A Look into a Harrowing Life: Schizophrenia

Jennifer Goodwin
PSY/103
August, 25, 2014

Imagine for a moment that you are sitting in your house alone when you hear voices.
Voices that are telling you bizarre things. You start to believe what you hear. When you go to
work, you believe that your co-workers are conspiring to kill you, so you naturally avoid any
interactions. People are scared of you and think that you might hurt them. You live in a scary,
dark world where everything seems unfamiliar and everyone is out to get you. This is a real
phenomenon called Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is defined as a group of psychotic disorders
involving major disturbances in perception, language, thought, emotion, and behavior and is
often recognized when the individual withdraws from reality, often into a fantasy life of
delusions and hallucinations (Carpenter & Huffman, 2012). Surprisingly, schizophrenia is
diagnosed in about 1 in every 100 people and about half of all people who are admitted to
mental hospitals are diagnosed with this disorder (Carpenter & Huffman, 2012). So, while it
might seem like a rare disorder, it is not as rare as you might think. It is important to understand
the behaviors and biological influences that help to explain this disorder, as well as how this
disorder affects processes such as memory, sleep, and overall general functioning. It will also be
important to look into the effectiveness of available therapies used today, in order to get an idea
of what is being done to better the lives of those suffering from this devastating disorder.
Schizophrenia can occur at any age, but it tends to first develop (or at least become
evident) between adolescence and young adulthood, typically between the ages of 16-30 years
(Schizophrenia, 2013). Schizophrenia also effects men and women equally, but men are more
likely to develop schizophrenia at an earlier age and might experience more severe symptoms
(Schizophrenia, 2013).
There are several general behaviors that are associated with schizophrenia. People might
hear voice or believe that people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting

to harm them (Schizophrenia, 2009). They might also sit for hours without moving or talking,
experience hallucinations (things a person sees, hears, smells, or feels that no one else can see,
hear, smell, or feel) or experience delusions (false beliefs that are not part of the persons culture
and do not change). When it comes to hallucinations, they can occur in any of the five sense, but
auditory and visual hallucinations are the most common. There are many different categories of
delusions that one with schizophrenia might experience; these include delusions of persecution,
delusions of reference, delusions of grandeur, and delusions of control. Delusions of persecution
usually involve bizarre ideas and plots about people who are out to get them (Smith & Segal,
2014). Delusions of reference refers to when a person with schizophrenia believes that a natural
environmental event is believed to have a special and personal meaning like when they might
think a television commercial is speaking directly to them (Smith & Segal, 2014). Delusions of
grandeur is the belief that one is a famous or important figure, such as Jesus Christ or
Napoleon or they might believe that they have a special power (Smith & Segal, 2014). Finally,
delusions of control is the belief that ones thoughts or actions are being controlled by outside,
alien forces (Smith & Segal, 2014). Someone with schizophrenia might experience just one of
these delusions, or they might experience several of them.
It is still somewhat of a mystery as to the causes of schizophrenia, but there are several
different biology-based theories that exist. It is thought that prenatal stress and viral infections,
birth complications, immune responses, maternal malnutrition, and advanced paternal age may
contribute to the development of schizophrenia (Carpenter & Huffman, 2012). Scientists have
also found that there are several genes that contribute to schizophrenianot one single gene.
When a first-degree relative (mom or dad) or even a second-degree relative (grandparent) has
schizophrenia, one is at an increased risk of developing the disorder. If one has an identical twin

with schizophrenia, he or she has a 40 to 65 percent chance of developing the disorder

