Schizophrenia

☆ SCHIZOPHRENIA☆

Schizophrenia, also sometimes called a split personality disorder, is a chronic, severe, debilitating mental illness which affects about two percent of the population. It is one of the psychotic mental disorders and is characterised behavioural and social abnormalities.

The individual of this disorder also develop disorganised speech, disorganised rigid or lax behaviour, significantly decreased appropriate behaviours and feelings as well as development of delusions.

Most cases of schizophrenia appear in the late teens or early adulthood. This is a disease of the brain and one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illness and for a long time has not been properly diagnosed and quite often misjudged and misunderstood. Schizophrenia has a biological basis.

The Prevalence Rate of schizophrenia is approximately 1.1% of the population over the age of 18 (source : NIHM) or, in other words, at any other time as many as 51 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia, including :

6 to 12 million people in China (a rough estimate based on the population);

4.3 to 8.7 million people in India (a rough estimate based on the population);

2.2 million people in USA;

285,000 people in Australia;

Over 280,000 people in Canada;

Over 250,000 diagnosed cases in Britain.

According to Robin Murray, rates of schizophrenia are generally similar from country to country --- about 0.5% to 1 percent of the population.

☆ Suicide Risk of Schizophrenia ☆

People with the schizophrenia condition have a 50 times higher risk of attempting suicide than the general population. The risk of suicide is very serious in people with schizophrenia. Suicide is the number one cause of premature death among people with schizophrenia, with an estimated 10% to 30% killing themselves and approximately 40% attempting suicide at least once (and as much as 60% of males attempting suicide). The extreme depression and psychoses that can result due to lack of treatment are the usual causes.

☆ Schizophrenia and Violence ☆

People with schizophrenia are far more likely to harm themselves than be violent towards the public. Violence is not a symptom of schizophrenia. Most people with schizophrenia are withdrawn and prefer to be left alone. Drug or alcohol abuse raises the risk of violence in people with schizophrenia, particularly if the illness is untreated, but also in people who have no mental illness.

☆ The First Signs of schizophrenia ☆

The first signs of schizophrenia appear as confusing or even shocking changes in behaviour. The activity of chemical messengers at certain nerve ending in the brain is unusual and may be a clue to the cause of the disorder. When it is severe this can lead to intense panic, anger, depression, elation or other activity. This can be treated giving the majority of people chance to live a ordinary life. Schizophrenia is a group of psychotic disorder that interferes with thinking and mental or emotional responsiveness, which disintegrates the entire personality.

This disorder has important symptoms such as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational distinction. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood with a global lifetime prevalence.

Genetic, early environment, neurobiology, psychological and social process appear to be important contributory factors in the development of the disorder. Although no common cause of Schizophrenia has been identified in all individuals and diagnosed with the condition. In recent days the researchers and clinicians believe it results from a combination of both brain vulnerabilities and life events.

☆ SHYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA ☆
Signs and symptoms of schizophrenia generally are divided into three categories :- positive, negative, and cognitive.

■ Positive Symptoms:

In schizophrenia positive symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functions. These active, abnormal symptoms may include:

▪Delusions : Delusions are false beliefs. These beliefs are not based in reality and usually involve misinterpretation of perception or experience. They are the most common of schizophrenic symptoms.

▪ Hallucination : These usually involve seeing or hearing things that do not exist, although hallucinations can be in any of the senses. Hearing voices is the most common hallucination among people with schizophrenia. These are called auditory hallucinations.

▪ Thought Disorder : Difficulty speaking and organising thoughts may result in stopping speech midsentence or putting together meaningless words, sometimes known as 'word salad'.

▪ Disorganised Behaviour : This may show in a number of ways, ranging from child like silliness to unpredictable agitation.

■ Negative Symptoms:

Negative symptoms refers to a diminishment or absence of characteristics of normal function. They may appear months or years before positive symptoms. They include:

▪ Loss of interest in everyday activities;
▪ Appearing to lack emotion;
▪ Reduced ability to plan or carry out activities;
▪ Neglect of personal hygiene;
▪ Social withdrawal;
▪ Loss of motivation.

■ Cognitive Symptoms:

Cognitive symptoms involve problems with thought process. A person with schizophrenia may be born with these symptoms, but the may worsen when the disorder starts. They include :

▪ Problems with making sense of information;
▪ Difficulty paying attention;
▪ Memory problems.

● Common Symptoms of Schizophrenia ●

• Social withdrawal
• Flat, expressionless gaze
• Inappropriate laughter or crying
• Depression
• Insomnia or oversleeping
• Delusions of persecution
• Delusions of reference
• Delusions of grandeur
• Delusions of control
• Auditory hallucinations 
• Visual hallucinations in some cases
• Disorganised speech
• Disorganised behaviour
• Clumsy in motor functions
• Involuntary movements of the limbs
• Awkward walking
• Unusual gesture and postures
• Appearing desire less or seeking nothing
• Feeling indifferent to important events
• Low motivation or No motivation
• Suicidal thoughts in some cases
• Rapidly changing mood.

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