Schizophrenia

7 Pages 1870 Words

The Causes and Symptoms Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia : A life destroyer. Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious psychiatric illnesses in the United States. “In fact schizophrenia hits one person in every hundred. In the United States alone there are a minimum of two million schizophrenics” (Walsh 52). The causes for schizophrenia are not fully known and are still under research. The most common symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech patterns, disorganized behavior and a decrease in emotional expression. Dealing with schizophrenia is a difficult task and if left untreated, could be fatal to ones health. The effects of schizophrenia do not stop at the lives of the patients, they also make their way to family and friends. Many of whom experience feelings of sorrow, guilt and anger. Leaving schizophrenia untreated is hazardous and may be fatal to both the victim and the people around them. There are various medications and treatments that a schizophrenic can endure in order to help them maintain a normal lifestyle.
Schizophrenia is a word derived from the Greek Language. Schizo, meaning split and phrenia, meaning mind (Wascow 2). This definition is often why schizophrenia is misunderstood to be a mental disorder of split personalities. Schizophrenia has absolutely nothing to do with splitting ones personality into multiple parts, in fact most schizophrenics are often too disordered to carry out double lives. The actual message

Dardis 2
Eugen Bleuler, the inventor of the word “schizophrenia” was trying to convey is the splitting of reality and perception.” Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that lasts for at least six months, and includes at least two of the following symptoms, hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior and decreased emotional ...