Schizophrenia
A mental illness worth knowing!
A mental illness that affects a person’s ability to think straight, control their emotions, their attitude and their ability to make decisions.
A mental illness is an illness that affects the mind and prevents a person from being productive. Different types of mental illnesses can range from mood disorders to a somatoform disorder. An example of a type of mental illness is Schizophrenia.
The main five types of schizophrenia are paranoid schizophrenia, hebephrenic schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, undifferentiated schizophrenia, and residual schizophrenia. Paranoid schizophrenia is a more common type of schizophrenia that mainly has positive symptoms. Such as delusions and hallucinations. People with paranoid schizophrenia do not know the difference between what’s real and what’s a hallucination. Paranoid schizophrenia can affect a person's lifestyle and can later develop into a different type schizophrenic. Hebephrenic schizophrenia is a common type of schizophrenia. Hebephrenic schizophrenics have disorganized behavior and thoughts without purpose and have short-lasting delusions and hallucinations. Catatonic schizophrenia is a rare type of Schizophrenia. Catatonic schizophrenics can be very active and energetic to still and rarely talkative. Catatonic schizophrenics at times may copy someone’s movements and dialogue. And may last for a few minutes, hours, or days.Undifferentiated schizophrenia is a combination of paranoid, hebephrenic, and catatonic schizophrenia symptoms. But does not fit into one of the three schizophrenia diagnoses. Residual schizophrenia, the least severe type of schizophrenia, might be diagnosed for someone if they had a prior history of psychosis. When a person has residual schizophrenia, they only have negative symptoms. Some examples of negative symptoms are having poor hygiene and having a lack of memory. Residual schizophrenia is also known as the last stage of schizophrenia or the “recovery” stage. The first two stages of schizophrenia are the prodromal phase and the active phase. Residual schizophrenia consists of two other phases as well, the waxing and waning phases. According to Emily Lunardo, " During the waxing phase symptoms intensify, and during the waning phase they decrease, even disappear."
The causes of schizophrenia is unknown, yet researchers believe that schizophrenia is caused by genetics, environmental factors, brain chemistry, and substance abuse. According to Mayo Clinic,”It's not known what causes schizophrenia, but researchers believe that a combination of genetics, brain chemistry and environment contributes to the development of the disorder.”
Like any type of illness, schizophrenia has “positive,” “negevative,” and cognitive symptoms. Some examples of “positive” symptoms are hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and movement disorders. Some examples of “negative” symptoms, according to National Institute of Mental Health,”’Flat affect” (reduced expression of emotions via facial expression or tone of voice tone), reduced feelings of pleasure in everyday life, difficulty beginning and sustaining activities, and reduced speaking.” Some examples of cognitive symptoms, according to National Institute of Mental Health, are,”poor ‘executive functioning’ (the ability to understand information and use it to make decisions), Trouble focusing or paying attention, and Problems with ‘working memory’ (the ability to use information immediately after learning it).”
There is no cure for schizophrenia, but fortunately there are treatments for schizophrenia. For example there is Antipsychotics medication, which is a type of pill or liquid form, Psychosocial Treatments, Self-management strategies, and coordinated specialty care (CSC). Coordinated specialty care (CSC) is a treatment that combines medication, psychosocial therapies, case management, family involvement, and supported education and employment services.
The frequency of someone having schizophrenia is low. According to, National Alliance of Mental Illness,” The exact prevalence of schizophrenia is difficult to measure, but estimates range from 0.25% to 0.64% of U.S. adults.” Yet Schizophrenia can occur at any age. For instance, the average age Schizophrenia can develop in men is by the late teens to the early 20s. The average age Schizophrenia can develop in women is by the late 20s to early 30s. Schizophrenia can be diagnosed at a younger age by the age of 12 or older than the age of 40.