Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia


     During the 1950s, mentally disordered people who were harmful to society

and themselves could be treated with medications and were able to return safely

to their communities.  During the 1980s, the cost of health care increased more

than any other cost in our national economy.  As a result, strategic planning

has been made to reduce costs.  “The political decision made to

deinstitutionalize chronic mental patients started with the appearance of

phenothiazine medications.  Dramatically reducing the instability influenced by

psychosis, these medications were of great significance to many individuals with

serious mental disorders.  At both the state and federal levels, legislators

looked at the high cost of long-term psychiatric hospitalization.  Social

scientists guaranteed them that community-based care would be in the best

interests of all concerned: the mentally ill and the general, tax-paying public

(Barry 13).”  It was believed that a social breakdown syndrome would develop in

chronically mentally ill persons who were institutionalized.  The

characteristics of this syndrome were submission to authority, withdrawal, lack

of initiative, and excessive dependence on the institution.

     While deinstitutionalization was kindhearted in its primary logic, the

actual execution of the concept has been greatly undermined by the lack of good

community alternatives.  At this time a large amount of the individuals using

community mental health treatment services are the homeless.  Nearly half of the

homeless are chronically mental ill.  These individuals are often separated from

their families and all alone on the dangerous street.  These homeless

schizophrenics stay away from social structures such as community health

treatment centers.  Since they start a new life of independence they often stop

taking their medications, become psychotic and out of place, and begin to live

on the street.  Since the schizophrenics are deinstitutionalized they are thrown

into a whole new world of independence.  Since their brain functions different

than the usual human being they can't cope with the problems of life.  The

schizophrenics drive themselves crazy wanting to kill themselves and others in

order to escape from this perplexing world.

     Schizophrenia is the most common psychoses in the United States

affecting around one percent of the United States population.  It is

characterized by a deep withdrawal from interpersonal relationships and a

retreat into a world of fantasy.  This plunge into fantasy results in a loss of

contact from reality that can vary from mild to severe.  Psychosis has more than

one acceptable definition.  The psychoses are different from other groups of

psychiatric disorders in their degree of severity, withdrawal, alteration in

affect, impairment of intellect, and regression.

     The severity of psychoses are considered major disorders and involve

confusion in all portions of a person's life.  Psychosis is seen in a wide range

of organic disorders and schizophrenia.  These disorders are severe, intense,

and disruptive.  A person with a psychotic disorder suffers greatly, as do those

in his or her immediate environment. Individuals suffering from withdrawal are

said to be autistic.  That is, the person withdraws from reality into a private

world of his or her own.  The psychotic individual is more withdrawn than a

person with a neurotic disorder or any other mental disorder. The affect, mood,

or emotional tone in a person with a psychotic disorder is immensely different

from that of normal affect.  In the mood disorders, one observes the

exaggeration of sadness and cheerfulness in the form of depression and mania.

In the schizophrenic disorders, affect may be exaggerated, flat, or

inappropriate.

     In psychotic disorders, the intellect is involved in the actual

psychotic process, resulting in derangement of language, thought, and judgment.

Schizophrenia is called a formal thought disorder.  Thinking and understanding

of reality are usually severely impaired.  The most 
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