Mental Illness

Mental Illness

Introduction

Schizophrenia is a mental condition which involves breakdown of thought processes and deficit of emotional responses. There are certain symptoms which include bizarre, paranoid delusions, hallucinations, speech disturbances and disorganized thinking. All these are associated with occupational and social dysfunction. Such symptoms are observed in an individual in his young adulthood. It is a disease, and is treated as such. However, long time ago, it was not understood as a disease, and the patients were not treated the way they are now, (Friedman, 1999). Diagnosis of this is based entirely on the experiences told by the patient or on the observed behavior of the patient.

It is severe, chronic brain disorder of the brain that has affected many people throughout the history. People, who have this disorder, hear what others normally don't. They, under this condition believe that they are been observed by others and are been controlled to do what the others want them to. Many suffering from this mental illness believe that they are being targeted and their murder plans are being plotted, (G Bota, 2011). It frightens them and makes them agitated. At times when these people talk, their words don't make sense at all. At times, such people stay motionless for many hours without talking. They do seem fine, at times, as long as they don't say anything about what they think. People suffering from this illness may find it difficult to hang up with their jobs or caring for the loved ones, around them, (Gottesman, 1991).

Therefore, they have to rely on others. Treatment is helpful in this regard as it relieves various symptoms. However, people have to put up with the symptoms their entire life. It may seem strange, but most people who suffer from these symptoms can have meaningful and rewarding lives. Researchers are working on developing medications for understanding the root causes of this mental illness. Many believe that in the years to come the research will be helpful in treating this illness.

Discussion

Schizophrenia is a disease that is not treated the way it was long time ago. Due to the modernization in science and medication is known for long that this mental illness runs in the family. Scientists say that people who have one or more members of their families affected by it, are more prone to get this mental illness. A person, who has an identical twin, is likely to be at even greater risk of developing this mental illness. Medical science has proved that there are various genes in a human body that may be responsible for this illness. However, they also believe that no genes are related with an increasing risk of this mental illness. According to recent studies, people suffering from this illness are prone to be affected by higher rates of genetic mutations, rare in nature. Such differences cause disturbance in developing the brain. There are medications that help the patients. However, since everyone responds differently to medication, treatments are designed carefully for each ...