SCHIZOPHRENIA
BY: NORMA BRAVO (Mental Specialist)
WHAT IS SCHIZOPHRENIA?
Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe brain disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts. Many schizophrenics interpret reality abnormally.
SYMPTOMS of schizophrenia People should BE AWARE OF
The symptoms of Schizophrenia are organized in three different groups. They are:
1) positive
2) negative
3) cognitive
POSITIVE SYMPTOMS
Not seen generally in healthy people, but symptoms that can lead them to "lose touch" with reality. They can come and go or stabilize over time. These symptoms are hardly noticeable. SOME POSITIVE SYMPTOMS CAN INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
HALLUCINATIONS
- Sensory experiences that can occur in any of the five senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, or touch)
- Most common include auditory hallucinations or "Voices". These voices can command the person to do things that they want them to do.
THOUGHT DISORDERS
- Disorganized thinking
- "Word Salad" (talking in a garbled way that may be hard to understand)
- Thought Blocking (stop talking in the middle of a thought)
- Neologisms (meaningless words)
NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS
Disruptions to normal emotions and behaviors. Harder to recognize
- Reduced feelings of pleasure in everyday life
- Difficulty beginning and sustaining activities
- Reduced speaking
COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS
For people with Schizophrenia they are usually subtle, but sometimes for others they are more severe. Similar to negative symptoms.
- Poor "executive functioning" (the ability to understand information and use it to make decisions)
- Trouble focusing or paying attention
- Problems with "working memory" (the ability to use information immediately after learning it)
NEW FINDINGS TO HELP SCHIZOPHRENIA
- Schizophrenics usually use anti-psychotics which are medications to help reduce some of the symptoms of schizophrenia, but they come with side affects that some schizophrenics do like.
- BIG IDEA: Doctors have decided to have one-on-one talks or family therapies instead of using the medications. This helps families understand their children or family member more and what they go through and also helps Schizophrenics develop more trust with one another and get help with their symptoms.