Schizophrenia as an Illness (Essay)

Schizophrenia Abstract The brain is a rather fragile organ of the human body; perhaps this explains the hard skull of a human head. This being so, in the course of its development and eventual maturity, the environment upon which it grows produces environmental adversities that negatively affect our brains. Because human beings are unique at every individual level, how each brain handles these effects is different and ultimately determines the brain's health over its lifetime. From these negative effects on the brain during the early years of its life, some people develop mental conditions later in their lives. This paper looks at the often misunderstood mental condition of schizophrenia. By analyzing available literature on this psychological subject, the paper seeks to set forth a clear narrative of its causes, symptoms, history, and treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health approximates that 8 out of every 1000 individuals will suffer from schizophrenia in their lifetime. This is a large number of people. This paper presents an opportunity to readers who are interested in mental health to have a better understanding of schizophrenia and how they can all work towards making the world a better place for schizophrenic people. Introduction A disabling mental disorder, schizophrenia is a chronic and severe disorder that affects how a person interacts with his surrounding through thought, feeling, and actions by distorting cognition and senses. It is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease (Institute of Mental Health). While there is an entire array of causes, the most outstanding ones include neurochemical imbalances, cerebral blood flow, genetic predisposition, and irregular brain cell patterns. Although it is not the most common of all illnesses that are currently classified as a mental disorder, schizophrenia is no doubt the most misunderstood. This misunderstanding has been carried forward from early misconceptions of the condition caused by lack of sufficient medical research in the area. However, today there is relatively enough research on schizophrenia and hopefully, the misunderstanding will soon be replaced by factual information. Schizophrenia as an illness In its peak, schizophrenia can cause severe disability that can only be mitigated by regular and continuous treatment. Although there have been sufficient cases of successful treatments of the condition to warrant confident research findings by researchers of the condition, there still remains a good number of people who are not impressively helped even with effective available treatment. And even when treatment is successful, in most cases, persisting consequences of the illness, lost opportunities, stigma, residual symptoms, and medication side effects, are very troubling (Institute of Mental Health ). The experiences of schizophrenic people Hallucinations: People suffering from schizophrenia have distorted perceptions that lead to hallucinations and illusions. In this case, the minds of patients experience distorted perceptions that have no connection to real or appropriate sources. Illusions: this occur, mostly, when available sensory stimulus are wrongly interpreted by the individual (British Columbia Schizophrenia Society, 6). Delusions: these are false personal beliefs which are not supported by any factual information constructed through reason or the patient's immediate environment. Patients with schizophrenia might feel like they are being persecuted or harassed by their families. Lack emotional expressiveness: being able to emotionally express oneself is an integral part of navigating the social world that surrounds us. Schizophrenic people might have difficulties doing this on a continuous basis. They show apathy and might withdraw from all social interactions. Distorted perceptions of reality: because they experience unusual experiences that vary from time to time, their behavior changes according to these experiences. Therefore, patients with schizophrenia might feel afraid, anxious, and frightened in situations that do not produce those feelings in others. Causes All the factors necessary to produce schizophrenia are still unknown, in the large part, by scientist and researchers. However, there are certain areas of interest have been marked out as areas of interest where research can be based upon. Some of this include; Biochemistry, Cerebral blood flow, molecular biology, and genetic predisposition (British Columbia Schizophrenia