Questions 1. Schizophrenia is: A. The result of bad parenting tactics B.

A serious medical illness that interferes with a person's ability to interpret reality C. Split personality disorder 2. The cause(s) of schizophrenia is/are: A. A traumatic childhood event B. Unknown C. A recessive hereditary gene 3. To be diagnosed with schizophrenia: A person must claim to hear voices in their head Blood work must be positive A person experiences a sudden appearance of psychotic symptoms Psychotic or loss-of-reality symptoms are observed for at least six months 4. Schizophrenia is characterized by: A. Hallucinations B. Disordered thinking C. Emotional unresponsiveness D. All of the above 5. People with schizophrenia: A. Outlive those who are healthy B. Die at a relatively young age compared to other Americans C. Live about the same amount of time as people without schizophrenia 6. People with schizophrenia are no more likely to be violent than the general population. A. True B. False 7. Schizophrenia is a brain disease that can easily be cured by a treatment plan that includes different combinations of medications. A. True B. False A. B. C. D.

Answers

1. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness which interferes with a person's ability to think clearly, distinguish reality from fantasy, manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others. No two cases of schizophrenia are identical. 2. There is no one particular cause for schizophrenia, but the illness is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic vulnerability and external environmental factors Scientists still don't know exactly what causes schizophrenia, but they do know that the brains of people living with schizophrenia are different, as a group, from the brains of those who don't have the illness. Research suggests that schizophrenia has something to do with problems with brain chemistry and brain structure. Schizophrenia, like many other medical illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, is thought to be caused by a combination of problems, some inherited and others occurring during a person's development. For example, some scientists think that schizophrenia may be triggered by a viral infection affecting the brain very early in life or by mild brain damage from complications during birth. 3. By definition schizophrenia is only diagnosed if there is a marked change in thinking, perceptions and behavior through a combination of symptoms. This change has to be observed for at least six months and is associated with the decline in the person's ability to care for him or herself or to function properly in a social setting. 4. Symptoms of schizophrenia are categorized into three groups: positive, negative and cognitive. Positive, or psychotic symptoms, include delusions and hallucinations. These symptoms occur because the patient has lost touch with reality in certain important ways. Negative symptoms include lack of expression or emotional flatness, an inability to start and follow through with activities and a lack of pleasure or interest in life. Cognitive Symptoms include disorganized thinking, difficulty prioritizing tasks and problems with certain kids of memory functions. 5. Individuals with schizophrenia die at a younger age than the general population. Often the death rate in comparison is 2 to 3 times that of the general population. People with schizophrenia have higher standardized mortality rates than the general population from natural causes of death such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, Respiratory disease, and Infectious diseases. Of these causes Cardiovascular disease is associated with the largest number of deaths. 6. Studies indicate that except for those persons with a record of criminal violence, alcohol or substance abuse problems before becoming ill, people with schizophrenia are not especially prone to violence. Most individuals with schizophrenia are more typically withdrawn and prefer to be left alone.

7. The treatment of schizophrenia requires approaches in many dimensions. Medications are the cornerstone of symptom management but are not themselves sufficient to promote recovery. The primary medications for schizophrenia, called antipsychotics or neuroleptics, help relieve the hallucinations, delusions, and, to a lesser extent, the thinking problems people have with the disorder. These drugs are thought to work by correcting an imbalance in the chemicals that help brain cells communicate with each other.

Much as a successful recovery with another brain illness, such as a stroke, may include psychosocial rehabilitation and therapeutic interventions, recovery with schizophrenia includes not only medication, but also rehabilitation strategies involving work, school, and relationship goals, which are also essential and need to be addressed in creating a successful plan of care.