Schizophrenia - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Methods
By Juliet Cohen
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has been recognized throughout recorded history. The first signs of schizophrenia typically emerge in the teenage years or early twenties. It is a form of psychosis, which is an impairment of thinking in which the interpretation of reality is abnormal. It is uncommon in children and is hard to recognize in its early phases. The term schizophrenia literally means split mind; however, many people still believe incorrectly that the condition causes a split personality (which is an uncommon problem involving dissociation). The cause of schizophrenia is still unclear. People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don’t hear or they may believe that others are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. Certain psychotic disorders such as bipolar disorder in a manic phase and delusive disorder share some of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia but can have distinctly different courses and prognosis.
Schizophrenia can be caused by schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, drug abuse and other factors. It is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower, nor are the symptoms identical for each person. The behavior of children with schizophrenia may change slowly over time. It affects approximately one percent of the world’s population, making it the most common psychosis. Schizophrenia and other mental health disorders have fairly strict criteria for diagnosis. Time of onset as well as length and characteristics of symptoms are all factors. Available treatments can relieve many of the disorder’s symptoms, but most people who have schizophrenia must cope with some residual symptoms as long as they live. A person with schizophrenia does not have a “split personality,” and almost all people with schizophrenia are not dangerous or violent towards others when they are receiving treatment.
