SCHIZOPHRENIA

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SCHIZOPHRENIA

• BY BRIANNA PELLOW

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• What is it?
• schizophrenia is a chronic and severe brain
  disease. Approximately 1 percent of the
  population will develop it in their lifetime.
  There are often terrifying symptoms such as
  hearing internal voices not heard by others or
  believing people can hear their thoughts or are
  plotting to harm them. These symptoms often leave
  them frighten and withdrawn. It is estimated that
  only one in five recover.

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• Signs and symptoms.
• Schizophrenia affects the most fundamental human
  attributes such as language, thought, perception
  and sense of self. There are an array of symptoms
  which frequently include psychotic manifestations
  such as hearing internal voices. No single
  symptom is definitive for diagnosis. Diagnosis
  encompasses a pattern of signs and symptoms.

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• Causes.
• There is no known single cause of schizophrenia.
  Schizophrenia may just be the result of an
  interplay of genetic, behavioral and other
  factors. Scientists do not yet understand all of
  the factors necessary to produce schizophrenia.

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• Is it a lifestyle disease? Is it linked to an
  individuals diet? Or is there and genetic link?
• It has long been known that schizophrenia runs
  in families and is not a disease that may be
  caused by your lifestyle. It is more associated
  with a chemical imbalance within the brain or a
  physical abnormality with the brain. But it could
  be a result of a allergy to Gluten, a protein
  found in wheat and other grains. However
  scientists stress the result reflected only a
  small proportion of caeses. Drug use has also
  been cited as a potential trigger for the mental
  illness.

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Who can be affected?

• Both men and woman are equally affected and
  usually occurs in late adolescence or twenties.
  Although young men tend to develop the illness
  earlier.

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TREATMENT.

• Since schizophrenia may not be a single condition
  and its causes are not yet known, current
  treatment methods are based on both clinical
  research and experience. Antipsychotic
  medications have been available since the
  mid-1950s. They have greatly improved the outlook
  for individual patients. These medications reduce
  the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia and
  usually allow the patient to function more
  effectively and appropriately. The large majority
  of people with schizophrenia show substantial
  improvement when treated with antipsychotic
  drugs. Individual psychotherapy is another form
  of treatment which involves regularly scheduled
  talks between the patient and a mental health
  professional such as a psychiatrist,
  psychologist, psychiatric social worker, or
  nurse. And also self help groups.

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• How many have been diagnosed?
• 12 million people in China
• 8.7 million people in India
• 2.2 million people in USA
• 285,000 people in Australia
• Over 280,000 people in Canada
• Over 250,000 diagnosed cases in Britain

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SUPPORT SERVICES.

• The health insite of Australia offers private
  support services for schizophrenia sufferers.

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REFERENCES

• www.schizophrenia.com
• http//hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/schizophre
  nia.html