Schizophreni A Distinct Mental Disorder - 862 Words

Schizophrenia Deemed as the disorder with no preference, schizophrenia has followed mankind since the times of Ancient Egypt (2000, Okasha) under the broad term of â€Å"madness† yet it was not officially recognized until 1887 when Dr. Emile Kraepelin issued it a distinct mental disorder (2012, Burton). Widely thought to be a split personality disorder, it has in fact nothing to do with multiple personality conditions but instead, schizophrenia is an extreme thought disorder that causes disconnected thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. The disease has no borders as cases are scattered around the world which we can induce means that the cause is a mental imbalancement rather than one triggered by a sole outside source. Genetic research has failed to show a specific hereditary gene for schizophrenia though chances of getting the illness do increase when immediate family has it. An individual with a schizophrenic grandparent has a 3% risk increase in obtaining the disease, a 13% risk increase if a parent has it, and approximately 50% risk increase if both parents have it (2011, Herson). Another increaser can be an individual s environment as a child. A lower income family, troublesome behavior in school, abysmal peers, and a poor social competence all increase an adolescent’s chances of obtaining the illness. Statistics also show substance abuse is a trend with nearly half of all schizophrenics using drugs and alcohol excessively (2007, Barrowclough). Brain imaging tests such