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.

By their nature, we can say that it integrates elements of biological origin (genetic, neurological, environmental, relational, family, psychosocial) and psychological (cognitive, emotional). 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 "split personality" nor is caused by bad parenting, character weakness or laziness. Schizophrenia is a disease 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 total includes the cost of medical care, payments through Social Security and lost earnings of people with the disease.

Today there is no cure for schizophrenia, but available treatments can help control the symptoms. With proper treatment people with schizophrenia can live a productive and fulfilling life. This helps the affected people to work, attend school, live with their families (Kot and Serper 2002).

Areas of the Brain Affected In Schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia have a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes a hypersensitivity or overproduction of a substance called dopamine (Baumeister and Francis 2002).

Dopamine is one of many brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that facilitate communication between different brain cells. Researchers have found several types of dopamine receptors in different brain areas. Other neurotransmitters and their receptors may be affected in people with schizophrenia.

Researchers have been using modern techniques to show the differences between the brains of people with schizophrenia compared with people without mental illness (Kot and Serper 2002). 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. Other tests have shown that the brains of people with schizophrenia show lower activity in the brain that controls thoughts and ...