Schizophrenia, A Strange And Terrifying Journey - 1247 Words

Schizophrenia Kathreen Perez 3/6/17 Heeb, 3 You need to get in text citations throughout this paper Paranoia, hallucinations, emotional withdrawal - . fFor victims of schizophrenia everyday life is a strange and terrifying journey. Schizophrenia shatters people’s ability to feel, to communicate, to understand or interact with the everyday world. The symptoms represent what we know best about the disease however no one knows exactly why it strikes, who the next victim will be and how to reverse its life ruining effects. Schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain affecting how one acts, thinks and sees the world around them. Persons with schizophrenia have an altered perception of reality and may see or here things†¦show more content†¦Many people get it confused with a different disorder called Multiple Personality Disorder however it is a completely different disorder. While no one knows the true cause of schizophrenia, experts speculate that a combination of genetics and environmental causes are at play, the environmental factor being experiences from the womb and outside stimuli during childhood. One clue to the cause of schizophrenia is that the majority of antipsychotic medication that improves symptoms block the dopamine receptor D2 which reduces dopamine levels in neurons. This suggests that schizophrenia has something to do with increased levels of dopamine. These medications are not universally nor completely effective and don’t work for everyone with schizophrenia which adds to the confusion. This means that there’s probably more to do than the D2 receptors. Interestingly one of the most effective drugs, Clozapine, is a weak D2 antagonist suggesting that other nerve transmitter systems like norepinephrine and serotonin and GABA are involved. Twins studies support for a genetic basis as well, even though there haven t been any specific gene conclusively linked to schizophrenia yet. Finally another important set of clues involving the epidemiology is that schizophrenia happens more to men than with women with onset in the mid twenties for men while late twenties for women. Also the clinical signs for schizophrenia are less severe for women. This difference may be dueShow MoreRelatedDissociative Identity Disorder2158 Words   |  9 Pageshaving schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder. Schizophrenia and Dissociative Identity Disorder are usually the two disorders who are most of the time misinterpreted with each other. The reason being it because people w ho do not get informed usually believe that these two disorders suffer from the same mental confusion, but they are wrong. Schizophrenia causes the victims to hear and imagine things which they themselves know is not part of themselves. For example victims that suffer from schizophrenia may