Psychological Disorder Presentation: Schizophrenia

Carlos

Kayla
Allison

What is Schizophrenia?

According to the Mayo Clinic Schizophrenia is defined as..

Schizophrenia is a group of severe brain disorders in which people interpret reality abnormally. It may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking and behavior.

Schizophrenia
While Schizophrenia does translate to split-mind it is not multiple personality disorder According to Mayo Clinic split-mind refers to a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking

Schizophrenia: General Age of Onset

According to National Institute of Mental Health.gov
Schizophrenia symptoms can begin to onset as early as 16 and as late as 30.
Most time people do not get Schizophrenia after the age of 45 Though it affects men and women equally, men tend to have earlier onset symptoms Schizophrenia occurs in about 1% of the general population
Occurrence is raised to 10% if a first degree relative has been diagnosed

Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Common Positive symptoms of Schizophrenia
Hallucinations something a person sees, hears, smells, or feels that no one else can

Delusions- false beliefs that are not a part of the persons culture and do not change
Thought Disorders- unusual of dysfunctional ways of thinking
Popular type of thought disorder found in Schizophrenics is called disorganized thinking When a person has a hard time organizing or connecting their thoughts logically

Movement Disorders- may appear as agitated body movements; repeated motions or even catatonia

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia can be as follows:

Flat-Affect( persons face doesnt move or he/she talks in dull monotone voice) Lack of pleasure in everyday life

Lack of ability to begin/sustain daily activities

Speaking little, and hard time interacting with others

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

These symptoms are subtle and at times difficult to recognize Poor executive functioning Trouble focusing Problems with working memory

Treatment of Schizophrenia
The cause of Schizophrenia is still unknown so treatment is based on eliminating the symptoms of the disease
Antipsychotic Medications like Clozapine which treats hallucinations, psychotic symptoms and breaks with reality
The negative to these medications are the side effects which are many
Drowsiness Dizziness Blurred vision Rapid heartbeat Sensitivity to the sun Skin rashes Menstrual problems for women Tremors Rigidity Restlessness Muscle spasms Long term usage can lead to a condition called tardive dyskinesia (TD)

Treatment of Schizophrenia

Psychosocial Treatment
Patients who receiving psychosocial treatment are usually more likely to take their medication and less likely to end up hospitalized Psychosocial treatments teaches patients how to learn and use coping mechanisms to address the problems brought on by schizophrenia and how to social in the world

Taking Action as a Schizophrenic

Family Education is critical
Understanding what a schizophrenic is going through is the easiest way to aid in their control of their disease

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT helps aid patients with symptoms that dont go away even with dug treatment

Self-Help Groups

Relating to a group of individuals who are going through the same experiences and anxieties is a large stress reliever in patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia

Common Problems found in Patients with Schizophrenia

Illness Management Skills Substance Abuse

Most common disorder found in people with Schizophrenia
Self-medicating

Interesting Facts
Schizophrenics most common substance addiction is actually nicotine
Addiction rate among schizophrenics is 3x that of the general population (75 to 90% vs. 23-30%)

New Treatments on the Horizon ?

Famous People with Schizophrenia

Mary Todd Lincoln Peter Green, original leader of FleetwoodMac John Nash, 1994 Nobel Prize winning mathematician Tom Harrell, jazz musician & composer

Common Misconceptions of Schizophrenia

Usually People with schizophrenia are NOT violent , although some symptoms are associated with violence like delusions of persecution Some people who abuse drugs show symptoms of schizophrenia, therefor people with schizophrenia are often mistaken for people affected by drugs and do not receive the required medical attention needed

Real Peoples Battle with Schizophrenia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4R6jln_eZg