(Schizophrenia, 2009). The most plausible explanation for developing the disorder has to do
with a mixture of biological and environmental factors. There is also an explanation that has to
do with an abnormality in neurotransmitters in the brain, such as an overabundance of dopamine.
Finally, there are thoughts that larger cerebral ventricles might also contribute to the
development of schizophrenia (Schizophrenia, 2009).
Schizophrenia is not only a socially devastating disorder. People with schizophrenia
suffer from sleep disturbances, drug abuse, memory loss, and other negative symptoms. Research
shows that schizophrenic patients experience difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep (Cohrs,
2008). In fact, 30-80% of those with schizophrenia reported disturbed sleep. It seems that this
would only worsen the symptoms of schizophrenia, while also adding to the problems by
increasing daytime drowsiness and decreasing overall productivity.
In addition to having bad sleep habits, those with schizophrenia are more likely to
succumb to substance abuse. Statistics say that about 50% of people with schizophrenia have
abused psychoactive drugs at some point in their life and that the dependence on substances like
cannabis, amphetamine, or cocaine is more common in patients suffering from schizophrenia
than any other psychiatric patient (Krysta et al., 2014). This information might indicate that there
is some connection to the severity of the disorder and the use of psychoactive drugs.
Psychoactive drugs interfere with the chemicals in the brainso this makes sense.
Schizophrenia also effects memory processes. Primarily, schizophrenia effects the brain
regions which control echoic or auditory sensory memory outside the prefrontal cortex (Mastin,
2010). Patients with schizophrenia also often have difficulty encoding, storing, and recalling

words (Mastin, 2010). In older age, schizophrenics are more likely to suffer from Alzheimers
disease, or some other form of dementia, in varying levels of severity (Mastin, 2010).
There are many different personality theories that attempt to better explain schizophrenia;
here I will focus on two of thosethe humanist personality theory and the biological personality
theory. The humanist theory places emphasis on a persons internal feelings, thoughts, and sense
of basic worth. There is a belief that humans are naturally good and that they have a tendency
toward self-actualization. According to the humanist theory, our personality and behavior depend
on how we perceive and interpret the world (Carpenter & Huffman, 2012). Carl Rogers, a
famous humanist thought that poor mental health and maladjustment developed from a
mismatch, or incongruence, between the self-concept and actual life experiences (Carpenter &
Huffman, 2012). A person with schizophrenia might have a false sense of their self-concept
they have false beliefs regarding their own nature, unique qualities, and typical behaviors.
The biological personality theory focuses more on how our inherited biological factors
influence our personalities. Studies dealing with the five-factor model of personality suggest that
genetic factors contribute about 40-50% of personality (Carpenter & Huffman, 2012). Because
schizophrenia effects personality, those having the genes or brain structure (passed on from
parents) that is more consistent with schizophrenia will have a greater chance of developing the
disorder.
While many of the therapies used to treat schizophrenia are still fairly new, there are a
few things that are done for those suffering from the disorder. Two of these approaches include
drug therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy. There are several different drugs used for when
schizophrenics are undergoing a psychotic episode, five of which are more common
risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, and aripiprazole. Most experts agree that these

drugs are equally effective and that the choice to take one over the other depends on side effects
(Drug Treatment of Schizophrenia, 2005). If none of these drugs work, a more potent drug,
clozapine, is considered. It is important to note that these drugs do not offer a cure, but merely a
way to prevent the symptoms associated with schizophrenia; in order to have a continuous relief
of symptoms, most patients will need to be on the medications for the remainder of their life.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is where an empathetic, non-threatening relationship is
built, during which the patient elaborates his or her experiences with schizophrenia and then
specific symptoms are identified as problematic by the patient and become targeted for special
attention (Dickerson & Lehman, 2011). In this therapy, the therapist also supportively guides
the patient to implement coping methods and to develop more rational cognitive perspectives
about their symptoms. While for some patients one therapy might work on its own, most
evidence suggests that patients with schizophrenia do best with a combination of
pharmacological and psychosocial intervention (Addington & Lecomte, 2012).
Schizophrenia is a devastating disorder. There are many theories about how
schizophrenia is acquired or manifested, however, nothing has been proven as the definite theory.
Schizophrenia can affect many different processes including memory, sleep, and cognition. With
proper treatment, the signs and symptoms of Schizophrenia can become less severe, but the
disorder still presents itself as a harrowing disability to those who have been diagnosed. It is
important to be aware of mental disorders such as schizophrenia so that we might be more
understanding and accepting of those who are suffering.

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