Paranoid Schizophrenia Essay Example

a paying job. (Chovil, n. d. ) Ian is just one of millions of people who suffer from schizophrenia.

He, like many others, has recovered and lives to tell his story.

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (2010) defines schizophrenia as a “psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought (as delusions), perception (as hallucinations), and behavior. ” Schizophrenia is a severe form of mental illness affecting about 24 million people worldwide (World Health Organization, 2010).

According to the website Schizophrenia. com (2004), the term schizophrenia was founded in 1911 by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler. “The word "schizophrenia" comes from the Greek roots schizo (split) and phrene (mind) to describe the fragmented thinking of people with the disorder” (Schizophrenia. com, 2004).

This term has caused much confusion in the general public because of the root meaning and should not be confused with ‘split personality disorder’. Paranoid Schizophrenia According to Mental Health America (2010) schizophrenia can be divided into five subcategories.

These five categories are paranoid schizophrenia, disorganized schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, residual schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Charles R. Lake (2008) says that of the five subcategories “paranoid remains the most common subtype of schizophrenia” (p.

1151). iHealth (2010) reports that paranoid schizophrenia seems to appear earlier in life for men than for women. Young men are usually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in their late teens or early twenties. Women do not usually show signs of paranoid schizophrenia until they are in their twenties or early thirties.

When looking at the comparisons of schizophrenia between

males and females there is little difference.

Piccinelli and Gomez Homen (1997) summarize it: Incidence rates of schizophrenia vary widely across studies and countries. Moreover, no consistent pattern of gender differences in incidence rates of schizophrenia has been detected. Indeed, most studies have reported that incidence rates are similar in males and females. On the other hand, when gender differences are detected, incidence rates are higher among the males.

There is some evidence that higher incidence rates among the males occur especially in the younger age groups, whereas a female preponderance has been reported among individuals with first-onset schizophrenia after age 45. (p. 80) Prior to the actual psychotic symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, there is a period called the prodromal phase. Yung and McGorry (1996) define prodrome as “the term [that] refers to a period of prepsychotic disturbance, representing a deviation from a person's previous experience and behavior.