Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia or Sz is one of the most destructive illnesses known to man,

although not that much has actually been known about it since recent progressive

research. It usually hits at the most crucial point in a persons life, soon after high

school, when a person is beginning to become independant and forming a life for

themselves. Sz has many different forms and faces, but also has very predictable

symptoms and progression and although the illness is very destructive, it is on

average very treatable when diagnosed. In the past, there has been very many

"stigmas" or rumors about this illness and it has been widely misunderstood and

because of that, it has been very hard for people suffering from scizophrenia.

The word "schizophrenia" has a greek origin, 'schizo" meaning splitting and

"phrenia" meaning of the mind. This term can be misinterpreted and confused with

the idea of split-personality disorders, so even its name could be partially blamed

for the stigmas surrouding the illness. Sz was first described in 1896 in a study by

German psychiatrist, Dr. Emil Kraepelin. The term he coined was "dementia

praecox" or precocious mental deterioration.

It is still very unclear what causes Sz, although there are many theories as to

how this illness develops. The first theory is that it is a hereditary or genetic

disease. It has been noted that Sz seems to run in families and it is possible that you

inherit a tendancy to develop this illness. Similarily to other genetic illnesses, Sz

surfaces when the body is undergoing major physical and hormonal changes like

during puberty, and in the young adult years. Another theory is that schizophrenia is

caused by a chemical imbalance. People with Sz either produce too much or have a

high sensitivity to the chemical, dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that allows

nerve cells in the brain to send messages to each other. An imbalance of this

chemical interferes with the way that the brain interprets certain stimuli and that

causes the person to be overwhelmed by sensory information. This problem of

processing sounds, tastes, smells, sights and feelings can also lead to hallucinations

or delusions. Another less common theory is that scizophrenia is caused by

problems during pregnancy or viral infections. Some researchers insist that poor

nutrition and care during pregnacy can be a major cause of Sz.

When Sz first begins to develop, the person might start to feel antisocial or

depressed. Observers might think that the person is becoming lazier and more

apathetic than usual and this could be interpreted as just rude behavior instead of an

illness. Symptoms of the illness are referred to as "positive" and "negative". Positive

symptoms are characteristics that are not experienced by the average person like

delusions, disorganized thinking, agitation and hallucinations while negative

symptoms are characteristics that the average person has but are lacked by the ill

person. Lack of motivation and drive, social withdrawl, depression, lack of emotion

and expression are just to name a few.

The positive symptoms are what people tend to associate with schizophrenia

and the most widely known symptom is the experiencing of hallucinations. These

hallucinations can come in many forms. The most common form of hallucinations

are those