A Major Mental Disorder: Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Luzelenia Santiago Abnormal Psychology A Major Mental Disorder: Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Carmen Soto, 39, claims to see monsters in the mirror every time she looks at her reflection ever since she was 27 years old. She also affirmed numerous thoughts that she had an alien in her body and felt like she was being watched everywhere she went. Throughout several interviews, Carmen suffers from bizarre delusions, suicidal ideation, racing thoughts, lack of motivation, depression, disorganized speech and thoughts, and hallucinations. Too add on, she presently claims to hear 14 different voices including some that are aggressive which would make her feel much tensed. Based on her experience, it has come to a conclusion that she has Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder. The reason of this conclusion, among the important features of schizophrenia are disorders in the content of thought and the form of thought. This includes the presence of often severe relation to distortions and emotional disturbances that she has experienced. …show more content…
Schizophrenia usually develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. “Schizophrenia involves over activity of dopamine transmission in the brain. Acute episodes of schizophrenia involve a break with reality characterized by symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, illogical thinking, incoherent speech, and bizarre behavior (Nevid, Rathus , & Greene)”. Symptoms must be ongoing for at least six months and a significant portion must be present during a one month