In this entry I'm going to talk about schizophrenia. I chose this disease because I think it is a very serious mental disorder, and it really arouses my interest.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder which is characterized by abnormal social behavior and failure to recognize what is real. A person with this disorder will suffer from false beliefs of various topics, unclear or confused thinking, auditory hallucinations, reduced social engagements and emotional expression, and lack of motivation. This disorder can lead to other mental diseases, such as major depression or anxiety disorders.
Through history many doctors, psychiatrists and physicians have made several discoveries in this topic. Nowadays, schizophrenia is a disorder that can be treated. However, its prevention is nearly impossible, and not very effective. Schizophrenia is diagnosed based on criteria in self-reported experiences of the person and reported abnormalities in behavior, followed by clinical assessment by a mental health professional. Once the diagnosis is done, patients must take medication and assist to a number of psychosocial therapies. Although schizophrenics might get a bit better, it has been proved that it can get to decrease life expectancy by 10–25 years.
