Schizophrenia

What is Schizophrenia?

A chronic brain disorder that impairs one’s perception of thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and even responses to senses including vision and auditory.

Important statistics (as of 2018):


Who’s affected?
Both genders, from late teens to early thirties, with males predominantly showing earlier symptoms than females

Risk factors?

1. A group of suspected genes is believed to be associated with increased risk of developing schizophrenia
2. Synergistic effects of genetic, inheritance and environmental factors since not tall patients with familial schizophrenia history develop the same disease.
3. Prenatal malnutrition that causes faulty early development.
4. Fast-paced puberty phase which contributes to faulty brain development.

What are the symptoms?

1. Positive symptoms
   a. Delusions: false perceptions of reality, e.g. believing something that is not real.
   b. Hallucinations: seeing or hearing things that are unreal.
   c. Rambled thoughts: inferred from disorganized speech patterns that couldn't be understood.
   d. Abnormal motor behaviors: unpredictable behavioral responses, e.g.  intuitive/meaningless/excessive movements
   
2. Negative symptoms
   a. Reduced facial expressions: e.g. speaks monotonously
   b. Difficulty starting and sustaining activity: because they lack goal-based behavior initiation.
   c. Reduced speaking: as one loses interest and pleasure from daily activity; social withdrawal
   
3. Cognitive symptoms
   a. Poor information processing and decision-making ability
   b. Lost focus or have trouble paying attention
   c. Reduced working memory ability, i.e. applying skills immediately after learning it. 

What could schizophrenia lead to if left untreated?

1. Suicide/suicidal thoughts
2. Anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
3. Depression
4. Drug/alcohol abuse
5. Social withdrawal
6. Reduced academic/work performance

References

1. National Institute of Mental Health. (2018, May). Schizophrenia. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia.shtml

2. National Institute of Mental Health. (2016, February). Schizophrenia. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml

3.Mayo Clinic. Schizophrenia. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354443

4. American Psychiatric Association. (2017, July). Schizophrenia. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia