Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects a person’s thinking ability, perception of reality, and language.

People who have Schizophrenia perceive and interpret reality abnormally. Some of the symptoms of this condition are hallucinations, delusion, disorganized speech, failure to express emotions, and disorganized behaviour (Gottesman et al., 1982). People with Schizophrenia require long-term treatment to contain the effects. The onset of this mental condition mainly occurs between 15 years and 35 years among both men and women, with very few people experiencing an initial episode past the age of 55 years (Thompson et al., 2004). 

Pragmatic Skills in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Reading of the excerpts has provided an important insight into the life that Schizophrenia patients experience. The excerpts have helped me understand how the condition impacts a patient’s life from the onset and in subsequent stages of the disorder.  This has played a vital role in helping one understand how symptoms such as delusion and social exclusions have affected families, especially during the initial stages of Schizophrenia when no one in the family has an idea if the affected person has any medical condition. The reading has also provided an insight into the symptoms associated with different stages of Schizophrenia. This has helped me understand the various signs that people should look out for, which are critical in diagnosing this mental disorder. The information provided is also essential in helping one understand how to differentiate Schizophrenia from other conditions that may exhibit similar symptoms. The materials have also helped shed some light on the potential causes of Schizophrenia. The excerpts have shed light on various treatment procedures that a patient can be given to eliminating some of the effects of the condition. From reading the provided materials, I have understood that even the families of the patients need family therapy which will help them eliminate unrealistic expectations of the Schizophrenia patients. The therapy also plays a critical role in educating the families to avoid expressing high emotions towards the patients, which may lead to relapse once a patient has returned home. 

During the reading, I liked how case study examples have been used to help the reader get a clearer picture of how Schizophrenia manifests in patients. In one example of a case study, a patient named Edward explains to his mother how he had seen two people arguing violently on the sidewalk in front of their house. The incident represented the beginning of world war II. This example paints a true picture of how delusional a schizophrenia patient can be. Another thing that I liked when reading the excerpts because the authors have described how the mental condition has affected people by using real-life examples and experiences that are true and have been sampled from actual reports of people who have experienced Schizophrenia. 

Health Care – What would I do?

It was quite surprising for me to learn that some of the schizophrenia patients are aware that their usual self is changing but can do nothing to reverse it. In one example in the excerpts, one patient who had Schizophrenia says that “I felt distinctly different from my usual self.” It’s fascinating how one can know the onset of their mental disorder yet have absolutely no control of their mind. 

Reading the materials has helped me change my perspective towards people who have Schizophrenia. From the society that we have grown in, some of the people suffering from this condition have been viewed as dangerous both to themselves and to other people due to their erratic behaviours. Reading these materials has helped me understand that they are just normal people suffering from a treatable condition and need to be helped. Reading the materials has also helped me understand that Schizophrenia patients should be treated with respect and the dignity they deserve despite not being in a stable mental state. This new perspective has motivated me to take steps in helping the people who suffer from schizophrenia conditions in my locality and help sensitize other people about the condition. 

Personal Reflection

Conclusion

Schizophrenia has been observed to have serious effects on a patient’s well-being. For this reason, attention needs to be paid to diagnosing and treating people who may be suffering from this condition. Understanding the condition is critical to helping the affected people and sensitizing others on handling schizophrenia patients.

BIM302 Assignment Answer Sheet

References

Gottesman, I. I., Shields, J., & Hanson, D. R. (1982). Schizophrenia. CUP Archive. 

Thompson, J. L., Pogue-Geile, M. F., & Grace, A. A. (2004). Developmental pathology, dopamine, and stress: a model for the age of onset of schizophrenia symptoms. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 30(4), 875-900.