Rachel Walker
Rasmussen College
This paper is being submitted on August 31, 2014 for Carol Knight’s G148/PSY1012 Section 01 General Psychology Course. Psychology Research Report- Rough Draft
When one imagines a descent into madness, they often think of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by disturbances in perception, language, thoughts, emotions, and behavior. The term “schizophrenia” was coined in 1908 by Professor Eugen Bleuler. It was derived from the Greek words “schizein” (splitting), and “phren” (soul, spirit, and mind). It was not meant that people with this disorder have split personalities, but rather a splitting from reality itself (Lee, 2011). Schizophrenia has many facets and implications; it is necessary to explore these in order to truly understand this disorder.
People with schizophrenia typically have problems with thinking clearly, managing their feelings, relating to others, and knowing what is “real”. Known as a disorder of young adults, onset of symptoms typically occur between the ages of 16 and 30. It rarely occurs in children under the age of 13, or in adults over the age of 45. Schizophrenia has found to affect both genders and all ethnic groups equally. However, it has been found that men will often experience symptoms earlier than women (Miller & Mason, 2010).
Symptoms of schizophrenia are usually described as either “positive” or “negative”. Positive symptoms are