Mental Disorders: The Role Of Schizophrenia In Hollywood And The Media

766 Words4 Pages
Schizophrenia Through the works of Hollywood and the media, schizophrenia has been blown out of portion and forever over-dramatized. Schizophrenia, commonly confused with Dissociative Identity Disorder, is a severe mental disorder characterized by disturbances in thinking, language, emotion, and relationships (Lilienfeld, 2011). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately one percent of Americans have a diagnosis of schizophrenia (as cited in Richard & Brahm, 2012). Research has shown men and women are equally at risk for this disease, as well as there is no proof of difference between races and cultures. When people hear the term schizophrenia, “insane” and “delirious” may come to mind. With psychotherapy and…show more content…
Positive symptoms are extra feelings. Hallucinations, delusions, thought and movement disorders are common positive symptoms of schizophrenia (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Behaviors that are not typically seen in healthy people are considered positive symptoms. These symptoms range from mild to severe and can come and go. Hallucinations are audio, visual and sensations that no one else hears, sees, or feels (NIMH, 2009). The most common hallucination for schizophrenia sufferers are audio hallucinations. Many hear “voices”, some in which directly talk to the sufferer, and some in which talk to each other. Another example is the feeling of insects crawling underneath the persons’ skin, or seeing objects that are not there. Delusions are false beliefs that have no basis in reality (Lilienfeld, 2011). People with schizophrenia can have bizarre delusions. They may believe someone is trying to kill them, or that they are secretly a spy for the government. Disorganized speech is another symptom that occurs. Disorganized speech is when the person jumps from topic to topic rapidly. Their speech may become garbled and hard to…show more content…
Little interest in activities, trouble to complete planned task, and “flat face” ( facial feature have little movement) are negative symptoms. People who display these symptoms usually need help with basic life tasks like personal hygiene. Very often, these symptoms are diagnosed as depression (NIMH, 2009). Cognitive symptoms are as hard to diagnose as negative symptoms. People with schizophrenia may suffer trouble focusing and paying attention, poor decision making, and memory problems (NIMH, 2009). Cognitive symptoms can cause a great amount of emotional distress. Schizophrenia is highly genetic (Lilienfeld, 2011). Scientist has long known that schizophrenia runs in families (NIMH, 2009). Scientist seem to believe there are several genes associated with schizophrenia, but they have not found one gene that causes the disorder by itself (NIMH, 2009). Researchers have found people with schizophrenia have a higher rate of genetic mutations as well (NIMH, 2009). Brain abnormalities have been found in schizophrenia sufferers. Larger ventricles, fluid-filled cavities in center of brain, have been found in some people who have schizophrenia (NIMH, 2009). It is reported that there is decreased activity in the amygdala, frontal lobe and hippocampus as well (Lilienfeld,
Open Document