Abstract

The paper attempts to discuss the mental disorder, Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a very common mental disorder associated with stress, tension and other mental disturbances. The paper gives a comprehensive historical concept of the disease and explains the disease in detail. It highlights the criteria for the disease, and comprehensively discusses the three major stages that a person suffering from schizophrenia undergoes, which include the 'Acute and Relapse', 'Continuation' and 'Stabilization'. The paper then proceeds to define the four major different types of the disease: 'Paranoid Type Schizophrenia', 'Disorganized Type Schizophrenia', 'Catatanois Type Schizophrenia' and the 'Residual Indifference Type Schizophrenia'. The paper details the paranoid, disorganized and residual indifference type of schizophrenia and also explains the characteristics, the diagnostic criteria used in schizophrenia and the symptoms and durations of each of the three types of schizophrenia. Furthermore, the medical aspects of the disease along with the diagnoses, treatment and medication of schizophrenia are also explained in the paper.

Table of Content

Introduction4

Discussion5

Historical Concept5

Criteria of Schizophrenia5

Phases of Schizophrenia6

Phase 1: Acute and Relapse6

Phase 2: Continuation7

Phase 3: Stabilization7

Types of Schizophrenia7

Paranoid Schizophrenia7

Disorganized Schizophrenia8

Catatonic Schizophrenia8

Schizophrenia and Residual Indifferencial8

Paranoid Schizophrenia9

Characteristics of Paranoid Schizophrenia9

Diagnostic Criteria for Paranoid Schizophrenia10

Symptoms Durations of Paranoid Schizophrenia10

Disorganized Schizophrenia11

Characteristics of Disorganized Schizophrenia11

Diagnostic Criteria for Disorganized Schizophrenia12

Symptoms Durations of Disorganized Schizophrenia12

Residual Schizophrenia13

Characteristics of Residual Schizophrenia13

Diagnostic Criteria for Residual Schizophrenia14

Symptoms Durations of Disorganized Schizophrenia15

Medication and Treatment for Schizophrenia15

Medication for Schizophrenia15

Treatment for Schizophrenia16

Schizophrenia Treatment with Drugs17

Psychotherapy and Social Therapy in Schizophrenia17

Social Skills Training18

Conclusion18

References20

Schizophrenia

Introduction

Schizophrenia is undoubtedly one of the most common mental diseases. Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder in which the person experiences to delusions and hallucination based manifestation and the absence of awareness of his environment (King & Dixon, pp. 377-386). “The lifetime individual risk is approximately 1% and on average there are 20 new cases per 100,000 population per year.” (Birchwood, Birchwood & Jackson, pp 21)

In the case of schizophrenia, language and the behavior tends to be severely disorganized. Schizophrenia is characterized by a fundamental disturbance of personality, a distortion of thinking including delusions, bizarre, altered perceptions, inappropriate emotional responses and a degree of autism. These symptoms are experienced in the presence of consciousness with a clear and generally preserved intellectual capacity (Jeste, Twamley, Zorrilla, Golshan, Patterson & Palmer, pp. 336-343).

Schizophrenia not only affects the functioning of emotional, intellectual and behavioral characteristics, but ir also results in isolation, eccentricity which may result in decreased care, disorganized communication or metaphorical thought. Apart from that, social withdrawl, loss of associative capacity (thought disorder), hallucinations, delusional beliefs, symbolism, incoherence, negativism, deterioration of appearance and increased sensitivity to sensory or emotional stimulation is also experienced (Dickerson, pp. 71-90). “Three studies that examined the issue indicated a strong association arguing that overinvolvement leads to relapse, other however advocated that this behaviour leads to better adjustment in patients.” (Mandal & Nizamie, pp 174)

Thesis Statement

“Schizophrenia is a chronic and complex, yet curable, psychological disease that includes a constellation of symptoms and phases.”

Discussion

Historical Concept

The criteria and theories about the patho-physiology of the disease have changed over the centuries. The earliest references to this major mental ...