Please,can you define schizophrenia?

Question

Is it incurable?

Answer 1

A mental disorder lasting for at least 6 months, including at least 1 month with two or more active-phase symptoms. Active-phase symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior. Schizophrenia is accompanied by marked impairment in social or occupational functioning

Answer 2

It is pretty much any mental break with reality. It is not currently curable however there are treatments available that can alleviate most of the symptoms. These treatments are generally considered lifelong, and are usually a combination of medication and counseling. There are many effective medications available, and it may take some trial and error before one is found to be effective for an individual. A medication that is effective for one person may not be as effective for another person. Schizophrenia does not always have to be debilitating. The disease manifests differently in different individuals and with varying degrees of severity. Some people may respond to medication and therapy more easily than others. Each case is unique. It is usually first diagnosed in the late teens or early twenties. There can be a genetic predisposition for it, but apart from that there is no known cause. Chances of passing the disease along to children are less than 50%, so the greater chance is to have normal healthy children. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Hi there, having read some of the previous answers some people are either trying to show off by using big words or they have no idea what they are on about.

Schizophrenia has no cure and symptoms vary from one individual to another. These symptoms can be managed to varying degrees with antipsychotic medication. Some may disappear all together never to return, some may be untreatable.

Symptoms can include delusions, which are false beliefs such as being related to God or royalty, believing people are out to get them or video cameras watch them during their daily lives etc. the possibilities are endless, but you get the idea.

Hallucinations such as seeing things, hearing voices, smells, tastes and some people can even feel as though they are being touched.

Other symptoms include low mood, forgetfulness, not looking after their appearance or hygiene, in rare cases catatonia can be present (when people stand still like models and can be put in positions, dont move on their own or respond) They can often have poor social networks with few friends.

1% of the population can hear voices without being schizophrenic.

Schizophrenia usually develops between the ages of 18-25 and is more common in afro-caribbean males.

Voices can be in the first, second or third person, male or female, single voice or many.

There is no specific cause, some include head injury, mother having flu during pregnancy, family history of mental disorder, drug abuse, poor coping strategies for stress.

There are numerous treatments available including tablets, oral liquid medications and injections. Also talking therapies have proved to be useful in the treatment of schizophrenia.

This is a massive complex subject and difficult to sum up in a few lines. Hope this has helped.

Answer 4

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder, with its name coming from the Greek word "schizo", meaning "to split". It is a very complicated disorder that usually occurs during late adolescence through early adulthood. It is usually characterized by symptoms such as disorganized thought processes, hallucinations, flight of ideas, paranoia, auditory hallucinations (hearing voices)-- but there are many other symptoms also, these are just a few. It is usually grouped with other diagnosis, such as depression and anxiety disorders-- WHICH does not mean if you have depression or anxiety that you are schizophrenic, it means people who are schizophrenic are more likely to be depressed or have anxiety disorders. It is really not known if schizophrenia is caused by biological (hereditary), environmental (stressful things that happen to you in life, i.e crisis) or maybe a combination of things. Either way, it is a very complicated diagnosis, and there are treatments (medications, therapy, etc...) But to get to the point no there is not a "Cure" for schizophrenia, it is something that can be managed and some people with schizophrenia can live productive, meaningful, "normal" lives....

Answer 5

From what I remember of my psych 101 class....

Schizophrenia is when the brain doesn't interpret input properly... The individual perceives things that aren't real- visual/auditory hallucinations, threats, etc. Some hallucinations are harmless, some are very dangerous.

The movie, "A Beautiful Mind" was pretty good as showing what schizophrenia is about- the man had a hallucination of a college roommate and his niece, repeated delusions of gradeur (thinking he was more important than he really was), which lead to occasional perceptions of threats. These hallucinations and delusions are always VERY real to the indiviual. I've heard that it can be pretty dangerous to discount a schizophrenic's perceptions.

Some schizophrenics are smart enough (like in the movie) to see the loopholes in their delusions and hallucinations, some aren't. I think that medication is a good idea to at least get the condition under control. Then the individual and their doctor can discuss maintenance options without interruptions from "others"

Answer 6

yes it is incurable. defining if it is schizophrenia is the first part though. determining if the voices in the persons head are actually answerable. if the person talks back to them is there any logic to the questions and or answers the individual will give or do these so called voices tell situations at there knowledge or give information that is or was true without themselves knowing it?

Answer 7

Schizophrenia (from the Greek word σχιζοφρένεια, "split mind") is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality and by significant social or occupational dysfunction. A person experiencing schizophrenia is typically characterized as demonstrating disorganized thinking, and as experiencing delusions or auditory hallucinations.

Answer 8

i believe its a affliction which impacts the suggestions such that the affected guy or woman acts in a deranged way thereby taking flight from fact. each so often the guy would act like a missed newborn cowering from those nearer of their existence.although, Vincent van Gough, an acclaimed aartist suffered from the affliction yet appeared to proceed to paint some masterpieces.The affliction could be toned down by using rehabilitation and medicines yet I have not got any concept no count if the guy will ever lead a common existence.

Answer 9

Schizophrenia,is a mental disorder,that prevents the sufferer from thinking clearly,recognising reality,and acting rationally.
Curable?No known cure is available at the moment,but drugs such as Lithium,(an Antimanic drug) is useful for treating the disorder.
It has been said that the disorder has common factors,such as,stress,heridity,and and brain Injury may be involved.Hope that helps

Answer 10

schiz·o·phre·ni·a (skts-frn-, -frn-)
n.
Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbances. Schizophrenia is associated with dopamine imbalances in the brain and defects of the frontal lobe and is caused by genetic, other biological, and psychosocial factors.
A situation or condition that results from the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic qualities, identities, or activities: the national schizophrenia that results from carrying out an unpopular war.