Social Factors Of Schizophrenia And Its Treatment

In the early stages of life, development is present and continues to be present until about the age of 25. Development is bound to happen after birth unless there are rare circumstances. During these developmental years many things can impact the development of a human. Some of these factors include social environment, biology, and day to day thoughts. Schizophrenia is “a disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel, and behave clearly” (April). Schizophrenia is not common in young teens, but mainly in adults. There is no known cause for schizophrenia but many cases have shown that traumatic experiences (mainly in the brain) may trigger it. “It is important to take psychological and biological adaptations into account during examination of etiopathogenic aspects of schizophrenia. It is necessary to point out that the nature of the relation between biological adaptation mechanisms (concerned with corresponding brain structures) and psychological adaptation mechanisms remains as unclear as discussions of the problem of the correlation between brain and mind” (Kotsiubinskii).

Some social factors of Schizophrenia are traumatic experiences, drugs, and lack of social interaction. There is no known cause for schizophrenia but many cases have shown that traumatic experiences, mainly in the brain, may trigger it. For example, if someone who was abused as a child were to experience major brain damage, they would have a higher chance of developing schizophrenia. According to another research study in 2004, one social factor of schizophrenia may be social deprivation. In the article it explained that children who lack social skills in early stages of life or if they have autism, they have a higher chance of developing schizophrenia later on as well (Luo). From these results from many researches, we can conclude that a social setting is a factor that plays throughout the disorder but there is no one reason to blame. Schizophrenia cannot be cured but can be handled with proper treatment.

There is obviously a biological factor that plays throughout the disorder but there is no one reason to blame. One research source suggested that it may be the cause of brain damage or changes in levels of serotonin and dopamine in the neurotransmitters that could be affected (O’connor). Dopamine and serotonin are neurotransmitters that send chemical messages throughout the brain and are pathways that connect the brain to other parts of the body. When these are damaged they can cause a lot of health problems both physically and mentally. This may be one of the factors that impact schizophrenia. Age and gender also play factors in relativity. From looking at test results I can conclude that schizophrenia is more common when the brain is nearing the end of development. “The average age of onset is 18 in men and 25 in women. Schizophrenia is not common in young teens, but mainly in adults. Men tend to develop schizophrenia slightly earlier than women. Most females develop symptoms several years later, and the incidence in women is noticeably higher in women after the age of 30” (n. d. 2). From these results we can see that men are more susceptible to the disorder than women are but there is not a reason why. A research experiment was done and showed very significant results (Gadea). Schizophrenia has many effects on the brain and it was triggered for one of my friends because of his mom’s drug addiction before he was born.

There are many stigmas around people with Schizophrenia that lead people to believe false claims around the illness. Although there are seven people with Schizophrenia per 1000 people, there is no one reason for why Schizophrenia happens. Manfred Bleuler, who was a Swiss physician and psychiatrist, wrote an article and claimed “the most acceptable theory on the origins of the schizophrenias regards them as the result of disharmonies of a variety of influences on personality development” (Bowers). Catherine Parker is a woman with Schizophrenia who shares her experience on her mental illness in her first person account called Landing a Mars Lander. In the account, she talks about the stereotypes and struggles she faces living with Schizophrenia. She compares her life events with the grounding of a Mars lander. “Finding a good friend or a best friend is like trying to land a Mars lander on Mars. It requires an exact mix of ingredients to make a friendship happen”(Parker). People with mental illness, including Schizophrenia, feel that no one actually listens or empathizes with them. Schizophrenia cannot be cured but can be handled with proper treatment. They believe that because of their illness, whether it is managed or not, will lead to destruction of their relationships because of the stigmas around the illnesses. “People with schizophrenia are seen as insane, dangerous, deadly, and incomprehensible. The stigma attached to mental illness is too great a risk to friendship, and this is why I will now never tell” (Parker).

Many people with Schizophrenia cope with it by using medication and daily therapy. Having supportive family and friends is also another big factor in helping people with their mentality. Catherine Parker continues by explaining how it was growing up, always feeling like she had to put in extra effort into her relationships. She says that she feels lonely and isolated, much like you and me. That is the thing about people with Schizophrenia, they are people. They relate to you just as much as anyone else.