What is Schizophrenia?

Writer Jacob Varela

Editor Beatte Kim

Schizophrenia is one of the most commonly portrayed mental illnesses in media, being depicted in major films such as A Beautiful Mind and The Soloist, while also being one of the most misunderstood and common mental illnesses in the world. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, between 0.25% and 0.64% of Americans are affected by schizophrenia. So, what actually is schizophrenia, beyond all of the misconception and misunderstanding?

Diagnosis and Symptoms

Schizophrenia is normally diagnosed between the mid-teens and mid-thirties, though males tend to be diagnosed earlier than females. The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided between positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Positive, or psychotic, symptoms are those that take place during psychotic episodes present in schizophrenia, such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thoughts and speech. Negative symptoms are generally deviations from normal behavior or emotion, such as lack of motivation, diminished emotions, and general apathy. Cognitive symptoms are those that are intellectual in nature, such as reduced memory, difficulty focusing, and inability to effectively reason. Of these symptoms, the psychotic ones are most obvious and commonly associated with schizophrenia, causing many suffering with schizophrenia to first only be diagnosed with psychosis.

Causes and Prognosis

Visual representation of psychotic
episode caused by schizophrenia

Though there is no single, direct cause for schizophrenia, both genetic and environmental risk factors have been attributed to it. Genetically, schizophrenia is known to be heavily hereditary, but several gene mutations can cause schizophrenia without any family history. Environmentally, factors such as poverty and stress in childhood or early adulthood have been noted to potentially increase the likelihood of developing schizophrenia. No cure has been discovered for schizophrenia. Untreated, the illness can worsen over time and persist for life. However, there are medications and management strategies that allow individuals with schizophrenia to live independent, mostly normal lives.

History

Symptoms consistent with schizophrenia were first reported in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. Before schizophrenia was fully identified, it was falsely identified as psychosis, dementia, bipolar disorder, or depression. Schizophrenia as its own disease was first identified and named by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuer in 1908. Since then, the definition of schizophrenia has been narrowed in terms of symptoms and treatments.

Management

Risperidone, a common
antipsychotic medication

The treatments of schizophrenia are mainly those that are medical and those that are psychosocial. Antipsychotic medications, such as Risperidone, generally affect the neurotransmission of dopamine and serotonin. These effects are mostly ineffective with respect to negative and cognitive symptoms, but can be very effective against the positive symptoms, especially those that take place during psychotic episodes. Some individuals will be given atypical antipsychotic medications, such as Clozapine, if they have treatment resistant schizophrenia.

Sources

Gillespie, Claire. How Accurately Is Schizophrenia Portrayed in Movies?, HealthCentral, 31 Oct. 2019, www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/schizophrenia-on-the-big-screen.
“Schizophrenia.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 7 Jan. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizophrenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354443.
“Schizophrenia.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/.