Research Paper: Schizophrenia

Name
Course
Institution
Professor
Date
Schizophrenia
There are so many psychological disorders affecting people from all walks of life. A psychological disorder, similarly known as a mental disorder may be defined as a pattern of psychological or behavioral symptoms that affect different life areas and normally create distress for the person affected. Classification and the diagnosis process for psychological disorders is something of great concern for both mental health providers as well as mental health clients. There has been no single accepted definition of mental disorders though a great number of definitions and classifications based on diagnostic criteria have emerged. Clinicians and health care providers in general use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which was published by the American Psychiatric Association to determine if any given set of behaviors meet the criteria for diagnosis as a psychological disorder. People affected by mental disorders mostly avoid seeking diagnosis for fear of social stigma. Psychological disorders have in the past associated with many causes; some people even see the disorders as a form of a curse. Making a bold step of finding a diagnosis is an essential step in finding a good and effective treatment plan. A diagnosis as may be defined is not just about finding the problem but taking a further step of discovering helpful information and treatments. This paper focuses on the symptoms of Schizophrenia, the most affected group of people and the likely effects of the disorder. Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder characterized by the splitting of thought processes accompanied by a deficit of typical emotional responses. Auditory hallucinations, disorganized thinking and delusions are some of the common symptoms of Schizophrenia CITATION Sco02 \l 1033 (Barbour, 2002). Research shows that, estimated twenty percent of North Americans will be affected by one form of mental illness at one particular time of their lives. Further to this, one out of every hundred Canadian will suffer from Schizophrenia during their lifetime. This statistically means that a great deal of people will be affected by this form of disorder which happens to be very highly misunderstood amongst populations. Schizophrenia is a brain disease which cannot be predicted, it is neither a moral weakness as many may think. One among the many misconceptions about Schizophrenia is that it is a multiple personality disorder. This misconception has greatly contributed to schizophrenic stigma, making life for schizophrenics more difficult. Schizophrenia has been classified as one of the most difficult mental illnesses to live with; this is because of its uncertain causes in addition to how difficult it is to find the right treatment.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
The symptoms of Schizophrenia range in a manner of ways. It is also good to note that not all symptoms will necessarily appear at any given...