symptoms of schizophrenia
Lovy Patterson
21 hours ago, at 8:06 PM
Hi Guys,
Forgive me for the length. I really liked this topic!
• What symptoms of schizophrenia did you observe in each of the clients in the video?
The video was very informative. Several things were observed in each of the clients interviewed. Tom showed good intellectual capabilities when he described oxygen and where it came from. Leslie explained that he knew it was wrong to jump through the window because he could hurt himself demonstrating articulate skills. One thing that caught my interest is their belief and spirituality. Leslie especially had the support from his family and, because of his desperation to feel better, tried a technique his grandma gave him. He was able to recall the instructions she gave him accurately and seemed passionate about his healing process. Although he experienced psychotic tendencies that altered his speech and experienced delusions and hallucinations, he was coherent for the most part. Whereas with Jeff, he was not able to remember sentences but recalls activities that could affect functioning at work, home, or society. Many of the clients interviewed stated that they all started to experience symptoms from early childhood and would feel different, which caused isolation. According to the DSM-5 (2022), “when the onset is in childhood or adolescence, there is failure to achieve the expected level of interpersonal, academic, or occupational functioning.” They all experienced levels of confusion, guilt, blame, and suicidal thoughts. Hearing voices and splitting personalities were also prevalent.
• How do these symptoms affect a person’s ability to function in daily life?
People living with schizophrenia experience acute or chronic levels of psychosocial impairments. Each client in the video experienced auditory hallucinations “in which the client hears one or more voices in much the same manner, as he or she would hear someone else talking” (Pomeroy, 2016). I also noticed disorganization of thoughts, which caused delusions (false beliefs) and disruptions in speech. This could affect processing information, health issues, and relationships with others. Additionally, in more severe causes, “dangerous behavior (directed at either oneself or others) may occur in the course of a psychotic episode” (Pomeroy, 2016). Imagine hearing a voice and having conversations that seem out of your control, which nobody can hear. This could be depressive, causing isolation, anxiety, fear, confusion, and frustration.
• What is the effect of stigma on the clients?
According to van Dorn et al. (2005), “social stigma affects not only those with mental illness but their families as well.” This illness contributes significantly to social distress and embarrassment for the person experiencing schizophrenia. Phelan, Bromet, & Link (1998) also stated that “schizophrenic males with unpredictable behavioral characteristics and a lack of family ties tend to evoke the strongest negative attitudes towards this population.” Some cultures will hide this diagnosis due to stigma, which can cause the individual living with schizophrenic symptoms to have split personalities (they may try to behave differently in public due to judgement compared to indoors) and blame others for their behavior.
• Was there anything in this video that changed your perception or understanding of schizophrenia? If so, what?
Biological or physical brain function is one thing that stood out to me. My country of Trinidad and Tobago believes in folk law, which was derived from Africa and India. It is based more on spirituality, which can lead us to believe that schizophrenia could be the onset of a bad omen thrown on the victim by someone else. Rituals are often ‘the cure’, which is like Edward Thorndike’s operant conditioning. Understanding the genetics of schizophrenia and the effects of strong drugs like amphetamine or cocaine adds to my understanding of this illness and its relation to psychosis. Another point mentioned in the video is that the side effects of the medicine taken are identified by the affected individuals, including distrust in doctors and their care and a lack of belief in the treatment working. During the group session in the video, one client was concerned about these, saying that his awareness is making him feel like he is getting better, but he is fearful of the consequences treatment may have psychologically and medically. Lastly, as Jeff pointed out in the video, the belief of the loss of emotional support could negatively affect his progress, and he was especially happy to see his family every Saturday.
References
Pomeroy, E. (2015). The clinical assessment workbook. Balancing strengths and differential diagnosis. 2e. Cengage Learning.
Substance abuse and mental health services administration. (2016). Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 changes on the national survey on drug use and health [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Substance abuse and mental health services administration (US); Table 3.22, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Schizophrenia comparison. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t22/
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