Schizophrenia


 * =** ﻿Schizophrenia ** Definition:  Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects about 24 million people world wide. The disorder ultimately alters the way people think, feel, and act; it makes patients feel things that are not there or ignore feelings that are there, also those who suffer from the illness think that others can read their mind, control their thought patterns, or cause them with great harm. When it comes to schizophrenia everyone is equally at risk, regardless of their gender, age, or race. =


 * When dealing with schizophrenia the symptoms are divided into two separate categories; negative symptoms and positive symptoms. Negative symptoms are will act differently, they will lack behaviors or feelings that were once always present. Positive symptoms are when a person experiences extra feelings that which are usually not present. **

**Negative Symptoms:**
 * Losing interest
 * Feeling out of touch
 * Apathy
 * Little emotion
 * Inappropriate feeling
 * Less ability to experience

**Positive Symptoms:**

To find out more signs of schizophrenia click [|Warning signs] for more examples.


 * Causes: **
 * Prenatal exposure to a viral infection
 * Low oxygen levels during birth
 * Exposure to virus during infancy
 * Early parental loss or separation
 * Physical or sexual abuse in childhood


 * Types: **
 * Paranoid schizophrenia
 * Disorganized schizophrenia
 * Catatonic schizophrenia

**Treatments:**
 * Chlorpromazine
 * Clozaphine
 * Haloperidol
 * Risperidone
 * Olanzapine
 * Quetiapine
 * Aripiprazole




 * Schizophrenia affects approximately 0.5 to 1 percent of the population. Males and females are affected equally although females tend to develop the illness at older ages than males. The disease generally develops in the late teens or early twenties. Approximately 5% of individuals with schizophrenia commit suicide within the first six months of knowing they have the illness. (Bernabeo) **

//Bernabeo, Paul. ////Diseases and Disorders////. Tarry town, New York: Marshall Cavendish// //Corporation, n.d. Print.//

//"Schizophrenia." ////Medicinenet////. HONcode, 2011. Web. 18 Apr. 2011.// //.//

//"Treatments For Schizophrenia." ////About.com////. RSS, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2011.// //.//