Schizophrenia - Mental Health Disorders

Schizophrenia

The National Institute of Mental Health in its pamphlet entitled Schizophrenia: Questions and Answers estimates that at least two million Americans suffer from the disabling symptoms of schizophrenia. The economic costs of the disease, in terms of patient care and lost productivity, are now estimated to run as high as $20 billion a year.

Schizophrenia, according to the NIMH, can be one psychotic disorder or many different disorders. To be psychotic means to be out of touch with reality, or unable to separate real from unreal experiences. There are several degrees of schizophrenia, ranging from mild schizophrenic disorder (paranoia) to severe chronic, deteriorating schizophrenia. People with mild schizophrenia have infrequent psychotic episodes and can lead relatively normal lives during the interim periods. Chronic schizophrenics, on the other hand, tend to suffer from prolonged depression, personality problems, fatigue, mental derangement, or hallucinations. They usually cannot lead normal lives and require long-term treatment, which often necessitates institutionalization and controlled medication to alleviate the symptoms. Some schizophrenics suffer from hallucinations or sense things that in reality do not exist, such as hearing voices.

Another group of schizophrenics experiences delusions, or false personal beliefs that are not subject to reason or contradictory evidence. These people feel they are being persecuted, watched, or followed by their neighbors, or they have delusions of grandeur. Another class of schizophrenics suffers from disordered thinking. They may not be able to think clearly, or may experience thoughts which they cannot control. Schizophrenics also sometimes exhibit what is called “inappropriate affect”–that is, they show emotions which are inconsistent with their own speech or thoughts. For example, schizophrenics may say they are being persecuted by demons and then laugh. Some may also exhibit prolonged extremes of elation or depression. In these cases, the National Institute of Mental Health urges physicians to determine whether the patient is schizophrenic or suffering from bipolar disorder.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health's pamphlet Useful Information on Paranoia , paranoid schizophrenia is characterized by suspiciousness (or mistrust) that is either highly exaggerated or not warranted at all. Extreme paranoid schizophrenics often experience bizarre delusions or hallucinations. They may claim to hear voices that others cannot hear, or believe that their thoughts are being controlled or broadcast aloud. In contrast, people with milder paranoid disorders may experience delusions of persecution or delusional jealousy, but not hallucinations. These people can usually live a relatively normal existence because, apart from occasional delusions, their thinking remains clear and orderly.

Causes of Schizophrenia.     Scientists do not know precisely what causes schizophrenia. It was once thought that dysfunctional family relationships caused the disorder. Recently, genetic scientists have speculated that schizophrenia is hereditary. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health seems to indicate it is not. As related in the March 22, 1990 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, scientists used sophisticated scanning devices to examine the brain structure of 15 pairs of identical twins (one schizophrenic, the other normal) and discovered subtle anatomical differences. In the mentally ill twins, the fluid-filled brain cavities called ventricles were consistently found to be enlarged, indicating that the tissue had either shrunk or developed abnormally. Regions of the brain responsible for thinking, memory, concentration, decision-making, and higher mental abilities were also abnormally smaller in the schizophrenic twins. Since the genetic material of identical twins is identical molecule for molecule, researchers concluded that the development of the illness must be nongenetic. It is not known whether schizophrenia is caused by a virus, chemical exposure to a toxin, or a metabolic defect, although some experts postulate that it could be partially induced by complications during birth or due to a head injury.

Whatever the origin of the disorder, scientists agree that altered brain structure and chemistry play a role in schizophrenia. For this reason, holistic physicians usually give schizophrenic patients a complete physical examination, including laboratory tests, to determine the underlying cause (or causes) of their specific disorder.