Chance Ogden Health II Presentation Script. The Topic that I am - PDF document

Chance Ogden Health II Presentation Script. The Topic that I am going to present is schizophrenia, an illness that is characterized by a breakdown in thought, emotion, and behavior which leads to delusional and irregular thoughts, perceptions, and actions. In order to better understand the illness, one should have a general understanding of the history behind the illness. The Ancient Egyptians had an advanced understanding of medicine for their time, and had recorded the various symptoms and ailments of their patients. In an Egyptian medical document known as the Ebers Papyrus, which dates back as far as 1550 B.C, many symptoms of schizophrenia are believed to have been described and recorded within a certain portion of its contents. This document is believed to be one of the earliest accounts of schizophrenia. Accounts of various mental illnesses are very prevalent throughout antiquity. Many patients suffering from a mental illness were incorrectly diagnosed with madness or demonic possession, and were often neglected, treated improperly, and thrown in insane asylums. Those suffering from a mental illness like schizophrenia were no exception, and were treated the same way. Methods of treatment for the mentally ill were inadequate, and included extremely dangerous procedures such as drilling holes into the patient’s skull, water boarding them, or performing exorcisms. The first person to classify the illness as a mental disorder was the German physician known as Emile Kraepelin. His research was imperfect, but it was the cornerstone of an accurate diagnosis of schizophrenia, and would pave the way for later researchers. The Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler was first person to coin the term schizophrenia,

which means split mind in Greek. The term schizophrenia is meant to convey that schizophrenics have a split perception between personality, thinking, and perception, rather than to imply that they have a split or multiple personalities, which is an entirely different mental illness. Eugen Bleuler divided the symptoms of schizophrenia into two different categories: Positive and Negative Symptoms. As you can see in this self-portrait, schizophrenics have a distorted sense of reality and perception. Schizophrenia can be defined as mental illness characterized by strange or delusional thinking, hallucinations, paranoia, and poor emotional responses and behaviors. Schizophrenia has always been and continues to be a mysterious illness, but scientists and researchers are hard at work in understanding the symptoms of this illness. The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into two categories: positive and negative symptoms. The positive symptoms include the dangerous and more psychotic parts that are exclusive to a schizoph renic’s mind, while the negative symptoms are those that may also be present in a healthy mind, but to a much higher degree. The positive symptoms include hallucinations, paranoia, the four types of delusions, disorganized speech and thinking, and various other dangerous disorders. The negative symptoms may include a decreased ability to adequately participate in social and emotional situations. As seen here, this schizophrenic is visually hallucinating that a man is looking back at him in the mirror, but in reality, it is all in his mind. Hallucinations are arguably the most frightening part of a schizophrenic’s existence. A hallucination is a sound or other sensation that is experienced, but only in the persons mind, and is not a part of reality. Mos t schizophrenic’s experience auditory hallucinations the most out of all their five senses and this can include imaginary voices that are most often abusive, violent, and usually occur when the schizophrenic

is in a solitary situation. All five of the schi zophrenic’s senses are at the whims of the hallucination’s that make their life incredibly frightening. The true cause of these hallucinations is still a mystery. Delusional thinking is a common symptom of schizophrenia. The four types of delusions are: grandeur, persecution, reference, and control. A delusion is a belief that is believed to be true, but is considered false by others due to evidence or claims from others that contradict the belief. The delusion of grandeur is the belief that one is an important or historical figure. The delusion of persecution is the belief that something is out to get them. the delusion of reference is the belief that a normal event or object in the world specifically happened or was made for them. The delusion of control is the belief that one’s thoughts and actions are being controlled by outside forces Disorganized Speech and Behavior is another harrowing part of a schizophrenic’s life. The speech of one inflicted with the illness involves the use of perseveration, or the repletion of statements and words with rapid, often incoherent shifting between various topics. These vary same topics can also include the unnecessary use of clang, or words that rhyme. This can also include neologisms, or words or phrases that are made up by the schizophrenic and only have meaning to them. The disorganized behaviors of schizophrenia involve a lack of impulse control and a lack of appropriate emotional responses. The negative symptoms of schizophrenia are those that may be experienced by a healthy individual, but that schizophrenics experience to a much higher degree. This can include flat facial expressions along with a dull or monotonous voice, an inability to sustain friendships, difficulty maintaining a conversation , and a lack of social and emotional expression. Abnormal activity in the brain could very well be a cause of schizophrenia . The Frontal

Lobe, responsible for controlling reasoning and speech, has a reduced level of activity and blood flow. The temporal lobes are responsible for hearing, memory, and speech perception, and are seen here as also having reduced levels of activity. This is one of the theories on the causes of the symptoms of the illness. While it is still a mysterious illness, researchers are closer than ever at discovering the true cause of schizophrenia. The following are possible genetic and neurochemical causes of schizophrenia. The deletion of the 22nd human chromosome, the chromosome responsible for allowing the brain to produce important chemicals that assist with functioning skills, may lead to deficient neural activity, thus leading to schizophrenia. Schizophrenia can be passed down through families and those who have a close relative with schizophrenia are more likely to develop the illness. An imbalance in neurotransmitters known as dopamine and glutamate, substances in the brain that allow communication between cells, may lead to many of the symptoms of schizophrenia. Although the positive symptoms of schizophrenia are often associated with areas of the brain such as the frontal and temporal lobes, as well as the hippocampus, it is believed that no one region of the brain is responsible for the illness. Schizophrenia may also be caused by various environmental influences. Fluid filled cavities in the brain called ventricles are larger in a schizophrenic brain than in a non- schizophrenic brain, which can result in deficient brain development. Prenatal complications such as viral infections and malnutrition, and other stressors can also increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Substance Abuse can cause faulty brain development to occur, which may also lead to the symptoms of schizophrenia. Although schizophrenia is currently an incurable illness, it is possible to receive help and

medication to manage the symptoms and live a happy life. This can be accomplished with the following methods of treatment. Antipsychotic, antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications are very useful in treating the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. The negative symptoms can be treated through educating loved ones about the illness and attending different types of therapy sessions in order to find ways to live with schizophrenia and live a happy fulfilling life. The following are some common myths and facts about schizophrenia. It is a common misconception that schizophrenia is a rare illness, in reality, the illness is much more common than people realize, with 1 out of 100 people in the United States, or 3.5 million people that have been diagnosed with the illness. Another misconception is that Schizophrenics are dangerous people, this is false however. With help and proper care, a schizophrenic can lead a peaceful, nonviolent life. Schizophrenics are also sometimes believed to have a split or multitude or personalities, this is an incorrect notion. Schizophrenics are merely split off from reality and normal behavior. That concludes my presentation, thank you for watching.