Life with Schizophrenia
In the second unit of my Disease course, I learned about various mental diseases, how the brain functions, and the various parts of the brain. I felt that I was able to learn so much about the brain. In addition to studying the anatomy of the brain, I was able to learn how Autism affects the brain. I was able to read, The Reason I Jump, which was insightful because it showed me a new light of what it means to have Autism. It allowed me to have compassion and sympathy for the people who are affected by this mental disorder within my community. I was given a choice to choose a mental disorder for which I feel compassion for and curious about.
For my action project, I chose a disease listed in the DSM-V and decided to study Schizophrenia. I was tasked to find out what it felt like to have Schizophrenia. In order to accomplish that, I researched many cases about the symptoms of the disease, found how it affects the mind and was able to conduct an interview with a person whose life has been impacted with Schizophrenia. I was also tasked to design a lesson plan that would simulate the experience of a person with Schizophrenia and create a flyer that was designed to spread the word of statistical facts, misconceptions, and recommendations on how to support others with Schizophrenia. I felt that the challenging part of this project was to create a simulation that would mimic the activity of a person with Schizophrenia within their brain. However, I found that I did have success in creating a flyer that effectively communicates information about Schizophrenia.
According to the DSM-V, Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic mental disorder characterized by disturbances in thought, perception, and behavior. My own definition of Schizophrenia is that it is a mental disorder that affects a person's perception of what they feel, hear, and behave. It can change a person's ability to function in daily life, from the most menial tasks such as driving to having to be in a social setting where you are unable to communicate. This disease can be found between ages 16-30. It becomes uncommon after age 30 and rare after age 40. In the age group in which Schizophrenia is found, affects more men than women.
In order for a person to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia, they must be experiencing delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech. A person with Schizophrenia may find themselves believing in ideas or things that aren't true, cannot tell what is real from what is imagined and are firm on their beliefs despite what the truth is. A person with Schizophrenia may also experience hearing noises or voices. These voices can sound like whispering or murmuring. In some cases, people with schizophrenia may experience hearing multiple voices. Other signs of Schizophrenia are rapidly shifting between topics with no connection between the topic, using vocabulary that only has a meaning to the speaker, and repeating things over and over again.
Schizophrenia can affect the major brain parts of the brain. These regions include the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and the limbic system. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for completing complex tasks such as decision making, strategizing, and adjusting to behaviors from past social cues. The basal ganglia are responsible for producing dopamine, regulates coordinated movement, and motivation. The limbic system is responsible for learning, memory, and processing emotion.
Schizophrenia can change a person's well being, social life, and relationship with their own family. A person in which their life has been impacted by Schizophrenia is Alex. Alex said that “Patients are perceived as being dangerous, violent, and unpredictable.” Once she was diagnosed with Schizophrenia she found herself becoming shocked by the way people treated her. She understood that the people around her had a set perception of what a schizophrenic person is like; in other words, they pictured her as the stereotype. Throughout her daily life, she found herself always being judged by the people around her. It was hard for her always to feel isolated because people were scared of her. However, she had her sister who was able to care for here and always support her. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about people with Schizophrenia and cases like Alex. That is why I created a lesson and flier that will create awareness for people who are not accurately informed about the mental disorder.
For my action project, I chose a disease listed in the DSM-V and decided to study Schizophrenia. I was tasked to find out what it felt like to have Schizophrenia. In order to accomplish that, I researched many cases about the symptoms of the disease, found how it affects the mind and was able to conduct an interview with a person whose life has been impacted with Schizophrenia. I was also tasked to design a lesson plan that would simulate the experience of a person with Schizophrenia and create a flyer that was designed to spread the word of statistical facts, misconceptions, and recommendations on how to support others with Schizophrenia. I felt that the challenging part of this project was to create a simulation that would mimic the activity of a person with Schizophrenia within their brain. However, I found that I did have success in creating a flyer that effectively communicates information about Schizophrenia.
Action Project
According to the DSM-V, Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic mental disorder characterized by disturbances in thought, perception, and behavior. My own definition of Schizophrenia is that it is a mental disorder that affects a person's perception of what they feel, hear, and behave. It can change a person's ability to function in daily life, from the most menial tasks such as driving to having to be in a social setting where you are unable to communicate. This disease can be found between ages 16-30. It becomes uncommon after age 30 and rare after age 40. In the age group in which Schizophrenia is found, affects more men than women.
