Schizophrenia Essay, Research Paper

Mental illness can be found in individuals all over the world, it is a disorder that does not discriminate against race, sex or religion. Mental illness does not base its self in one particular area of the world. There are many forms of mental illness according to medical journals used by psychiatrist. According to those psychiatrists, psychosis is the most severe form of mental illness. Individuals diagnosed as psychotic are said to have a brain disorder or chemical imbalance. There is the belief that in most psychosis, there is no known or demonstrable physical reason for the symptoms of illness that are displayed. The mind is considered not well and in need of a cure. Persons diagnosed with this particular type of mental illness often appear confused or display some sort of shocking change in their behavior. They tend to have hallucinations, mood changes, and are unable to think or speak clearly. Patients also have trouble remembering things. The concern is that people with psychosis are not able to function normally and treatment often involves confinement, either voluntary or involuntary. As the textbook explains schizophrenia is a more common psychosis, it primarily involves difficulties in thinking. This disorder can affect anyone as mentioned earlier. This disorder does not just affect that one person, the families of the patients must also learn to deal with it. Usually in everyday language a person who is diagnosed by mental health professionals are likely to be called mad , nut or crazy by normal persons. To those mental health practitioners, these people are ill and require professional help

SOCY 105, Contemporary Social Issues

Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

EVALUATION

What does it mean to be psychotic or have a mental disorder? There are literally hundreds of definitions trying to define exactly what it is. Psychosis is a severe mental illness in which a person loses contact with reality and has difficulty functioning in daily life. The psychosis is different from other groups of psychiatric disorders in its degree of severity, some symptoms are withdrawal, impairment of intellect, and regression. The severity of it is considered a major component of the disorder and involves confusion in all areas of a person s life. A person with a psychotic disorder suffers greatly, as do those in his or her immediate environment. The individual is more withdrawn than a person with a neurotic disorder or any other mental disorder. Persons said to be suffering from withdrawal are said to be autistic. That is, the person withdraws from reality into a private world of his or her own. One of the more common psychoses is schizophrenia. What is schizophrenia? Defined it is a psychotic reaction marked by withdrawal, from reality with highly variable accompanying affective, behavior, and intellectual disturbances. Schizophrenia in the United States affects around one percent of the population more than 2 million Americans suffer from the illness in a given year. People with schizophrenia lose contact with reality and do not usually recognize that their mental functions are disturbed. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, disorganized thinking and speech, bizarre behavior, a diminished range of emotional responsiveness and social withdrawal. In addition, people who suffer from this illness experience an inability to function in one or more important areas of life, such as social relations, work, or school. For example, people with schizophrenia sometimes have trouble communicating in coherent sentences or carrying on conversations with others. The disorganization of thinking and the profound regression has led some people into an almost vegetative state of existence and thus that schizophrenic people must suffer a disorder of the brain. Doctor Theodore Lidz disagrees with the text on this point. Lidz believes the origins of psychotic illnesses or behaviors emerge from unfavorable family environment and that a very important function of modern psychotherapy includes modifying the patient s family setting and relationships. He also believes that with therapy individuals could perform in everyday life.

SOCY 105, Contemporary Social Issues

Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

CONCLUSION/OPINION

The information presented examined the severity of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. One statement in the text I strongly disagree with that persons diagnosed with this type of disorder are unable to function. Researching this topic had shown me that persons living with mental illness do have trouble dealing with everyday issues that me and others take for granted. But, I believe that mentally ill people can live somewhat of a normal life with the help and support from their family and doctors. As severe as this problem is, it is up to the family of these patients to play a key role in getting the proper treatment needed and continue to support them. I tend to agree with the textbook in that people with psychotic disorders, specifically schizophrenia is ill in the mind and just need to cure. I do not agree with Dr. Lidz s theory that the problem is unstable family life or absence of one parent. I believe this illness is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain or possible some physical damage. It s possible that the stress of unstable life or an absent parent can contribute to the illness, but I don t think that it would cause it. The information found from other references goes so much more in depth than the Nuebeck s in the area of mental illness. For the most part they pretty much agree on the behaviors or symptoms displayed. Given the complexity of mental illness, the major questions about this area its cause or causes, prevention, and treatment must be addressed with further research. I have concluded that although progress has been made towards better understanding and treatment but we have a long way to go. I have so many questions now that I have going into the world of mental illness. Is it possible for a cure to be found? That is a question for the next paper.

Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

REFERENCES:

Bassuk, Ellen L., editor, (1986) New Direction for Mental Health Service: The Mental Health Needs of Homeless Persons, No.03, Jossy-Bass publications, New York

Gross, Martin L. (1978), The Psychological Society, Random House, Canada

Lidz, Theodore, M.D, The Origins and Treatment of Schizophrenic Disorders , Basic Books, Inc., NY, NY, 1973, p.5

Lidz, Theodore, M.D, Fleck, Stephen, and Cornelison, Alice R., (1975) Schizophrenia and the Family , International Universities Press, INC., New York

National Institute of Mental Health Web Page, https://www.nih.gov/publicat/schizsom.cfm

Mental Illness Article, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, Microsoft Corporation 1993-1999

Psychosis, Microsoft, Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, Microsoft Corporation, Copyright 1993-1999

Webster s II, New Riverside University Dictionary, The Riverside Publishing Company, 1994