Schizophrenia

…the life of a schizochica

* This is a project for a high school AP Psychology course. This is a fictionalized account of having a psychological ailment. For questions about this blog or its content please email the teacher Chris Jocham: jocham@fultonschools.org

What is schizophrenia?

• a brain disorder that affects the way a person acts, thinks, and sees the world

• Victims have an altered perception of reality, often a significant loss of contact with reality

• may withdraw from the outside world or act out in confusion and fear

• They may see or hear things that don’t exist, speak in strange ways or believe that they are constantly being watched

Early Signs of Schizophrenia

• 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

Believed Causes

– Dopamine over activity– Impaired glutamate activity

– Low brain activity in frontal lobes

– Shrinkage in cerebral tissue

– 1 in 10 chance of obtaining disorder if a sibling or parent has the disorder

– Prenatal viral infections, nutritional deprivation, oxygen deprivation and low birth weight at birth

*There is no known single cause*

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

– Disturbed perceptions; disorganized and delusional thinking; inappropriate emotions and actions

– Schizophrenia subtypes• Paranoid: preoccupation with delusions or hallucinations

• Disorganized: disorganized speech or behavior or inappropriate emotion

• Catatonic: immobility, extreme negativism, parrot like repeating of another’s speech

• Undifferentiated: many and varied symptoms

• Residual: withdrawal, after hallucinations and delusions have disappeared

Major Research on Disorder

• Additional warning signs of schizophrenia– A mother whose

schizophrenia was severe and long-lasting

– Birth complications, often involving oxygen deprivation and low birth weight

– Separation from parents

– Short attention span and poor muscle coordination

– Disruptive or withdrawn behavior

– Emotional unpredictability

– Poor peer relations and solo play

Treatments for disorder– Psychotherapy

• Social skills training: focuses on improving communication and social interactions.

• Family therapy: provides support and education to families dealing with schizophrenia.

• Vocational rehabilitation and supported employment: focuses on helping people with schizophrenia find and keep jobs.

• Individual therapy: learning to cope with stress and identify early warning signs, and help people with schizophrenia manage their illness.

– Medical Treatment• Antipsychotic medications are the most effective treatment for schizophrenia

Medications used to treat Schizophrenia

Typical Antipsychotics• Chlorpromazine• Haloperidol• Perphenazine • FluphenazineSide affects of Medication• Drowsiness • Dizziness when changing positions • Blurred vision • Rapid heartbeat • Sensitivity to the sun • Skin rashes • Menstrual problems for women

How I feel as a schizophrenic…

DepressedI have moments of depression. Sometimes I just sit and cry. At times I am not aware of why. I put my head down and wonder. All the voices I hear, all the things I see, nobody believes me, they all think I am a freak.

SadnessCrying becomes a daily thing for me. I can’t control it, it just happens. Everyday, like clockwork I cry. The voices in my head don’t stop. They keep yelling, screaming, till they bring ,me to tears.

Alone

Even though the voices take up my head, I still feel so alone. Nobody understands me, nobody knows what I go through. My family looks at me, and I know they think I am crazy. I can’t help it. Nobody gets me. They will never get me.

Scared

They threaten me. They persuade me. They frighten me. All of these voices and sounds I hear, all of the things I see, they are scary. I never know when I am going to be forced to do something, or hurt someone.

confused

Confusion takes up my head. I never know when something is going to happen. My life is so unpredictable. I never know when I will feel or act a certain way.

Attacked

Between the voices, the sounds, the sights, they all are coming at me. They tell me what to do. They control me. I don’t have a choice, they all come at once.

Anger

This is my life. I have no control over it. This makes me mad. My family is scared of me, random people are in fear of me, and I can’t help it. I want control of my life, but I can never have it.

imbalanced

I am not balanced with reality. I live in my own world. I am apart from the rest of the world.

uncertain

I never know when a hallucination might occur. I might stare out into space, and see what the world doesn’t. At any time the voices in my head might speak to me. At any time I might be ordered to attack.

controlled

As I have said before, the voices and sounds don’t go away. They have names and order me to do things. I always feel controlled. I always feel watched. My brain is controlled by the things I hear and see. There is something living in my head that has full control over me.