Children with Schizophrenia

I think schizophrenia is a very scary illness to leave with. I am a very big chicken right now and the thought of hearing or imagining things would be even worse. It is awful how we can get so many bad things in our lives here on earth and not so many good, but that just life I guess. I wonder what people must think of these individuals that have this disease before the person is made aware of what they have. What many things they have to go through and how horrible it must be to have all those things going through your head.  I start to think how it must be for a parent to have a child with this illness. It must be the most horrifying thing.

The following is a list of behaviors that children and adolescents may have:

• seeing things and hearing voices which are not real (hallucinations)
• odd and eccentric behavior and/or speech
• unusual or bizarre thoughts and ideas
• confusing television and dreams from reality
• confused thinking
• extreme moodiness
• ideas that people are out to get them or talking about them (paranoia)
• severe anxiety and fearfulness
• difficulty relating to peers, and keeping friends
• withdrawn and increased isolation
• worsening personal grooming

 There are also different types of Schizophrenia which are the following:

Types of schizophrenia

There are three major subtypes of schizophrenia, each classified by their most prominent symptom:

• paranoid schizophrenia
• disorganized schizophrenia
• catatonic schizophrenia

Signs and symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia

The defining feature of paranoid schizophrenia is absurd or suspicious ideas and beliefs. These ideas typically revolve around a coherent, organized theme or “story” that remains consistent over time. Delusions of persecution are the most frequent theme, however delusions of grandeur are also common.

People with paranoid schizophrenia show a history of increasing paranoia and difficulties in their relationships. They tend to function better than individuals with other schizophrenic subtypes. In contrast, their thinking and behavior is less disordered and their long-term prognosis is better.

Signs and symptoms of disorganized schizophrenia

Disorganized schizophrenia generally appears at an earlier age than other types of schizophrenia. Its onset is gradual, rather than abrupt, with the person gradually retreating into his or her fantasies.
The distinguishing characteristics of this subtype are disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and blunted or inappropriate emotions. People with disorganized schizophrenia also have trouble taking care of themselves, and may be unable to perform simple tasks such as bathing or feeding themselves.
The symptoms of disorganized schizophrenia include:

Impaired communication skills Incomprehensible or illogical speech Inappropriate reactions (e.g. laughing at a funeral)

Emotional indifference Infantile behavior (baby talk, giggling) Peculiar facial expressions and mannerisms

People with disorganized schizophrenia sometimes suffer from hallucinations and delusions, but unlike the paranoid subtype, their fantasies aren’t consistent or organized.

Signs and symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia

The hallmark of catanoic schizophrenia is a disturbance in movement: either a decrease in motor activity, reflecting a stuporous state, or an increase in motor activity, reflecting an excited state.

• Stuporous motor signs. The stuporous state reflects a dramatic reduction in activity. The person often ceases all voluntary movement and speech, and may be extremely resistant to any change in his or her position, even to the point of holding an awkward, uncomfortable position for hours.
• Excited motor signs. Sometimes, people with catatonic schizophrenia pass suddenly from a state of stupor to a state of extreme excitement. During this frenzied episode, they may shout, talk rapidly, pace back and forth, or act out in violence—either toward themselves or others.

People with catatonic schizophrenia can be highly suggestible. They may automatically obey commands, imitate the actions of others, or mimic what others say.

THe following are what causes it:

Causes of schizophrenia

The causes of schizophrenia are not fully known. However, it appears that schizophrenia usually results from a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors.

Genetic causes of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has a strong hereditary component. Individuals with a first-degree relative (parent or sibling) who has schizophrenia have a 10 percent chance of developing the disorder, as opposed to the 1 percent chance of the general population.

But schizophrenia is only influenced by genetics, not determined by it. While schizophrenia runs in families, about 60% of schizophrenics have no family members with the disorder. Furthermore, individuals who are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia don’t always develop the disease, which shows that biology is not destiny.

Environmental causes of schizophrenia

Twin and adoption studies suggest that inherited genes make a person vulnerable to schizophrenia and then environmental factors act on this vulnerability to trigger the disorder.

As for the environmental factors involved, more and more research is pointing to stress, either during pregnancy or at a later stage of development. High levels of stress are believed to trigger schizophrenia by increasing the body’s production of the hormone cortisol.

Research points to several stress-inducing environmental factors that may be involved in schizophrenia, including:

• Prenatal exposure to a viral infection
• Low oxygen levels during birth (from prolonged labor or premature birth)
• Exposure to a virus during infancy
• Early parental loss or separation
• Physical or sexual abuse in childhood

Abnormal brain structure

In addition to abnormal brain chemistry, abnormalities in brain structure may also play a role in schizophrenia. Enlarged brain ventricles are seen in some schizophrenics, indicating a deficit in the volume of brain tissue. There is also evidence of abnormally low activity in the frontal lobe, the area of the brain responsible for planning, reasoning, and decision-making.

