What is schizophrenia? Well schizophrenia is one of the most common brain diseases that affect the brain. Approximately 1% of the population affected by this disease, which is about 1 out of every 100 people. "This disease affects men and women in equal numbers, although on average, men appear to develop schizophrenia earlier than woman. Generally, men show the first signs of schizophrenia in their mid 20s and women show the first signs in their late 20s (Schizophrenia, 2002). This brain disease is also found in every culture and nationalities and is not race specific.
Symptoms of SchizophreniaSchizophrenia is often referred to as having a "split mind" where one cannot distinguish the difference between what is real and what is not. These episodes are referred to as periods of "psychosis" or a "psychotic episode" (Schizophrenia, 2002). Some of the symptoms of schizophrenia are:â¢Delusionsâ¢Hallucinationsâ¢Disorganized Thinking and or Speechâ¢Negative Symptoms such as poor hygiene and grooming habits, social withdrawal, absence of emotionâ¢Catatonia which is when a person become immobile for a long period of timeAccording to (NARSAD) the Mental Health Research Association (2002), when people exhibit these give symptoms they are in the "active phase" of schizophrenia.
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English: Image showing brain areas more active in ...
English: A schizophrenic patient at the Glore Psyc...What Causes Schizophrenia?There are multiple causes of this brain disease that I am sure Doctors and Mental Health Researchers do know about. There are many unknown factors that contribute to this disease. Scientists have however discovered that schizophrenia is a genetic disease, meaning there is evidence of genetics being an important contributing factor in this mental illness. There is also evidence of some non-genetic factors that play an important role. Different elements in one environment can play an important role in this disease; "family stress, poor social interactions, infections of viruses at an early age, or trauma at an early...