Schizophrenia:

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected
people throughout history. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects the way a
person behaves, thinks, and sees the world. People with schizophrenia often have an
altered perception of reality. They may see or hear things that dont exist, speak in
strange or confusing ways, believe that others are trying to harm them, or feel like
theyre being constantly watched. This can make it difficult to negotiate the activities of
daily life, and people with schizophrenia may withdraw from the outside world or act out
in confusion and fear.

Symptoms:
The most common early warning signs of schizophrenia include:

Social withdrawal

Hostility or suspiciousness

Deterioration of personal hygiene

Flat, expressionless gaze

Inability to cry or express joy

Inappropriate laughter or crying

Depression

Oversleeping or insomnia

Odd or irrational statements

Forgetful; unable to concentrate

Extreme reaction to criticism

Strange use of words or way of speaking

Causes of Schizophrenia:
Genetic causes of Schizophrenia:
Schizophrenia has a strong hereditary component. Individuals with a first-degree
relative (parent or sibling) who has schizophrenia have a 10 percent chance of
developing the disorder. While schizophrenia runs in families, about 60% of
schizophrenics have no family members with the disorder. Furthermore, individuals
who are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia dont always develop the disease,
which shows that biology is not destiny.
Environmental causes of Schizophrenia:
Research points to several stress-inducing environmental factors that may be involved
in schizophrenia, including:

Prenatal exposure to a viral infection

Low oxygen levels during birth (from prolonged labor or premature birth)

Exposure to a virus during infancy

Early parental loss or separation

Abnormal Brain Structure:

In addition to abnormal brain
chemistry, abnormalities in brain
structure may also play a role in
schizophrenia. Enlarged brain
ventricles are seen in some
schizophrenics, indicating a deficit in
the volume of brain tissue. Some
studies also suggest that
abnormalities in the temporal lobes,
hippocampus, and amygdala are
connected to schizophrenias positive
symptoms.

How Collage Student are

affected by Schizophrenia:
Abilities like holding a conversation, blocking out
distractions and showing emotion seem like trivial
tasks, but for people coping with schizophrenia,
these everyday actions can be almost impossible.
Schizophrenia, a mental disorder that affects 6
percent of the population, occurs most frequently
in people ages 16 to 25 and is affected by stress.
This typically starts during the college years, so a
lot of times we"ll see students at early stages of
schizophrenia.
Sevig said:
Schizophrenia is an illness that really affects awareness, so what makes it
doubly hard to diagnose is people don"t realize something is wrong or don"t
believe something is wrong," "Our usual ways of support don"t always work."

Diagnosis:
There is not currently a test that is used to diagnose schizophrenia. Doctors tend to
diagnose schizophrenia by observing the symptoms, which can be hard to do because
patients usually do not speak up about their symptoms out of fear. If schizophrenic
symptoms have occurred for at least six months and are not being caused by another
illness or drugs, that is when doctors will take measures to begin treatment. Some of the
symptoms are present in other disorders or through drug use, so it can be difficult to
determine what is actually wrong with the patient. Checking the patient's family history is
also important due to the possibility of schizophrenic genes being passed down.

Treatment:
Awareness:
Being educated about schizophrenia is important because schizophrenia is an
uncommon disorder that not very many people know much about. We attend class
every day with students that have mental disorders Most of the time we are unaware
of which students do and not struggle with a mental disorder, and I believe that if
college age students were more educated about them, it would help them relate to
one another and to prevent judgement. Schizophrenia is also believed to affect
people around the college age, and I believe that it is important to be educated so
you will know if you are affected by this disorder.
Body Building Diet:
Bodybuilders take on a very specialised type of diet to produce extra muscle mass and
strength without ballooning in weight, and now researchers in Australia have found an
interesting alternative use for this very specific eating regime: treating people who have
been diagnosed with schizophrenia. As well as being favoured by bodybuilders, the socalled ketogenic diet -essentially, one that's high on fat but low on carbohydrates - has
been used for decades to manage epilepsy in children.
Antipsychotic drugs:
Antipsychotic drugs can be used as a treatment option, however they can cause very
risky side effects so patients can be reluctant to taking them. It can take several weeks
for the medicine to start showing signs of improvement as well. Therapy and support
from family can be a very helpful way for schizophrenics to manage their disorder and
live a normal life. There are several support groups and counselors that are available to
give assistance to those who need it. Having the family of the patient is extremely
important so they will learn and understand what the patient is going through on a daily
basis. This can prevent the patient from feeling isolated and depressed, and they will be
less likely to withdrawal from those around them.
Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation emphasizes social and vocational training to help people with
schizophrenia function better in their communities. Because schizophrenia usually develops
in people during the critical career-forming years of life (ages 18 to 35), and because the
disease makes normal thinking and functioning difficult, most patients do not receive
training in the skills needed for a job.

Case Story:
Daniels story
Daniel is 21 years old. Six months ago, he was doing well in college and holding down a
part-time job in the stockroom of a local electronics store. But then he began to change,
becoming increasingly paranoid and acting out in bizarre ways. First, he became
convinced that his professors were out to get him since they didnt appreciate his

confusing, off-topic classroom rants. Then he told his roommate that the other students
were in on the conspiracy. Soon after, he dropped out of school.
From there, things just got worse. Daniel stopped bathing, shaving, and washing his
clothes. At work, he became convinced that his boss was watching him through
surveillance bugs planted in the stores television sets. Then he started hearing voices
telling him to find the bugs and deactivate them. Things came to a head when he acted
on the voices, smashing several TVs and screaming that he wasnt going to put up with
the illegal spying any more. His frightened boss called the police, and Daniel was
hospitalized.

Success Stories:
Veronica Lake:
The movie star, who turned millions of heads in the 1940s, was known for her roles in
"Sullivan's Travels," "This Gun for Hire," and "Blue Dahlia." She was diagnosed with
schizophrenia as a child, according to the biography Peekaboo. Her parents thought
acting would help control the condition. But in Hollywood, she was known for her difficult
nature on-set: A 1944 magazine article speculated about "what precise moment her
time-bomb mind will explode." But Lake shrugged it off, saying, "Women are always
trouble to unimaginative men."
Lionel Aldridge:
After a stellar football career in the 1960s, Aldridge made it into the Green Bay Packer
Hall of Fame, then covered the game as an analyst for NBC. But in his 30s, he became
paranoid, had hallucinations, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. For a while he
was homeless. But with the help of medications, he regained control. He spoke publicly
about his condition for many years before his death in 1998. His message: "People can
and do recover from mental illness."