-Most researchers currently believe that the basis of schizophrenia is primarily biological and results from the malfunctioning of DOPAMINE pathways in the brain. (to much Dopamine)
--The name means "shattered mind", referring to the thought disorders that are the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia.
-Although it is commonly confused by the public with MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER, schizophrenia has nothing to do with the manifestation of distinct multiple personalities within a person.
"Positive" symptoms (so named because of the presence of altered behaviors ) include:
HALLUCINATIONS (auditory, visual or tactile….a perception of something that does not correspond to external stimuli.
DELUSIONS….. is commonly thought to be a false or bizarre belief which are a departure from the person's previous thought patterns, unresponsive to evidence to the contrary.
-Many individuals hear “VOICES". Voices vary in content, from a running commentary, to warning the person against various people or activities.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans indicate that when a patient is hallucinating, the brain undergoes activity exactly the same as when the patient is hearing an actual voice or seeing an actual object.
"Negative" symptoms (are described as a lack of behaviors )
Negative symptoms affect ATTENTION, MEMORY, CONCENTRATION AND LEARNING
Include social withdrawal, lack of emotional responsiveness, and lack of initiative.
-Schizophrenia is incurable, but can be "treated" with ANTIPSYCHOTIC drugs.
The drugs block dopamine receptors
Although the "positive" symptoms are much more dramatic, they are also much more easily treatable with by antipsychotics.
Negative symptoms have traditionally been less affected by antipsychotics.
Symptoms of schizophrenia often overlap with other "major mental illnesses", particularly mood disorders or OCD
The first schizophrenic episode typically occurs between the ages of fifteen and thirty.
Men typically develop the symptoms five to ten years earlier than women.
There is also an extremely high suicide rate associated with schizophrenia, with most suicides occurring within the first few years after diagnosis.
It is estimated that over 45 million people are affected worldwide.
Historically, schizophrenia is classified into 3 categories:
1) CATATONIC(in which there is lack of movement;)
2)PARANOID (there are delusions of persecution)… Paranoia is a term for excessive concern about a person's own well being, sometimes suggesting the person holds persecutory beliefs concerning a threat to themselves or their property.
3)DISORGANIZED (in which there is disorganized speech)
Categories of Mental Disorders
-At the start of the 20TH CENTURY(1900) there were only 12 recognized mental illnesses.
-By 1952 there were 192
-Today the DSM-IV (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, the handbook used most often in diagnosing mental disorders in the United States) lists 374.