Schizophrenia: Facts, Information, and Resources

• Buffer
• Tweet

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is classified as a group of severe brain disorders in which the sufferer displays an abnormal interpretation of reality. A combination of  hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking are the result of this biological disease. The word “schizophrenia”  refers to  a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking. It is estimated by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that schizophrenia affects about 1.1 percent of th U.S. population, usually age 18 and older, in the span of one year.

Signs and Symptoms of Schizophrenia

According to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, there are three broad categories into which symptoms of schizophrenia fall into: Positive, Negative, and Cognitive.

Positive Symptoms

Positive symptoms are unhealthy psychotic behaviors displayed by the person who is ill and who often seems to lose touch with reality. Abnormal symptoms  include the following:

• Delusions.  This is a belief or perception of something in the sufferers environment or experience that is not based on reality or may be misinterpreted. To the person with schizophrenia, the delusions they perceive are very real and they may not understand why others do not believe them.
• Hallucinations. This involves hearing, seeing, smelling, or feeling things that are not real. For example, a person with schizophrenia may hear voices that speak to them when no one else hears them. These hallucinations can involve several or all five senses of the body.
• Thought disorder. These can manifest themselves as unusual or dysfunctional ways of thinking. A person who has thought disorder may have “disorganized thinking” or trouble organizing their thoughts or connecting them logically. They may talk in a jumbled up way that makes it hard for others to understand them. The person may also stop speaking abruptly and feel as if the words had been “taken away” from them. This is known as “thought blocking”. Sometimes a person may also make up meaningless words,or “neologisms”.
• Disorganized behavior. This is behavior that can range anywhere from childlike behavior , indifference to others, episodes of extreme anger, to unpredictable and easy agitation.    

Negative Symptoms

With negative symptoms, normal function is typically diminished, impaired, or absent depending on the severity of the disorder. They are  associated with disruptions to normal emotions and behaviors. They usually appear months or years before positive symptoms. They include:

• Loss of interest in everyday activities
• Appearing to lack emotion
• Reduced ability to plan or carry out activities
• Neglect of personal hygiene
• Social withdrawal
• Loss of motivation

These symptoms are often misunderstood and may make the person seem unwilling to help themselves. But these problems should be recognized as symptoms caused by schizophrenia.

Cognitive Symptoms

Some of the more disabling symptoms of schizophrenia involve the interference of a persons thought processes making it difficult for them to perform routine daily tasks. Some cognitive symptoms are:

• Problems with making sense of information
• Difficulty paying attention
• Memory problems

Schizophrenia  Causes

Much research has been done over the last few decades to help explain the mystery of schizophrenia. Experts have suggested for some time that schizophrenia is caused by several factors. These factors include genes, environment, and abnormal brain chemistry and structure. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that schizophrenia occurs in ten percent of people who have a first or second degree relative with the disorder.  Recent research has found that people with schizophrenia tend to have higher rates of rare genetic mutations. These genetic differences involve hundreds of different genes and probably disrupt brain development.

Environmental factors may also be involved and some scientists believe that  interactions between genes and the environment are necessary for schizophrenia to develop. Some of these environmental factors discovered include exposure to viruses or malnutrition prior to birth, problems during birth, substance abuse, and emotional trauma.

More recently it has been discovered the extent to which brain chemistry and structure play a role in the development of schizophrenia. A recent report by Rashmi Nemade, Ph.D. and  Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. explains that is has been determined from data achieved from modern scientific research that schizophrenia is without argument a biological disease of the brain, just the same way as Alzheimers is. This is supported by scientific advances such as modern, non-ivasive brain imaging techniques like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computerized Tomography (CT). With this technology, stuctural differences have been documented between normal and schizophrenic brains. The brains of people with schizophrenia have up to 25% less volume of gray matter  in the temporal and frontal lobes. This part of the brain is known to be important for the coordination of thinking and judgement. This would help to explain the problems sufferers have with the positive and cognitive symptoms they present with.  Technological research has also found chemical differences in the brains of people with schizophrenia. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate have been found to have an impact as well on the brain. High levels of the chemical or an excessive sensitivity to the chemical have been shown in studies of patients with symptoms of schizophrenia. Neurological impairment such as abnormalities in sensory processing  are evident as well.

The Mental Illness Stigma

Despite the increasing education with a deluge of television, newspaper, and magazine articles and advertisements regarding mental illness causes and treatments, the stereotyping still continues. Sociologists had hoped that the release of research  and information on how the brain works and functions, and how the diseases that affect it can be devastating, would serve to raise society’s consciousness towards people suffering from severe mental illnesses. Society’s perceptions continue to be that of moral weakness and shame. These negative attitudes severely affect the way individuals and their families handle the problem. They receive very little emotional support from other loved ones and friends. The discrimination can be devastating and hinder the recovery process. In addition, the media continues to depict those with mental illness as people to be feared and avoided. Through sensationalized crimes on the news,  Hollywood movies and television programs portraying insane people committing violent crimes, the misconceptions continue. Below are a list of myths and facts provided by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association ( SAMHSA). Their goal is to promote acceptance, dignity and social inclusion associated with Mental Health disorders.

Myths about Mental Illness Schizophrenia

1: Young people and children don’t suffer from mental health problems.

Fact: It is estimated that more than 6 million young people in America may suffer from a mental health disorder that severely disrupts their ability to function at home, in school, or in their community.

2: People who need psychiatric care should be locked away in institutions.

Fact: Today, most people can and do lead productive lives within their communities thanks to a variety of supports, programs, and medications.

3: A person who has had a mental illness can never be normal.

Fact: People with mental illnesses can recover and resume normal activities.  There are many examples of successful and prominent people who are treated for things such as Bipolar Disorder and continue their productive careers.

4: Mentally ill persons are dangerous.
Fact: The vast majority of people with mental illnesses are not violent. In the cases when violence does occur, the incidence typically results from the same reasons as with the general public. Alcohol and drug abuse can make anyone behave in a violent manner whether or not they have a mental illness. 

5: People with mental illnesses can only work at low-level jobs.
 
Fact: People with mental illnesses, like everyone else, have the potential to work at any level depending on their own abilities, experience and motivation.  Some of the most brilliant physicists and engineers known with mental illness work at hugely important jobs and make awesome contributions.

Resources about Schizophrenia

stopstigma.samhsa.gov: A website to learn more about what you can do to help.

National Institute of Mental Health
Science Writing, Press & Dissemination Branch
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Phone: 301-443-4513 or
1-866-615-NIMH (6464) toll-free
TTY: 301-443-8431
TTY: 866-415-8051 toll-free
FAX: 301-443-4279
E-mail: nimhinfo@nih.gov
Web site: www.nimh.nih.gov

Understanding schizophrenia and recovery. National Alliance on Mental Health.

Resource by Kelly

I am a former ESL teacher who loves helping adults learn new skills. I enjoy going to concerts and listening to great music when I'm not teaching. I currently live in Chicago, IL and really enjoy the city life.

Related Research For Teachers, Students, and Kids