Psy 450 Psychological Disorder Schizophrenia

Psychological Disorder Paper

Melissa Faison

Diversity and Cultural Factors in Psychology/ PSY 450

May 26, 2014

Stefanie Krasner

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that has affected millions throughout history. Schizophrenia has been labeled as the disease associated with the concept of madness (Pinel, 2009). The meaning of schizophrenia is the splitting of psychic functions which was given at the time because the primary symptom of the disease was the breakdown of the integration among emotion thought and action (Pinel, 2009). Schizophrenia is the mental disorder that is most closely associated with psychosis (Hansell & Damour, 2008). About 1% of Americans are affected by this disease (Pinel, 2009).

Psychosis is defined as a state in which a person is out of touch with reality (Hansell & Damour, 2008). A person who is considered psychotic may experience delusions (bizarre beliefs) and hallucinations (hearing and seeing things that do not exist. The DSM-IV-TR defines schizophrenia as constellation of severe cognitive and behavioral symptoms that last for a certain length of time (six months or more) and result in significant life impairment (Hansell & Damour, 2008).

Symptoms and Treatment for Schizophrenia

It can be difficult to diagnosis and treat schizophrenia due to the symptoms overlap a great deal with other psychiatric disorders and changes as the disease gets worse (Pinel, 2009). Schizophrenia symptoms are categorized by being positive symptoms, negative symptoms as well as cognitive symptoms (Psych Central, 2012).

The positive symptoms are symptoms that are not found in people healthy people such as losing touch with reality, delusions that they are being controlled, hallucination of voices telling them to say and do things, thought disorders like disorganized thinking (problem organizing thoughts or connecting thoughts logically) and thought blocking (when a person loses a thought in the middle of the...