Some studies also suggest that abnormalities in the temporal lobes, hippocampus, and amygdala are connected to schizophrenia’s positive symptoms. But despite the evidence of brain abnormalities, it is highly unlikely that schizophrenia is the result of any one problem in any one region of the brain.

I think it is scary that women who are pregnant could give this to their unborn child. That would be awful to know because you were exposed to something it could ruin your childs life and not even be doing it intentionally like women who drink, smoke or do drugs.

major depressive disorder

I think it is horrible for people that have depression. They cant live their life to the fullest because they are always sad or depressed. I know when Im kind of bummed out on something that has happened I really cant enjoy anything. I would hate to have to live my life like that, being sad all the time and every day. Our book explains that people who have major depression are always sad, have little energy, have trouble sleeping, don’t think they will ever be happy and even have suicidal thoughts.

I found a website that had what causes major depressive disorder, what are the symptoms and how it can be treated. I will list them below. I think being around someone like this all the time might even get you sad too. I wonder how it affects their loved ones?  I know when someone feels sad you feel bad for them or even get sad yourself, probably not all day but for that moment.  I hope that people with this disorder get proper treatment so that they can live their lives.

  Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The exact cause of depression is not known. Many researchers believe it is caused by chemical changes in the brain. This may be due to a problem with your genes, or triggered by certain stressful events. More likely, it's a combination of both.

Some types of depression run in families. But depression can also occur if you have no family history of the illness. Anyone can develop depression, even kids.

The following may play a role in depression:

• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Certain medical conditions, including underactive thyroid, cancer, or long-term pain
• Certain medications such as steroids
• Sleeping problems
• Stressful life events, such as:
• Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend
• Failing a class
• Death or illness of someone close to you
• Divorce
• Childhood abuse or neglect
• Job loss
• Social isolation (common in the elderly)

Symptoms

Depression can change or distort the way you see yourself, your life, and those around you.

People who have depression usually see everything with a more negative attitude. They cannot imagine that any problem or situation can be solved in a positive way.

Symptoms of depression can include:

·         Agitation, restlessness, and irritability

·         Becoming withdrawn or isolated

·         Difficulty concentrating

·         Dramatic change in appetite, often with weight gain or loss

·         Fatigue and lack of energy

·         Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness

·         Feelings of worthlessness, self-hate, and guilt

·         Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed

·         Thoughts of death or suicide

·         Trouble sleeping or too much sleeping

Depression can appear as anger and discouragement, rather than feelings of sadness.

If depression is very severe, there may also be psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions.

Treatment

In general, treatments for depression include:

·         Medications called antidepressants

·         Talk therapy, called psychotherapy

If you have mild depression, you may only need one of these treatments. People with more severe depression usually need a combination of both treatments. It takes time to feel better, but there are usually day-to-day improvements.

If you are suicidal or extremely depressed and cannot function you may need to be treated in a psychiatric hospital.

MEDICATIONS FOR DEPRESSION

Drugs used to treat depression are called antidepressants. Common types of antidepressants include:

·         Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), fluvoxamine (Luvox), citalopram (Celexa), and escitalopram (Lexapro).

·         Serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), including desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), venlafaxine (Effexor), and duloxetine (Cymbalta).

Other medicines used to treat depression include:

·         Tricyclic antidepressants

·         Bupropion (Wellbutrin)

·         Monoamine oxidase inhibitors

If you have delusions or hallucinations, your doctor may prescribe additional medications.

WARNING: Children, adolescents, and young adults should be watched more closely for suicidal behavior, especially during the first few months after starting medications.

If you do not feel better with antidepressants and talk therapy, you may have treatment-resistant depression. Your doctor will often prescribe higher (but still safe) doses of an antidepressant, or a combination of medications. Lithium (or other mood stabilizers) and thyroid hormone supplements also may be added to help the antidepressants work better.

St. John's wort is an herb sold without a prescription. It may help some people with mild depression. However, it can change the way other medicines work in your body, including antidepressants and birth control pills. Talk to your doctor before trying this herb.

CHANGES IN MEDICATIONS

Sometimes, medications that you take for another health problem can cause or worsen depression. Talk to your doctor about all the medicines you take. Your doctor may recommend changing your dose or switching to another drug. Never stop taking your medications without first talking to your doctor.

Women being treated for depression who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant should not stop taking antidepressants without first talking to their doctor.

TALK THERAPY

Talk therapy is counseling to talk about your feelings and thoughts, and help you learn how to deal with them.

Types of talk therapy include:

·         Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches you how to fight off negative thoughts. You will learn how to become more aware of your symptoms and how to spot things that make your depression worse. You'll also be taught problem-solving skills.

