SCHIZOPHRENIA

PRESENTATION BY: MACKENZIE SOUCHON

AN INTRO TO SCHIZOPHRENIA

 Schizophrenia Definition
 A mental disorder with symptoms that include disturbances in thought, perception, and behavior, such as hallucinations,
disorganized speech, and delusions, lack of emotional response, and a loss of everyday function

 Psychotic Disorder
 Delusions and perception issues paired with abnormal thinking
CAUSES

 Not a definitive reason

 Genetics
 Issues with neurotransmitters for dopamine and glutamate
 People diagnosed have differences in brain structure and the central nervous system
 Stressors in childhood—physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
 Drug abuse
WARNING SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Warning Signs Symptoms

 Lack of socialization
 Infrequently or not at all bathing, changing, or
brushing teeth
 Obsession with religion or the supernatural
 Involuntary movements or expressions
 Auditory hallucinations
 Hallucinations (auditory or visual)
 Paranoia
 Unable to speak
 Loss of expression
 Loss of the feeling of pleasure
 Confused or disorganized speech or thinking
 Issues with concentration, attention, and memory
HEALTH RISKS

Social and Physical Mental

 Withdrawal from others response  Fear  Hallucinations

 Inappropriate behaviors  Self-harm  Paranoia  Anger

 Unable to conduct  Lack of restraint  Depression  Anxiety

normal activities (work,  Delusions  Lack of empathy
 Repetitive movements
school, etc.)
 Amnesia
 Disorganized behaviors
 Lack of motor  Belief that thoughts are
function/control  Violent behavior being watched
 Lack of emotional  Suicide  Disorientation
BEHIND THE CURTAIN—A COMBINATION

Physiology Psychology
 Abnormal neurotransmitters for dopamine and  Extremely stressful or emotional event in
serotonin development
 Decrease in function in the glutamate (signaling)
 Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
systems
 Malfunctions in the limbic (emotion and drive control)  Drug abuse (especially psysochactive drugs) as a
system teen or young adult
 Genetics—Close relation with another schizophrenic
increases the odds
 Multigenetic—Many genes relate to the disorder
 Pregnancy/birth complications (malnutrition/toxin
exposure/viruses)
TREATMENT AND RESOURCES
Treatment
 Medication—antipsychotics and those which affect
neurotransmitters
 Individual, group, and family theory
 Training on communication and social skills
 Preparation for finding and keeping jobs
 Daily living support (in-home nurse)
 Hospitalization for times of extreme symptoms
 Electroconvulsive therapy
Local and National Resources
 Dr. Timothy A. Lines—specialized in persistent mental illnesses such
as schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression
 (317) 963-7300 (Office number)
 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)—provides support for
those with mental illnesses and the families of those who have
mental illnesses, available at Johnson Memorial Hospital
 http://www.nami.org
 Aepios—An online community monitored by doctors that acts a
support group for a variety of mental illnesses, including
schizophrenia
 http://www.aepios.com/support-groups/schizophrenia-support-group/
 Sovereign Health Group—Hotline in the US for schizophrenia
support
 (949) 344-2874
STATISTICS, FUN FACTS, AND MYTHS
Statistics
 1% of the world population is diagnosed with
schizophrenia
 1.2% of the US is diagnosed with schizophrenia
 If one twin develops schizophrenia, the other has a
40% to 50% of developing it as well
 One of the top 15 reasons for disability worldwide
 4.9% of schizophrenics commit suicide
 Schizophrenia is more prevalent in men
 Men can develop symptoms earlier
 Rates are equal across races
Fun Facts and Myths
 Fun Facts
 In Criminal Minds, Dr. Spencer Reid’s mother, Diana Reid,
suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and resides in a mental
institution.
 Nicotine is the most common drug addiction among
schizophrenics
 Myths
 “Schizophrenia makes people into violent killers.” People
with schizophrenia are more likely to harm themselves
than others.
 “Having schizophrenia means you have split personalities.”
They are completely unrelated; schizophrenics suffer from
delusions that can alter personality.
REAL PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA
 Kurt Snyder
 Severe symptoms appearing at 28
 Developed over 9 years
 Began to think of fantasy land instead of reality
 Began to obsess over fractals and infinity constantly, to the
point he failed his classes
 At 22, thought that someone was going to kill him while at
a cabin with family
 Suffered two more episodes that year
 At 27, developed the thought that a mysterious ‘they’ was
watching him constantly and blamed ‘them’ for
inconveniences and problems for years
 At 28, after reality shifted sharply, Snyder finally started
taking medication and seeing a therapist
 Managed to recover, and currently works at a volunteer fire
department
 Elyn Saks
 Law professor at University of Southern California
 Experienced periods of disorganization since
childhood
 Connections difficult to make
 At 16, experienced episodes of psychosis, thought
houses were talking to her
 Repeated psychotic episodes in college
 Delusions (thoughts she could kill people with her
thoughts), hallucinations (spiders on the walls), and
confused thoughts
 Still has periods of psychosis, but can identify when
they are false
 Occasionally has psychosis for three or four days in
a row, usually a response to a certain stressor
CITATIONS

 Kirkpatrick, Brian. “Understanding the Physiology of Schizophrenia.” Psychlopedia/Understanding the Physiology of

Schizophrenia, www.cmeinstitute.com/Psychlopedia/Pages/psychosis/5cpem/sec2/section.aspx.
 “Schizophrenia.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 10 Apr. 2018,
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354443.
 “Schizophrenia and Dangerous Behaviour.” Living With Schizophrenia, Living With Schizophrenia,
www.livingwithschizophreniauk.org/advice-sheets/schizophrenia-and-dangerous-behaviour/.
 “Schizophrenia.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/schizophrenia.
QUESTIONS

 What are four of the common symptoms of

schizophrenia?
 What are four signs of schizophrenia?
 Describe a physical risk of schizophrenia.
 How does schizophrenia affect the sufferer’s social
life?
 Why might schizophrenia develop?
ANSWERS

 Hallucinations (auditory or visual), paranoia, unable to

speak, loss of expression
 Lack of socialization, infrequently or not at all bathing,
changing, or brushing teeth, obsession with religion or
the supernatural, involuntary movements or expressions
 People with schizophrenia are more likely to self harm
and exhibit suicidal tendencies.
 Schizophrenia often causes one to become withdrawn
and anti-social.
 Genetics, issues with neurotransmitters for dopamine
and serotonin, certain stressors