What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is an unusual mental disorder that effects 0.3-1% of individuals. The term comes from the Greek, schizo meaning “splitting” and phrenia meaning “of the mind”. Therefore the disorder can be literally defined as a split mind. Schizophrenia is a “disabling psychological disorder that can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and abnormal psychomotor behavior” (Light, Hull, Ballantyne 569). Unfortunately schizophrenia is usually a lifelong disorder, causing disability and high risk for suicide.
James Tilly Mathews is considered the first patient to be documented with schizophrenia. He was a former peace activist of the Napoleonic Ware who was admitted to the Bedlam asylum in 1797 for believing …show more content…
With that being individuals who possess this disorder can manage it through psychotherapy and medications, as well some might benefit from biomedical therapies. Psychotherapy was developed by Sigmud Freud, with attempts to increase awareness of unconscious conflicts in order to be able to address and work through them. There have been several psychotherapeutic approaches to schizophrenia but cognitive behavior therapy has shown the most positive evidence for symptom reduction. Cognitive behavioral therapy requires clients to confront and resist their illogical thinking. In combination with therapy psychotropic medication can be very helpful in treating psychological disorders and their symptoms as well. These kind of medications are able to alter perception, moods, behaviors, and other symptoms of the disorder. The drug most associated with those who have schizophrenia is Antipsychotic drugs. Antipsychotic drugs are designed to “block neurotransmitter receptors”( Light, Hull, Ballantyne 609), basically normalizing biochemical imbalances. There are two types of antipsychotics, traditional and atypical. Traditional effectively control hallucinations and delusions of schizophrenia. Although both types are effective in treating the same symptoms, atypical antipsychotics seem to be more effective in that they are able to suppress the negative and positive symptoms of
James Tilly Mathews is considered the first patient to be documented with schizophrenia. He was a former peace activist of the Napoleonic Ware who was admitted to the Bedlam asylum in 1797 for believing …show more content…
With that being individuals who possess this disorder can manage it through psychotherapy and medications, as well some might benefit from biomedical therapies. Psychotherapy was developed by Sigmud Freud, with attempts to increase awareness of unconscious conflicts in order to be able to address and work through them. There have been several psychotherapeutic approaches to schizophrenia but cognitive behavior therapy has shown the most positive evidence for symptom reduction. Cognitive behavioral therapy requires clients to confront and resist their illogical thinking. In combination with therapy psychotropic medication can be very helpful in treating psychological disorders and their symptoms as well. These kind of medications are able to alter perception, moods, behaviors, and other symptoms of the disorder. The drug most associated with those who have schizophrenia is Antipsychotic drugs. Antipsychotic drugs are designed to “block neurotransmitter receptors”( Light, Hull, Ballantyne 609), basically normalizing biochemical imbalances. There are two types of antipsychotics, traditional and atypical. Traditional effectively control hallucinations and delusions of schizophrenia. Although both types are effective in treating the same symptoms, atypical antipsychotics seem to be more effective in that they are able to suppress the negative and positive symptoms of