·         Psychotherapy can help you understand the issues that may be behind your thoughts and feelings.

·         Joining a support group of people who are sharing problems like yours can also help. Ask your therapist or doctor for a recommendation.

OTHER TREATMENTS FOR DEPRESSION

·         Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the single most effective treatment for severe depression and it is generally safe. ECT may improve mood in people with severe depression or suicidal thoughts who don't get better with other treatments. It may also help treat depression in those who have psychotic symptoms.

·         Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses pulses of energy to stimulate nerve cells in the brain that are believe to affect mood. There is some research to suggest that it can help relieve depression.

·         Light therapy may relieve depression symptoms in the winter time. However, it is usually not considered a first-line treatment.

 

Stress

Stress. Stress. Stress. My life would be some much easier and with less headaches if I didnt stress so much. But everything we do in life makes us stress. We stress about work, school, relationships, kids and of course money and bills. I read that most of us think that stress is something bad, but it can also be neutral or positive. I personally dont think that stress could be positive but that is just me. We may think that as adults we are the only ones that stress, but we are wrong. Many teenagers stress as well. Im sure you are thinking "what could they possibly have to stress about?"  There are a lot of things that they can stress about. It could be family, friends, school, and fitting in.

With stress can come many things such as sleepless nights, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, and fatigue. I know when I stress I get headaches and I get them good. It gets so bad sometimes I feel like my brain is going to come out of my head and I feel nauseas. Stress can also give you high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and anxiety. Stress can do so many bad things to our body. But there are also ways that we can relieve stress or maybe lower it a little. 

The got the following paragraph from WebMD on ways on how to relieve stress.

Stress Management - Ways to Relieve Stress

The best way to manage your stress is to learn healthy coping strategies. You can start practicing these tips right away. Try one or two until you find a few that work for you. Practice these techniques until they become habits you turn to when you feel stress. You can also use this coping strategies form(What is a PDF document?) to see how you respond to stress.

Stress-relief techniques focus on relaxing your mind and your body.

Ways to relax your mind

• Write. It may help to write about things that are bothering you. Write for 10 to 15 minutes a day about stressful events and how they made you feel. Or think about starting a stress journal. This helps you find out what is causing your stress and how much stress you feel. After you know, you can find better ways to cope.
• Let your feelings out. Talk, laugh, cry, and express anger when you need to. Talking with friends, family, a counselor, or a member of the clergy about your feelings is a healthy way to relieve stress.
• Do something you enjoy. This can be:
  • A hobby, such as gardening.
  • A creative activity, such as writing, crafts, or art.
  • Playing with and caring for pets.
  • Volunteer work.
  You may feel that you're too busy to do these things. But making time to do something you enjoy can help you relax. It might also help you get more done in other areas of your life.
• Focus on the present. Meditation and guided imagery are two ways to focus and relax your mind.
  • Meditate. When you meditate, you focus your attention on things that are happening right now. Paying attention to your breathing is one way to focus. For more information, see:

    Stress Management: Doing Meditation.

  • Use guided imagery. With guided imagery, you imagine yourself in any setting that helps you feel calm and relaxed. You can use audiotapes, books, or a teacher to guide you. To learn more, see:

    Stress Management: Doing Guided Imagery to Relax.

Ways to relax your body

• Exercise. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. Walking is a great way to get started. Even everyday activities such as housecleaning or yard work can reduce stress. Stretching can also relieve muscle tension. For more information about becoming more active, see the topic Fitness.
• Try techniques to relax. Breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and yoga can help relieve stress.
  • Breathing exercises. These include roll breathing, a type of deep breathing. For more information, see:

    Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation.

  • Progressive muscle relaxation. This technique reduces muscle tension. You do it by relaxing separate groups of muscles one by one. To learn more, see:

    Stress Management: Doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation.

  • Yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. These techniques combine exercise and meditation. You may need some training at first to learn them. Books and videos are also helpful. You can do all of these techniques at home. For more information on yoga, see:

    Stress Management: Practicing Yoga to Relax.

You might like to try a combination of these techniques. See:

Stress Management: Relaxing Your Mind and Body.

In addition to practicing these skills, you might also try other techniques to reduce stress.

 

sleep and memory

I do believe that you remember what you studied right before you go to sleep. I have had it happen before where I am studying for a test and I am dreaming about what I studied or if I am half awake I am repeating questions to myself. I think its weird but awesome in another way because I know that I learned it. The book also talks about being sleep deprived that it does not help with memory. I read on several websites that tests were administered on people who were sleep deprived did worse on memory or recognition tests than people who slept. I think it’s harder for someone to remember or even concentrate on something when you are tired.  I know when I am tired and studying or doing something I can’t think right. I am too focused on being tired and going to sleep than doing what needs to get done. I also read that not even caffeine helps with sleep deprivation and memory. So that means that staying up late studying and drinking lots of coffee is going to help you remember. Maybe it might keep you up but if you are deprived of sleep its probably not going to help your memory.

