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Essay on A Mental Illness, Characterized by a Range of Symptoms

1. Schizophrenia is a mental illness, characterized by a range of symptoms. Most common symptoms include delusions and hallucinations. Additional symptoms of schizophrenia found in humans include: bizarre behavior, loss of contact with reality, disorganized thinking and speaking, decreased emotional expressiveness, social withdrawal and memory loss. When a person smiles at another person, the usual response is to smile back. When a schizophrenic person sees one's smile, he/she wonders, "Why are they laughing at me?" Schizophrenics think that everyone is against them, causing everything to be rarely funny. Unlike other mental illnesses, schizophrenia has a fading effect on the person's life. They soon lose the ability to distinguish the difference between real and unreal experiences, also called delusions. Lori recalling how she killed her dog, beating it to death, is an example of delusion. It actually happened in her head, and only in her head. The illness takes over and shuts them down until they cannot operate, causing a both a high number of suicides and attempted suicides. People with schizophrenia usually exhibit short attention spans and abstract thinking. Also, they are more likely to abuse and/or become dependent on drugs and alcohol. To describe the suffers of schizophrenia, common terms like "mad' and "insane" are used by the outside world

Erikson formulated many different, but sequential stages in human development. The first is the "trust versus mistrust" stage. This occurs in the first year of child's life, with the infant gaining a sense of trust. Responsive and sensitive caregivers meet their basic needs. Lori was treated well by her parents as an infant. She also developed within the following stages successfully. Stage two is "autonomy versus shame & doubt", which occurs in the second year of infancy. Infants start to find that they can complete small without the caregiver's assistance. This stage takes place during early childhood between the ages of three and five. Infants are likely to gain a sense of shame and doubt, resulting from encounters with the social world and new responsibilities. Stage four, is the "industry versus inferiority". Children go through this stage between the ages of six years old until reaching puberty. The child is enthusiastic during this time, and focuses their energy towards learning, but problems can happen. Some children can feel incompetent and non-productive. Lori developed through this stage successfully by participating in activities and even being the class clown. Stage five is called "identity versus identity confusion". Starting at adolescence (ages 10 to 20), everyone is faced with finding the "true self" and direction for the future. This is where Lori begins to feel different. Lori began to hear voices and felt different from other people. She k


Quotes talked about in this paper

  • Lori described the experience, "It was awful. They had taken away big chunks or my life" ...
  • she lives in an apartment that she calls, "a beautiful place".

Names mentioned in this research paper
Lori,

Health Conditions talked about in this research material
mental illness,

Keywords referenced in this research material
drugs, illness, quiet room, the quiet room, schizophrenia, mental illness, schizophrenic, mental illnesses, memory loss, delusions, this family, New York, Electro Convulsive Therapy, antidepressant medication, smile, suicide, symptoms, calm, relax, effective method, problems, early childhood, early adulthood, class clown, dry mouth, shock treatment, severe depression, true self, open minded, brain cells, perfect girl, basic needs, blood disease, hallucinations, side effects, blood tests, anti psychotic, All American, electric current, social world, clozapine, high school, caregiver, experience, infant, behavior, patient, trust, common, mistrust,

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A Mental Illness, Characterized by a Range of Symptoms. (1969, December 31). In DirectEssays.com. Retrieved 18:31, May 21, 2013, from http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/48242.html
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