In order for a person to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia, they must be experiencing delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech. A person with Schizophrenia may find themselves believing in ideas or things that aren't true, cannot tell what is real from what is imagined and are firm on their beliefs despite what the truth is. A person with Schizophrenia may also experience hearing noises or voices. These voices can sound like whispering or murmuring. In some cases, people with schizophrenia may experience hearing multiple voices. Other signs of Schizophrenia are rapidly shifting between topics with no connection between the topic, using vocabulary that only has a meaning to the speaker, and repeating things over and over again.
Schizophrenia can affect the major brain parts of the brain. These regions include the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and the limbic system. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for completing complex tasks such as decision making, strategizing, and adjusting to behaviors from past social cues. The basal ganglia are responsible for producing dopamine, regulates coordinated movement, and motivation. The limbic system is responsible for learning, memory, and processing emotion.
Schizophrenia can change a person's well being, social life, and relationship with their own family. A person in which their life has been impacted by Schizophrenia is Alex. Alex said that “Patients are perceived as being dangerous, violent, and unpredictable.” Once she was diagnosed with Schizophrenia she found herself becoming shocked by the way people treated her. She understood that the people around her had a set perception of what a schizophrenic person is like; in other words, they pictured her as the stereotype. Throughout her daily life, she found herself always being judged by the people around her. It was hard for her always to feel isolated because people were scared of her. However, she had her sister who was able to care for here and always support her. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about people with Schizophrenia and cases like Alex. That is why I created a lesson and flier that will create awareness for people who are not accurately informed about the mental disorder.
Citations
Cleveland Clinic. "Delusional Disorder." Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9599-delusional-disorder.
Affinity Treatment Centers. "How Does Schizophrenia Affect Daily Life?" Affinity Treatment Centers, 20 Dec. 2017, www.affinitytreatmentcenters.com/blog/2017/12/20/how- does-schizophrenia-affect-daily-life.
Alex. "What I'd Like People to Know About Schizophrenia." Time To Change, 22 June 2018, www.time-to-change.org.uk/blog/what-id-people-know-about-schizophrenia.
Chakraborty, Sudipta. "Areas of the Brain Affected by Schizophrenia." LIVESTRONG.COM, 14 Aug. 2017, www.livestrong.com/article/88264-areas-brain-affected- schizophrenia/.
Cleveland Clinic. "Delusional Disorder." Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9599-delusional-disorder.
Frankenburg, Frances. "What Are the DSM-5 Criteria for Schizophrenia?" Latest Medical News, Clinical Trials, Guidelines - Today on Medscape, 3 Feb. 2019, www.medscape.com/answers/288259-13968/what-are-the-dsm-5-criteria-for- schizophrenia.
Hurley, Katie. "Disorganized Schizophrenia (Hebephrenia): Symptoms & Treatment." PsyCom.net -Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1986, 13 Feb. 2018, www.psycom.net/disorganized-schizophrenia-hebephrenia.
Mayo Clinic. "Schizophrenia - Symptoms and Causes." Mayo Clinic, 10 Apr. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/symptoms- causes/syc-20354443.
National Institute of Mental Health. "NIMH » Schizophrenia." NIMH » Home, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml.
NewRoadStrmnt. "7 Common Misconceptions About Schizophrenia." New Roads Behavioral Health, 5 Dec. 2018, newroadstreatment.org/7-common-schizophrenia- misconceptions/.
The Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. "Helping Someone with Schizophrenia." RANZCP, www.yourhealthinmind.org/mental-illnesses- disorders/schizophrenia/helping-someone.
SARDAA. "About Schizophrenia | SARDAA." SARDAA – Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America, sardaa.org/resources/about-schizophrenia/.
"Schizophrenia.com, Paranoid SchizophreniaSchizophrenia Info; Overview of the Disease." www.schizophrenia.com/family/schizintro.html.
Smith, Kathleen. "Schizophrenia: Understanding Hallucinations and Delusions." PsyCom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1986, 13 Feb. 2018, www.psycom.net/schizophrenia-hallucinations-delusions/.
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