Does the Term Schizophrenia Sound Familiar?

Many may ask what is schizophrenia? Well, Schizophrenia is a type of psychological brain disorder which causes everyday normal activities to become a daily struggle. Ever tried to complete a task but was unsuccessful because of been interrupted continuously? If this is relatable; imagine hearing multiple people speaking all at once about different topics. Well, this is how a schizophrenic feel and is a part of their daily life experiences. Many lives are affected each day because of the many effects of schizophrenia. For example, hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized behaviors make it hard to live an everyday life. According to statistics, Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the American population (WebMD, Goldberg 2018). Most people are diagnosed during their early adult years between the ages of 18 through their 20's. Both men and women are affected by this disorder. There are no specific causes of the disease, However, Schizophrenia is like any other disease that seems to just appear out of nowhere. Researchers have said schizophrenia can come from several things including but not limited to; Genetics, Brain chemistry and circuits, Brain abnormalities, And environmental factors (WebMD, Goldberg 2018). Usually, when someone is diagnosed with schizophrenia, someone else in their family has already been previously diagnosed with the disorder. In rare cases, there have been kids as young as the age of 5 being diagnosed with this disorder. No one is invisible; however, some are at higher risk of having it if there is a family history of the disorder (Grison, Gazzaniga 2017. Pg521).

There is no exact test to determine if someone has schizophrenia. It usually takes some time before you are diagnosed with the disorder because the doctor must make sure you are not suffering from any other curable diseases or illnesses. This disease isn't something you can automatically recognize. Even when someone is presenting signs and symptoms, they still will be observed over a six-month period to determine if the symptoms are that of schizophrenia (WebMD, Goldberg, 2018). Schizophrenia affects everyone differently. No two people will share the same symptoms of schizophrenia. There is no specific symptom to determine if someone has been affected by the disorder. People affected by this disorder can experience both positive and negative symptoms. Some of the positive symptoms are; Delusions, hallucinations, Disorganized speech and Disorganized behavior. The negative symptoms are different than the positive symptoms. When someone experiences negative symptoms, they seem to be disassociated with the world, incoherent, emotionless, they do not communicate very well or very often, move around very slow or not at all, and speak very quietly (Grison, Gazzaniga 2017. Pg520). Both negative and positive symptoms can affect someone's normal behavior drastically.

There is no cure for schizophrenia as of today. Doctors basically prescribe antipsychotic medication to help with the symptoms (WebMD, Goldberg, 2018). There are a lot of different medications that are prescribed to assist with this disorder. Sometimes when the symptoms are too much to bare, some people must be hospitalized where they will receive more one on one care. I've witnessed this first hand because I currently work with people who suffers from mental disorders at a psychiatric hospital. Some also seek therapy while taking medication to help them cope with their everyday life of living with schizophrenia. Sometimes therapy isn't enough, and some people must get a treatment called electroconvulsive therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy is when you are put to sleep and your brain is shocked with electricity. ECT is normally used when medications fail or when someone are in a deep depression (WebMD, Goldberg, 2018). Being a schizophrenic is not easy and take a lot of work to be successful with everyday living.

It may be a little easier for some than others, but everyone with that disorder struggle on a day to day basis. It takes a lot to be able to function when you have so many things going through your mind at one time. Not only do they struggle with their self mentally, but they also must battle with themselves physically and emotionally. Schizophrenia is a very serious psychological disorder. Schizophrenia is something people will have to live and battle with for the rest their life. It comes with good days and some bad days. Even though the hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized behaviors make it hard to live an everyday life; It is very possible, and people are doing it everyday with the help of therapy and medications.

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