                I also read that you need sleep to consolidate your memories. Sleep is critical to convert new memories into long term memories. A study showed that brain regions shift dramatically during sleep. So in other words the researcher says, you are shifting your memory to a more efficient storage regions within your brain. So, study before you go to bed. Don't stay up all night studying because it is not going to help you.

Estrodiol and Related Hormones

A woman's menstrual cycle is usually about 28-35 days, but not all of us actually are between those days. I will be talking about progesterone and how it affects pregnancy. I have a friend that has been trying to get pregnant for over a year. She went to the doctor and the doctor informed her that she was not ovulating. They told her menstrual cycles were irregular thus she was not ovulating. The doctor ordered her provera to regulate her menses, then ordered her to come back for blood work to check her progesterone level. After her blood work the results came back and her progesterone level was at 0.5, the norm being around 10. The doctor then explained that her follicles were not getting big. She explained that the follicles in the ovaries are suppose to get bigger and then burst, releasing the egg. So her doctor then prescribed her Clomid, which is a fertility pill to help a woman ovulate.

Progesterone does not only affect trying to get pregnant but also staying pregnant. Many women have miscarriages because of low progesterone levels.

Low progesterone levels in the female body has many symptoms. They are the following:

Low progesterone symptoms:

The problem with progesterone imbalances is the symptoms typically mimic those of other disorders. Besides infertility and pregnancy loss, low progesterone symptoms can include:

Mood swings
Depression
Insomnia
Appetite changes
Weight changes
Irritability
Lack of concentration
Anxiety
Fatigue
Frequent menstruation
Irregular menstruation
Low sex drive
Migraines
PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
Vaginal dryness

Painful intercourse

Causes of low progesterone:

Low progesterone levels can be caused by several known factors or unknown factors.  Due to the complexity of hormones, some women may have no difficulty getting pregnant but for some reason, the placenta does not create the proper levels when it should.  Researchers believe that high levels of stress, poor nutrition and lack of exercise can contribute to low progesterone levels. Certain medications can also interfere with the body’s ability to produce progesterone.

Info provided from justmommies.com

Social pain

I was really amazed to find out that social pain was actually the same as actually being physically hurt. Today, many teens kill themselves because of a breakup or problems with their boyfriends or girlfriends. After reading the book it explained that if a person that is hurt is given Tylenol that it decreases the social pain. Wow! I think that it is awesome to know that the pain of being "heartbroken" can relieve the pain. If many teens or people actually knew this maybe we would have less suicides. I think it is ridiculous when teenagers kill themselves because they are hurt and they feel like they are never going to get over the pain that they feel, and all they need to do is take Tylenol. Having experienced the pain of break ups, I can say that the pain is actually painful. When I have arguments with my spouse, I actually feel pain. It's crazy to think that words can actually make you feel pain. Now I know all I need to do is take a Tylenol!

Alzheimers Disease

Alzheimers disease is a memory loss that deals with confusion, depression, restlessness, hallucinations, delusions and sleeplessness.  I have experienced having a family member that has this disease. My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimers when I was in 5^th or 6^th grade.  He was about 83 years old when the disease took over his brain.  It started with little things that he started to do, like walking around in his underwear outside or pulling his curtains down in his bedroom. My grandma was elderly also so she could not take care of his so my aunts, uncle and my dad alternated days that he would stay with us. He was then placed in a daycare. He would take off from the daycare walking and people would pick him up, they eventually had to put a vest on him that had the name and address of the daycare where he had to be returned. I remember going with my older brother one time to look for him around the neighborhood, he was at a factory that was near his house where he use to work. My grandpa had not worked in many years at that place. When we picked him up he did not know us. He thought we were just people giving him a ride. Then later on my dad and his siblings decided to place my grandpa at a nursing home. Another incident that I remember was with my grandma. It was my parents , my sister and my grandma. We were sitting there talking and he asked for my grandma. My grandma told him “Chelao im right here” but in Spanish. He did not remember her. Alzheimers destroys your recent or present memories and takes you back in time. My grandpa couldn’t remember us because we were little and recent memories, he couldn’t recognize my grandma because she was older and obviously did not look the way she did when they got married. He then stopped walking, wearing a diaper and eventually couldn’t use his hands, speak or eat on his own. He was like a baby. It is hard seeing someone you love not remembering you and that being the last image you have of them. It was better for my family that he got it later on in life. I read in the book that when people get it at a later age have no known relatives with Alzheimers disease. Im hoping that it does not affect my father. Im so scared of that. He is already 66 years old and luckily no signs yet!