Tuesday, November 27, 2012

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  • withdrawn and increased isolation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.

2 comments:

  1. Full of information, I learned lots from your post. I have forgotten all this from abnormal psychology and it was a nice refresher. I was unable to see the video but I will check it later. I would like to know if there are any functioning schizophrenics. It would seem that there must be some but we probably don't hear of them. My other question is do they know they are different or not "normal". You have given me lots to think about, awesome post.

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  2. I remember reading that it's really difficult to diagnose a child with schizophrenia because it could be something entirely different. It must be scary to be a parent with a schizophrenic child. Not knowing whether they'll be lucky and live a good life or not. Luckily, most people don't show symptoms until they're 16, so at the very least they're old enough to understand what's happening. You're right though. Knowing that something you were exposed to while you were pregnant could result in your child developing something like this is scary stuff. I'm glad I'm not a woman. Thanks for the read. You had a ton of info.

    Oh, and your video doesn't work! :(

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