WHAT IS IT?
-its a mental disorder, characterized by the breaking down process of thinking and emotional responsiveness
-displaying hallucinations(hearing things),paranoid, and having disorganized speech and thinking are a few symptoms
-genetics and early environment are important factors
- it is not the same as having multiple identity disorder*
-people with this disorder are likely to have additional problems such as depression and anxiety disorders(also substance abuse)
- life expectancy is 12-15 years less than those without it and a higher suicide rate.
SYMPTOMS
-Hallucinations(hearing voices)
-delusions
-disorganized thinking and speech
-loss of train of thought
-sentences usually not having connected meanings
-social withdrawal
-loss of motivation
CAUSES
are usually genetic and environmental factors
(prenatal stressors,drug use,racial discrimination,family disfunction,and unemployment are a few environmental factors)
Diagnosis
"According to the revised fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, three diagnostic criteria must be met
1.Characteristic symptoms: Two or more of the following, each present for much of the time during a one-month period (or less, if symptoms remitted with treatment).
-Delusions
-Hallucinations
-Disorganized speech, which is a manifestation of formal thought disorder
-Grossly disorganized behavior (e.g. dressing inappropriately, crying frequently) or catatonic behavior
-Negative symptoms: Blunted affect (lack or decline in emotional response), alogia (lack or decline in speech), or avolition (lack or decline in motivation)
If the delusions are judged to be bizarre, or hallucinations consist of hearing one voice participating in a running commentary of the patient's actions or of hearing two or more voices conversing with each other, only that symptom is required above. The speech disorganization criterion is only met if it is severe enough to substantially impair communication.
2.Social/occupational dysfunction: For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care, are markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset.
3.Duration: Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least six months. This six-month period must include at least one month of symptoms (or less, if symptoms remitted with treatment).
If signs of disturbance are present for more than a month but less than six months, the diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder is applied.[76] Psychotic symptoms lasting less than a month may be diagnosed as brief psychotic disorder, and various conditions may be classed as psychotic disorder not otherwise specified. Schizophrenia cannot be diagnosed if symptoms of mood disorder are substantially present (although schizoaffective disorder could be diagnosed), or if symptoms of pervasive developmental disorder are present unless prominent delusions or hallucinations are also present, or if the symptoms are the direct physiological result of a general medical condition or a substance, such as abuse of a drug or medication." here
MEDICATION-
antipsychotic medication
MORE FACTS(i got info. from here)
-Schizophrenia is a disease that typically begins in early adulthood; between the ages of 15 and 25. Men tend to get develop schizophrenia slightly earlier than women; whereas most males become ill between 16 and 25 years old, most females develop symptoms several years later, and the incidence in women is noticably higher in women after age 30. The average age of onset is 18 in men and 25 in women. Schizophrenia onset is quite rare for people under 10 years of age, or over 40 years of age. The diagram below demonstrates the general "age of onset" trends for schizophrenia in men and women, from a representative study on the topic.
-Schizophrenia Ranks among the top 10 causes of disability in developed countries worldwide
-the approximate number of people in the United States suffering from:Schizophrenia: Over 2.2 million people
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