Understanding Schizophrenia Essay -- Essays on Schizophrenia

In my senior year of high school, I began to attend personalitychanges. I did not veryize the signifi potentiometerce of the changes at the time, and Ithink others denied them, but looking back I can deliberate that they were the earliestsigns of illness. I became increasingly withdrawn and sullen. I felt modifyand lonely and hated e genuinelyone. I felt as if there were a huge gap between meand the rest of the world everybody seemed so irrelevant from me. This excerptdescribes part of Esse Leete 20-year battle with schizophrenic psychosis. She committedherself to leading the fullest life her affection will allow and to educatingothers about mental illness. Schizophrenia is a very serious disease, butthrough defining schizophrenia and getting the patient of help and treatment aschizophrenic can lead a full life.Schizophrenia is defined as any of a aggroup of psychotic reactionscharacterized by withdrawal from reality with highly variable affective,behavioural and intellectua l disturbances by the American Heritage Dictionary.No definition of schizophrenia can adequately describe all people with thisillness. Schizophrenia is an extremely complex mental illness. It is candidthat schizophrenia is a disease which makes it vexed for the person with theillness to decide what is real and what is not (Swados 5). It is also clearthat this capitulum disease affects normal, intelligent people in all walks of life. at that place are six concrete phrases that describe schizophrenia it is a realdisease, has concrete and specific symptoms, is different from other mentalillnesses, is the result of flaws brain biochemistry, whitethorn be treated by specificantipsychotic doses, and is about always treatable.Scientist are unsure of the endeavours of schizophrenia, although researchis progressing rapidly. Scientist are almost trusted that schizophrenia hasmore than one cause. One cause could be a chemical imbalance. An imbalance ofthe brains chemical system has lon g been suspected as the main cause of theillness (Youth 2). A due south cause could be stress. Most authorities disagreethat severe stress can cause the illness. Stress can however, worsen thesymptoms when the illness is already present. A deuce-ace cause could possibly begenetic predisposition. Genetic transmission has in time to be proven even thoughschizophrenia tends to run is nigh families(Youth 3). F... ...hould have an interest in the illness, becompetent, and has empathy with the patients. If there is any dog collarabout the medico/psychiatrist the family has the right to get a secondopinion. Assisting the doctor/psychiatrist is the third step of gettingtreatment. Since patients with the illness may not volunteer much informationduring the assessment, the family should speak to the doctor or write a letter.In some cases, it may be requisite to send written information. Theinformation that is supplied will greatly assist the physician to make anaccurate assessment and outline a suitable line of credit of action.Presently schizophrenia is not a curable disease, but is manageable(Youth 15). The treatment of schizophrenia could possibly be medication. Mostpatients with schizophrenia moldiness regularly take maintenance medication to keepthe illness downstairs control. It is rough for the doctor/psychiatrist to knowwhich medication will grow best for a given individual. Many changes in type ofdrug and dosage may be required. This period of trial and error can beextremely trying for everyone involved. Some medications have unusual anddifficult side effect