Schizophrenia is an ominous word often associated with psychosis, delusions, as well as paranoia. Society supposedly understands how horrible symptoms like these make schizophrenia one of the worst mental diseases that one could live with, and the story of Elyn Saks is definitely no exception. In the memoir The Center Cannot Hold, Elyn R. Saks brings her readers through the harsh realities of living with schizophrenia, while also dealing with the stresses associated with high school, getting a college degree, while still maintaining relationships with family and friends. Saks had inadequate care as a child when her symptoms first began showing, and being transferred through countries following school, and being passed from doctor to doctor
Researchers are uncertain about the causes of schizophrenia
An outline of the causes and effects of schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that is most commonly associated with delusion and hallucinations. It has been estimated that 0.4-0.7% of people develop schizophrenia, with the mental health condition being equally prevalent in both men and women (Saha et al., 2005). It is a particularly expensive illness due to its severity, reportedly costing the U.S. around $62.7 billion in 2002, with unemployment the most significant factor causing this staggering figure (Wu et al., 2005). While there is no known cause for the development of schizophrenia, a number of factors have been attributed to increasing the likelihood of someone developing the mental disorder.
1.1 Schizophrenia - Introduction Schizophrenia patients believe that the environment can Hear their thoughts (= "thought echo"), they are often clueless and very insecure. Many try to avoid the contact with others (= withdrawal), while others withdraw themselves so much that they remain completely motionless (= rigidity), or they could be trying to find an explanation for all the things that they experience (= Declaration mania), and then believe, that they are ruled by supernatural forces, aliens or were chosen by God to save the world (= delusions). Many schizophrenics suffer from hallucinations, hear voices that insult, threaten them and tell them what to do. They see the world in a different context than "normal" people.
Schizophrenia is often one of the most well known yet misunderstood mental illnesses. Some believe that those with schizophrenia are consumed by the disorder, and cannot lead normal lives. Many people believe believe them to be violent, dangerous, and incurable. These assumptions are not only false, but also harmful to people suffering from the disorder. Some of the most common misconceptions about schizophrenia is that it is a rare and debilitating disease.
feeblemindedness (Radford 1991). Another 22,000 sterilizations were performed in 27 states to prevent ID and other conditions thought to be heritable between the years of 1943 and 1963 (Reilly, 1987) In 1928, research by Penrose and contemporaries revealed multiple etiologies for mental illness including individual with disabilities the explanation causes not only heredity but include environmental factors, such as infection, trauma, and endocrine disturbance. (Beirne-Smith et al. 2006).
