ANALYZING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Analyzing Psychological Disorders

Analyzing Psychological Disorders

Introduction

Psychological disorders are mild mental status changes that affect the normal development of the individual in society. This concept encompasses a substantial number of pathologies, which manifest different symptoms depending on the individual. (Nathan, Gorman & Salkind 2002).

By their nature, we can say that it integrates elements of biological origin (genetic, neurological, environmental, relational, family, psychosocial) and psychological (cognitive, emotional). (Nathan, Gorman & Salkind 2002). These factors influence the disease presentation, their evolutionary development, phenomenology, and treatment and rehabilitation opportunities.

Part A: Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects the individual, preventing the differentiation between reality and imagination, and a decreased ability of reflection. They are not capable of proper social behavior, they do not normally respond to situations. (Baumeister and Francis 2002).

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that prevents the affected person to distinguish properly between reality and imagination, and a decrease in the reflectivity. They have difficulty making socially appropriate behavior, and do not normally respond to situations.

This disease affects a large number of people in the world, with a 0.7-0.9% in Western civilizations, but it can double in less developed societies. The age of inception is different for men and women. For men is at the end of puberty (18-25 years). While for women it begins later, between 23-35 years.

Schizophrenia is not a case of "multiple personality" nor is resulted from bad parenting, character flaw or idleness. Schizophrenia is a syndrome with biological causes such as cancer or heart disease. (Baumeister and Francis 2002).

Schizophrenia is a costly disease. In the U.S. the cost is about 48 billion dollars annually. This amount consists of the cost of health care, payments through Social Security and loss of earnings of people with the disease.

Today there is no remedy for schizophrenic disorder, but available treatments can help check the indications. With proper intervention people with schizophrenic disorder can live a dynamic and satisfying life. This helps the affected people to work, attend school, live with their families. (Kot and Serper 2002).

Areas of the brain affected by Schizophrenia

People with schizophrenic disorder have a neurochemical instability in the brain that causes a hypersensitivity or overproduction of a substance called dopamine. (Baumeister and Francis 2002).

Dopamine is one of many neurochemicals (neurotransmitters) that facilitate communication between different brain cells. Research has determined various types of dopamine receptors in various brain areas. Other neurochemicals and their receptors may be involved in people with schizophrenic disorder.

Specialized tests that produce images of different parts of the brain show that some of them have different size and shape in people with schizophrenia when compared to the same areas in people without mental illness. In people affected with the disease, there is an increase in the volume of the brain cavities called ventricles and a decrease in the table of the hippocampus.

Causal factors

Schizophrenia is a relatively common mental illness. One in 100 people suffer the disease in the curve of his life. In the U.S. there are approximately ...