routledge.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016). Treatments and drugs. Retrieved July 12, 2016, from Mayo Clinic : http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/basics/treatment/con-20021077
Ross, C. (2014). Schizophrenia: Innovations in Diagnosis and Treatment. New York, NY: Routledge.
SZhelp. (2016). Schizophrenia Facts and Statistics. Retrieved July 12, 2016, from Schizophrenia : http://www.schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm#
