FREE ESSAY ON SCHIZOPHRENIA

SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a complex disorder characterized by a constellation of distinctive and
predictable symptoms that are most commonly associated with the disease. It is one of the
most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man. schizophrenia is not a
spilt personality, a rare and very different disorder. Like cancer and diabetes,
schizophrenia has a biological basis; it is not caused by bad parenting or personal
weakness. Itis a relatively common disease with an estimated one percent to one and a
half percent of the US population being diagnosed with it over the course of their lives.
while there is no known cure for it, it is a very treatable disease. Most of those
afflicted by it respond to drug therapy, and many are able to lead productive and
fulfilling lives.
Researchers usually describe the basic neuro-integrative deflect in terms of laboratory
findings on cognitive tasks, but also a subjective experience. Schizophrenia usually
begins by the individual having a "psychotic episode" (serious onset of symptoms)
The symptoms are divided into two main categories, positive and negative. positive does
not mean good but rather indicates an excess of normal functions.
the positive symptoms include :
Delusions(a phenomenon that the persons culture would regard as totally implausible), and
hallucinations(a sensory perception that has the compelling sense of reality of true
perception but occurs without external stimulation of the relevant sensory organ.)
The person may also "slip off track" form the one topic to another in a way that makes no
sense(derailment). They may make up strange words, or use words in ways that make no
sense(called word salad). The person may also have bizarre or disorganized behaviors.
Examples include difficulty performing simple activities of daily living, wearing
multiple raincoats on clear hot days, or having trouble with hygiene.
The negative symptoms reflect a reduction in normal functioning.
they include:
Alogia, Affective Flattening, Anhedeonia(lack of pleasure), Apathy (not interested in
anything) and difficulty in paying attention to anything. They may also demonstrate
catatonic like behavior.
Others tend to view people with schizophrenia as very odd or crazy. These consumers are
viewed as being different, and often somewhat scary and unpredictable. Since people with
schizophrenia can be agitated or confused in stressful or over stimulated situations,
they can appear threatening or violent. However, most research indicates that these
consumers pose little risk of assault.
People with schizophrenia tend to have a great deal of trouble with interpersonal
relationships. People with more severe or chronic schizophrenia tend to have few friends;
they often have never had a serious or romantic relationship. Since the symptoms of
schizophrenia tend to be frightening, painful and difficult for family members, over time
the consumer may become cut-off, or distanced from their parents and siblings. People
with chronic schizophrenia may live alone, and are at risk for homelessness. If left
untreated the condition of the individual may be in danger or homelessness incarceration
episodes of violence, ictimization, or even suicide
People with untreated psychiatric illnesses comprise one-third, or 200,000 people, of the
approximately 600,000 homeless population. The quality of life for these individuals is
abysmal. Many are victimized regularly. A recent study has found that 28 percent of
homeless people with previous psychiatric hospitalizations obtained some food from
garbage cans and eight percent used garbage cans as a primary food source.
People with untreated serious brain disorders comprise approximately 10 percent of the
1.7 million jail and prison population, or 170,000 people. These individuals are often
incarcerated with misdemeanor charges, but sometimes with felony charges, caused by their
psychotic thinking. People with untreated psychiatric illnesses spend twice as much time
in jail than non-ill individuals and are more likely to commit suicide.
There are approximately 1,000 homicides - representing between four and five percent of
total annual murders -- committed each year by people with untreated schizophrenia and
manic-depressive illness. According to a 1994 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice
Statistics Special Report, Murder in Families, 4.3 percent of homicides committed in 1988
were by people with a history of untreated mental illness.
Suicide is the number one cause of premature death among people with schizophrenia, with
an estimated 10 percent to 13 percent killing themselves. Suicide is even more pervasive
in individuals with bipolar disorder, with 15 percent to 17 percent taking their own
lives. The extreme depression and psychoses that can result due to lack of treatment are
the usual causes of death in these sad cases. These suicide rates can be compared to the
general population, which is approximately one percent. prevention of suicide is only one
of the many arguments in favor of early intervention. growing evidence suggests that the
earlier therapy is begun, the better that individuals clinical, functional, and
psychological outcomes.
The longer individuals with serious brain disorders go untreated, the more uncertain
their prospects for long-term recovery become. Recent studies have suggested that early
treatment may lead to better clinical outcomes, while delaying treatment leads to worse
outcomes. For example:
A 1997 study from California (Wyatt et. al.) compared people with schizophrenia who
received psychotherapy alone (89 patients) versus those who received antipsychotic
medications (92 patients); those who received medications had much better outcomes three
and seven years later. 
A 1998 study from England (Hopkins et. al.) revealed that delusions and hallucinations
among patients suffering from psychosis increased in severity the longer treatment was
withheld from the time of the initial psychotic break (51 patients were included in the
study). 
A 1994 study from New York (Liebeman et. al.) showed that the longer a patient waited to
receive treatment for a psychotic episode, the longer it took to get the illness into
remission (70 patients were included in the study). 
A 1998 study from Italy (Tondo et. al.) demonstrated that the sooner patients were
started on lithium for their manic-depressive illness, the greater their improvement
became (317 patients participated in the study). 
Fiscal Costs:
Schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness are expensive diseases. A recent study found
that the cost of schizophrenia alone was comparable to the cost of arthritis or coronary
artery disease (D.J. Kupfer and F.E. Bloom, eds., Psychopharmacology:
The Fourth Generation of Progress, 1995):
schizophrenia costs $33 billion per year; 
arthritis costs $38 billion per year; and 
coronary artery disease costs $43 billion per year. 
The costs included both direct costs of treatment as well as indirect costs such as lost
productivity.
Federal Benefits:
A significant percentage of government income benefits also go to people with severe
mental illnesses. For example: 
Fifteen percent of Medicaid recipients have a serious psychiatric disorder; 
Thirty-one percent of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients have a serious
psychiatric disorder; 
Twenty-six percent of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients have a
serious psychiatric disorder; 
Thirteen percent of those receiving VA disability benefits have a serious psychiatric
disorder. 
Schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness are thus major contributors to the escalating
costs of state and federal programs.
Incarceration and Related Costs
It is a mistake to think that money is saved overall by not treating individuals with
severe psychiatric disorders. Individuals who are untreated for their illness cost money
by being incarcerated. For example, the total annual cost for these illnesses in jails
and prisons is estimated by the Department of Justice Source Book on Criminal Justice
Statistics (1996) to be $8.5 billion (based on an estimated cost of $50,000 per ill
inmate per year, and 170,000 individuals with serious psychiatric disorders being
incarcerated.) 
Adding to this expense are court costs, police costs, social services costs, and
ambulance and emergency room costs. A study of schizophrenia costs in England reported
that 97 percent of direct costs are incurred by less than half the patients and concluded
that treatments which reduce the dependence and disability of those most severely
affected by schizophrenia are likely to have a large effect on the total cost of the
disease to society and may, therefore, be cost-effective, even though they appear
expensive initially. (Davies and Drummond, British Journal of Psychiatry, 165 (Suppl.
25): 18-21, 1994).
When calculating the fiscal costs of untreated severe psychiatric disorders, intangible
costs must also be included: the deterioration of public transportation facilities, loss
of use of public parks, disruption of public libraries, and losses due to suicide. The
largest intangible cost, of course, is the effect on the family.
In summary, severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and manic-depressive
illness are costly three times over: Society must raise and educate the individual
destined to become afflicted; people with the illnesses are often unable to contribute
economically to society; and many require costly services from society for the rest of
their lives.