The modern world is characterized by the prevalence of mental illness. One of the most severe of these psychological disorders is Schizophrenia. Rajkumar (2015) argues that approximately one point five million individuals are diagnosed with this disorder globally. The disease is more likely to occur in adulthood, as opposed to childhood. Rajkumar (2015) argues that it is sporadic for youngsters and the elderly to develop the disorder. Nonetheless, it is a possibility. Teenagers are the most susceptible individuals to schizophrenia. The peak of schizophrenic susceptibility occurs at the age of sixteen and twenty-five years. This explains why the majority of schizophrenic patients are teenagers. In addition, the functional outcomes in Schizophrenic patients are contingent on a number of factors such as the period of illness, the symptoms, and the time of detection, among others. Schizophrenia reduces the quality of human life and should therefore be diagnosed and treated at the initial stages, to restore the patients normal psychological functioning.
Behaviours Associated With Schizophrenia
Schizophrenic individuals manifest odd behaviours. A patient with schizophrenia is likely to be anxious all the time, even when there is no valid reason for the anxiety. In addition, these patients experience hallucinations, hindering them from differentiating between what is real and what is not ( Rajkumar, 2015 ). For instance, an individual with this disorder may claim to hear condemning voices, or voices that command them to take their own life. In addition, these patients may claim to see individuals who others cannot see, and converse with them.
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The escalation of these symptoms further impacts a psychotic break. The psychotic break is characterized by odd behaviours which can be identified by close friends and family members, among other parties. Schizophrenic patients complain of frequent agitating headaches and sleeplessness. Differences in eating patterns and habits are also seen in these individuals.
The Role of Biological Influences in Schizophrenic Patients
Goldsmith (2016) attributes the risk of Schizophrenia to biological factors. The risk of contracting this disorder augments if an individual inherits specific variants in a gene related to synaptic pruning. Through family and blood ties, individuals inherit defective genes such as schizophrenic genes. Goldsmith (2016) argues that the gene complement constituent 4 (C4), which plays a vital role in the immune system plays a critical role in brain development and schizophrenia risk. Nonetheless, there is a lack of adequate studies to explain the purpose of this gene in increasing the risk of schizophrenia. Biological influences are therefore critical influencers of schizophrenia in patients. The inheritance of schizophrenia stimulating genes is the main reason why individuals may exhibit a manifestation of schizophrenic behaviours.
The effect of the Altered States of Consciousness on Schizophrenic Patients
According to Giersch & Mishara (2017), schizophrenic individuals experience a vast number of sleep disturbances. The deficiency in sleep further impairs cognitive function. Meditation and hypnosis are useful in switching off various sections of the brain which are associated with daydreaming, which is a common symptom in schizophrenics. The therapies enable these patients to suppress disturbing thoughts. Furthermore, the treatments stimulate co-activation of the two sections of the brain.
The Impact of Schizophrenia on Memory
Gur & Gur (2013) argue that schizophrenia impacts cognitive deficits. Individuals with this disorder have memory recollection deficits. The authors also argue that individuals with this illness face problems in terms of their short and long-term memories. Memory deficits jeopardize the quality of life since they make it impossible for individuals to maintain jobs, good academic performance, as well as social relationships. Gur & Gur (2013) argue that this memory deficits result from instabilities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the brain, which plays a crucial role in working memory.
Memory Distortions in Schizophrenics
Fairfield et al. (2016) argue that one of the most common memory distortions in schizophrenia is false memories. People suffering from this disorder have the tendency to have memories of events they have not experienced in life.
Personality theories
Fagerberg, Söderman, Gustavsson, Agartz, & Jönsson (2016) claim that the psychoanalytic theory and the social learning theory of schizophrenia can be used in the analysis of schizophrenia. The psychoanalytic theory argues that schizophrenia is as a result of the regression of the oral stage when the Ego is unable to emerge from the ID successfully. The regression of the primary narcissistic phase makes individuals with schizophrenia to lose contact with the world. In addition, these individuals become highly sensitive to criticism and behaviour.
Delusions are as a result of the attempts of these individuals to adapt to the demands of the id impulses (Pyun, 2013). The social learning theory of schizophrenia, on the other hand, argues that patients with this disorder fail to respond to their social environments effectively. Consequently, the deficiency in attention results in a lack of proper association, as well as ineffective thought processes of these individuals. The absence of attention to stimulus from the social environments makes these patients withdrawn. The main difference between the two theories is that the social learning theory of schizophrenia focusses on the social climate of schizophrenics, while the psychoanalytic theory concentrates on the ego and the id.
Therapies
The use of treatments such as mediation and hypnosis has been found to be effective in turning off the sections of the brain, which are responsible for daydreaming, a common symptom in schizophrenics ( Bruni, 2011 ). The therapies enable these patients to suppress disturbing thoughts, protecting them from more trauma. The use of these two therapies is productive in the restoration of a person’s mental health.
Conclusion
Schizophrenia is a common psychological disorder which is characterized by augmented delusions and hallucinations. The disease impacts a reduction in the quality of life of schizophrenic patients. Studies attribute the prevalence of this psychological disorder to biological factors such as gene inheritance. Early diagnosis and treatment of Schizophrenia are critical for the prevention of the progression of this disease. Through the use of different therapies such as hypnosis and meditation, the symptoms of schizophrenia are alleviated, and the quality of life heightened.
References
Bruni, C., (2011). Schizophrenia and Meditation: An Aid to Recovery? Health Central . Retrieved from: https://www.healthcentral.com/article/schizophrenia-and-meditation-an-aid-to- recovery
Fagerberg, T., Söderman, E., Gustavsson, J. P., Agartz, I., & Jönsson, E. G. (2016). Personality traits in established schizophrenia: aspects of usability and differences between patients and controls using the Swedish universities Scales of Personality. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry , 70 (6), 462-469.
Fairfield, B., Altamura, M., Padalino, F. A., Balzotti, A., Di Domenico, A., & Mammarella, N. (2016). False Memories for affective information in schizophrenia. Frontiers in psychiatry , 7 , 191.
Giersch, A., & Mishara, A. L. (2017). Is schizophrenia a disorder of consciousness? Experimental and phenomenological support for anomalous unconscious processing. Frontiers in psychology , 8 , 1659.
Goldsmith, P., (2016). Biological Origin of Schizophrenia.Havard Medical School. Retrieved from:
https://hms.harvard.edu/news/biological-origin-schizophrenia
Gur, R. C., & Gur, R. E. (2013). Memory in health and schizophrenia. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience , 15 (4), 399.
Pyun, Y. D. (2013). The effective use of hypnosis in schizophrenia: structure and strategy. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis , 61 (4), 388-400.
Rajkumar, R. P. (2015). Depressive symptoms during an acute schizophrenic episode: Frequency and clinical correlates. Depression research and treatment , 2015 .
