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Schizophrenia
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here. Those without PowerPoint can view the information in pdf format here.
Schizophrenia, a "psychotic" disorder, is characterized by severe disturbances in perception,
thought, mood, and/or behavior. While the causes of schizophrenia are uncertain, there are
biological, psychological, environmental and genetic factors associated with the condition. For
example, brain abnormalities, brain chemistry changes, viruses, substance abuse and family
history appear to affect a person's vulnerability for developing schizophrenia. Schizophrenia has
received much attention with the story of John Nash, a Nobel Prize winning mathematician who
suffers from the condition. His story was highlighted in the movie, "Beautiful Mind," and PBS'
"American Experience" also used his story in its production of "A Brilliant Madness" (O).
As of 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), a reference
book recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, identifies schizophrenia as a spectrum
disorder, which means some individuals may suffer from extreme symptoms while others may
suffer from milder symptoms. Prior to the re-writing of the DSM-V, schizophrenia was
categorized into five types.
Schizophrenia is a condition marked by very unique symptoms that can drastically alter a
patient's everyday life, as well as significantly impact friends, family members, and other
individuals who interact with the patient. Symptoms can be positive, which means a behavior,
emotion, perception, or other hallmark is present but should not be. A traditional example of a
positive symptom is hearing a voice that no one else hears. Symptoms can also be negative,
which means a behavior, emotion, perception, or other hallmark should be present but is missing.
A hallmark example illustrating a negative symptom is a person attending a funeral or similar
somber event who is not exhibiting sadness when doing so would ordinarily seem appropriate.
Some of the symptoms an individual with schizophrenia may experience include:
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Hallucinations: perceptions that are experienced only by the patient, such as hearing
voices inside the head, seeing images that aren't present. Jarrad Wale has compiled an
auditory YouTube media clip featuring sounds patients have described of their auditory
hallucinations (O).
Delusions: beliefs experienced by the patient that do not reflect reality, such as a belief
that the patient is being tracked and chased by the police without real reason. Mental
Help Net offers a few more details on delusions
Disorganized thinking and speech: the patient thinks and speaks in ways that do not
make sense to others. A YouTube video highlights this symptom, showing how
"William" speaks (O).
Echolalia and echopraxia: A patient who involuntarily mimics speech is engaging in
echolalia. A patient who involuntarily mimics movement is engaging in echopraxia.
Echopraxia can be viewed as part of a longer archived video about schizophrenia via
HistoricFilms.com: to find the specific 1:50-minute clip about echopraxia, forward to one
hour 30 minutes (1:30:00) remaining (O). The 1938 film features hospitalized
individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia; they are blindfolded or wearing masks to
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protect their privacy. Echolalia and echopraxia are also symptoms associated with autism
and Tourette Syndrome.
Disturbances in emotion: A patient may exhibit a lack of emotion that might be
expected on a particular occasion, such as failing to appear sad at a close family
member's or friend's funeral. A patient may also exhibit inappropriate emotions, such as
laughter at a funeral. Emotion in this sense is often referred to as "affect." To use the term
in a sentence: The main displayed inappropriate affect when he couldn't stop laughing at
the scene of the fatal car accident.
Healthguru.net features an Illumistream video, "What is Schizophrenia?" which provides further
insight on what schizophrenia may look like (R). For a little more information on, "Diagnosing
and Treating Schizophrenia," travel again to the healthguru.net for another Illumistream video
(O).
Sometimes learning about a person's direct experiences with schizophrenia can aid in
understanding the disorder. Please view at least one of the below websites, all of which provide
examples of how the condition impacts real people (R--choose at least one of the below links).
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My Life with Schizophrenia - Law professor Elyn Saks tells her story via CNN
You can read Maurizio Baldini's story, Alison's story, or Janice Jordan's story to find
how others experience the disease (originally provided for Internet Mental Health)
Like John Nash, some who suffer from schizophrenia find solace in art. Tom Harrell, a
jazz musician, suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. If you can view video with your
computer, you can watch a PBS interview with Tom Harrell
Pamela Spiro Wagner is a poet and person suffering from schizophrenia. She and her
twin sister, Carolyn Spiro, describe their unique experiences struggling with the disorder
in their book, Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia.
You can read an excerpt of the book at amazon.com (click "Look Inside")
As evidenced in Blair's pieces, artwork created by those with schizophrenia is often very
"busy," and frequently features an eye or many eyes as central viewpoints. Linda
Carmella Sibio is another artist suffering from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia.org shows artwork created by Louis Wain, whose schizophrenia
development over his lifetime can be witnessed in his artwork