Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia or Sz is one of the most destructive illnesses known to man,

although not that much has actually been known about it since recent progressive

research. It usually hits at the most crucial point in a persons life, soon after high

school, when a person is beginning to become independant and forming a life for

themselves. Sz has many different forms and faces, but also has very predictable

symptoms and progression and although the illness is very destructive, it is on

average very treatable when diagnosed. In the past, there has been very many

"stigmas" or rumors about this illness and it has been widely misunderstood and

because of that, it has been very hard for people suffering from scizophrenia.

The word "schizophrenia" has a greek origin, 'schizo" meaning splitting and

"phrenia" meaning of the mind. This term can be misinterpreted and confused with

the idea of split-personality disorders, so even its name could be partially blamed

for the stigmas surrouding the illness. Sz was first described in 1896 in a study by

German psychiatrist, Dr. Emil Kraepelin. The term he coined was "dementia

praecox" or precocious mental deterioration.

It is still very unclear what causes Sz, although there are many theories as to

how this illness develops. The first theory is that it is a hereditary or genetic

disease. It has been noted that Sz seems to run in families and it is possible that you

inherit a tendancy to develop this illness. Similarily to other genetic illnesses, Sz

surfaces when the body is undergoing major physical and hormonal changes like

during puberty, and in the young adult years. Another theory is that schizophrenia is

caused by a chemical imbalance. People with Sz either produce too much or have a

high sensitivity to the chemical, dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that allows

nerve cells in the brain to send messages to each other. An imbalance of this

chemical interferes with the way that the brain interprets certain stimuli and that

causes the person to be overwhelmed by sensory information. This problem of

processing sounds, tastes, smells, sights and feelings can also lead to hallucinations

or delusions. Another less common theory is that scizophrenia is caused by

problems during pregnancy or viral infections. Some researchers insist that poor

nutrition and care during pregnacy can be a major cause of Sz.

When Sz first begins to develop, the person might start to feel antisocial or

depressed. Observers might think that the person is becoming lazier and more

apathetic than usual and this could be interpreted as just rude behavior instead of an

illness. Symptoms of the illness are referred to as "positive" and "negative". Positive

symptoms are characteristics that are not experienced by the average person like

delusions, disorganized thinking, agitation and hallucinations while negative

symptoms are characteristics that the average person has but are lacked by the ill

person. Lack of motivation and drive, social withdrawl, depression, lack of emotion

and expression are just to name a few.

The positive symptoms are what people tend to associate with schizophrenia

and the most widely known symptom is the experiencing of hallucinations. These

hallucinations can come in many forms. The most common form of hallucinations

are those of auditory nature. The person might hear odd noises or voices that

comment on the actions and behaviors of the individual. These voices might tell the

person to do things and therefore could be very potentially dangerous, seeing that

these voices are virtually impossible to ignore or resist. Another form of

hallucination are those of the visual nature. These can greatly attribute to delusional

behavior and seriously confuse or scare the individual. Other hallucinations include

smell or afactory hallucinations, sematic hallucinations or pains, and taste or

gustatory hallucinations.

Another very common symptom associated with Sz is the experience of

delusions. These are fantasies that cannot be dispelled no matter how little

evidence there is to support them. Many people become paranoid that others are

talking about them or that others can read their thoughts. Thought broadcasting or

telepathy is another common delusion as well as the person believing that they are

rich and famous.

Other common symptoms that friends and family should be aware of are

eccentric dressing, decreased lack of intrest in personal hygiene, intense obsession

with religion or philosphy and noticable increase or decrease in the sensitivity to

other people, although these symptoms can just seem like the regular behavior of an

average