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Schizophrenia is a Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a complex and puzzling illness. Even the experts are not sure exactly what causes it. Some doctors think that the brain may not be able to process information correctly. There are structural and chemical abnormalities that cause the brains of people with schizophrenia to get overloaded by too much information from the outside world. People without schizophrenia usually filter out unneeded information, for example, the sound of a train whistle in the background or a dog barking next door. People with schizophrenia, however, cannot always filter out this extra information.
One possible cause of schizophrenia may be heredity, or genetics. Experts think that some people inherit a tendency to schizophrenia. Research shows that the disorder tends to run in families, but only among blood relatives. People who have family members with schizophrenia may be more likely to get the disease themselves. If both biologic parents have schizophrenia, there is nearly a 40 % chance that their child will get into.
This happens even if the child is adopted and raised by mentally healthy adults. In people who have an identical twin with schizophrenia, the chance of schizophrenia developing is almost 50 %. Children whose biologic parents are mentally healthy, even if their adoptive parents have schizophrenia, have about a 1 % chance of getting the disease. General population 1 %, Brother or sister has schizophrenia 8 %, One parent has schizophrenia 12 %, Fraternal twin has schizophrenia 14 %, Both parents have schizophrenia 39 %, Identical twin has schizophrenia 47 % Schizophrenia is not passed on directly, like eye or hair color. Other conditions are necessary because other factors are involved. Some researchers believe that events in a persons environment trigger schizophrenia.
Some studies have shown that influenza infection or improper nutrition during pregnancy and complications during birth may increase the risk that the baby will develop schizophrenia later in life. Many researchers believe schizophrenia is likely caused by a complex combination of gene and environmental factors. Certain people are born with a tendency to develop the disease. But the disease only appears if these people are exposed to unusual stresses or traumas. People with schizophrenia may have a chemical imbalance in the brain. They may either be very sensitive or produce too much of a substance called dopamine.
Dopamine is one of several brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that allow nerve cells to send messages to each other. Researchers have found several types of dopamine receptors in different parts of the brain. Other neurotransmitters and their receptors also may be affected in people with schizophrenia. Researchers have used techniques to show the differences between the brains of people with schizophrenia and those of healthy people.
Specialized tests that produce images of the inside of the brain show differences in the size and shape of certain brain structures in people with schizophrenia compared with those of healthy people. For example, in people with schizophrenia there is enlargement of the ventricles. There is a decrease in the size of the part called the hippocampus. Other tests have shown that in the brains of people with schizophrenia there is less activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that controls thought and higher mental functions. You may be wondering if there is a treatment for this disease. Schizophrenia is usually treated with antipsychotic medication.
Some people with schizophrenia also benefit from counseling and rehabilitation. They may need to go to the hospital during an acute (small) attack. The goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms during acute attacks and to help prevent relapses. At this time there is no cure for schizophrenia. Antipsychotic medications (also called neuroleptic's) are very effective in controlling the symptoms of schizophrenia. These medications first became available in the mid- 1950 s.
They have greatly improved the lives of thousands of people. Before that time people with schizophrenia spent most of their lives in crowded hospitals. With antipsychotic medication many people with schizophrenia are able to live in the outside world. Because each person with schizophrenia has a unique mix of symptoms, no single medication works best for all people. The ideal medication for one person may not be the best choice for another. Although antipsychotic medications do not cure the disease, they can reduce hallucinations and delusions and help people with schizophrenia regain their grip on reality.
Free research essays on topics related to: identical twin, people with schizophrenia, antipsychotic medications, schizophrenia schizophrenia, mentally healthy
Research essay sample on People With Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Schizophrenia
