What Is Schizophrenia?
I am doing a synopsis/transcribing of a paper I have on schizophrenia, and adding my experiences for this posting. The arcticale is of an unknown source in my files. It will take time to put it up.
Schizophrenia is deemed to be a brain disorder that is chronic, it is found in less than one percent of the U.S. population. When a person with schizophrenia is considered active, symptoms are delusional thinking, hallucinations, loss of rational thinking while losing concentrations abilities, while going through these experiences the mental health consumer would have a decreased motivation level. Living in isolation with no amount of outside contact lead me into this schizophrenia trap, after a nervous breakdown and dealing with it alone.
With schizophrenia having no known cure, newer treatments are more safe compared to older ones. By studying conductive behavior and genetics, and backing it with imaging of brain structure and function. This leading type of research on schizophrenia holds the hope of success in theraputic treatment plans. Since 1984 I applied myself to over come the heavy hand of Psychiatrist's dosage of medication, it has been a year since I got out of a mental health hospital and the Tribunal Adminastatiff should be coming up again soon, my Lawyer is at tax payer's expense with a constant struggle with psychiatry around me and the judicial system.
There are misconceptions that revolve around schizophrenia, it is not a form of personality disorder. People with schizophrenia are known to be non violent or dangerous as I was with my schizophrenia. I became homeless at one point, most do not and I was refined to hospital grounds for eight months through the judicial system. I also lived with family, in group homes or on my own as to others with schizophrenia.
Men and women are equally affected by schizophrenia, research states it can have an earlier on slought on young males. Persons with schizophrenia are more likely than the general population to die younger from adverse medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
Symptoms
When schizophrenia is active there are episodes "between real and unreal experiences", leading the mental health consumer into a psychotic state of irrational thinking. Over a life time the individuals with schizophrenia will usually have diminished episodes with medical treatment. I have been deemed psychotic when I was not and I was not to be believed over a period of time. I have gone into a delusional state on one or more occasions from stress and lack of understanding with communication when I was younger. Since 1984 I have been on anti-psychotics to help control the thinking process with a social life to interact with other people. At times when I had no one but my parents, living alone and by myself too much, I was known to go psychotic but recover quickly in the social structure of a psychiatric ward. In my case I have used alcohol and marijuana socially and by myself in my life time while on inter- muscular injections to prevent psychosis or taking it in pill form. I did this while building my engineering technician skills along with my art and writing, but still went into psychotic state as to symptoms and categories listed below.
Positive psychotic symptoms
Hallucinations in the following way, auditory, visual, or through the nose. I have experienced all three at once smelling air pollution, people talking there were no more eggs along with hearing robotic type voices. It was like a apparition to me but coming out of it I was left in a delusional state of mind.
Negative symptoms
Decrease plan initiating abilities, to emotional expression and finding pleasure decreased as well. I can not relate to this myself but medical staff could very well see this in me at one time or another.
Disorganization symptoms
Disordered speech and thinking, loss of logic process, impaired behaviour patterns and or abnormal body language. I have fallen into this state in the past as I grew while being a mental health consumer.
Impaired cognition
Attention span capabilities reduced, lower educational functioning, along with memory and concentration levels. I do not remember going through these symptoms in the recent past, if my memory was stimulated from my younger days on hospital files, I may relate symptoms, I have been a mental health consumer since 1984 as I stated earlier.
As in my case, symptoms of schizophrenia appeared after my nervous breakdown in my early to mid twenties. Women are known to go through symptoms in their 20's to 30's, if and when they appear. Trouble having relationships, schooling performance drops and lack of motivation can be signs early in the experience of going through schizophrenia. When diagnosis is determined, by ruling out certain factors, such as substance abuse or neurological disorders, a treatment plan will be started.
Risk Factors
According to Researchers, they conclude that genetic and environmental factors trigger causation of the schizophrenia experience. With stressors of life being part of an individual cause and effect to make symptoms happen. Thus Scientist are not being specific for the the individual schizophrenia experience of a mental health consumer.
Treatment
At present there is no known cure for living with the mysteries of schizophrena, various types of medications have been developed that has been known to treat the disorder of scizophrenia, with generally minimal symtoms, where as other types of medication and levels used can cause severe side effects. A first tail tell sign of schizophrenia is irratic behavoir and confusion in speech, which can be solved with therapy and taking some medication, even if it is a minimal amount for those that are able to go to school or work and take anti-psychotics. Consumption of street drugs by a person being treated for schizophrenia can lead to instibility and induce delusional ways that can be noticed by the general public. Addiction units work with people of various mental health back grounds. It is like a Psychiatrist said to me once, " Don't worry what I diagnose you as, I need something for the paper work."
Rehabilitation and Living With Schizophrenia
People faced with schizophrenia can still for fill dreams with a give and take treatment plan as I discovered with my own schizophrenia experience. Psychiatry is a bit hit and miss, unless they have family, friends, community support or even Lawyers to get the plan right for you as one mutures with the diagnosis. Mental health is like the last frontier of medicine and they are still unearthing the wonders of the mind with new medicale technology and medicines. No matter what, when a person enters the mental health system and deemed to have schizophrenia, they must remain productive to feel their self worth as they rebuild their lives and work against over medication and lack of productivity. To pursue dreams they can make something of their lives, while handling the psychiatric adversities of the diagnosis.
