schizophrenia

that's what I said more or less

 

so how do i know if i have it? do mood changes basicly mean im gonna go fucking koo-koo?

 

My position is that certain traits in people are over-pathologized in an attempt to make mental "illnesses" akin to cancer and HIV when said traits may be better attributed. I do not feel this way entirely about schizophrenia because there are enough random people who exemplify it to an extreme. Nevertheless, there are, doubtlesly, some whom are misdiagnosed due to the criteria's flexibility.

The following is the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia according to the DSM IV quoted from <http://counsellingresource.com/distress/schizophrenia/dsm/schizophrenia.html>:

A. Characteristic symptoms: Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated):

• delusions
• hallucinations
• disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
• grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
• negative symptoms, i.e., affective flattening, alogia, or avolition

Note: Only one Criterion A symptom is required if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the person's behavior or thoughts, or two or more voices conversing with each other.

B. Social/occupational dysfunction: For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care are markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset (or when the onset is in childhood or adolescence, failure to achieve expected level of interpersonal, academic, or occupational achievement).

C. Duration: Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months. This 6-month period must include at least 1 month of symptoms (or less if successfully treated) that meet Criterion A (i.e., active-phase symptoms) and may include periods of prodromal or residual symptoms. During these prodromal or residual periods, the signs of the disturbance may be manifested by only negative symptoms or two or more symptoms listed in Criterion A present in an attenuated form (e.g., odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences).

D. Schizoaffective and Mood Disorder exclusion: Schizoaffective Disorder and Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features have been ruled out because either (1) no Major Depressive Episode, Manic Episode, or Mixed Episode have occurred concurrently with the active-phase symptoms; or (2) if mood episodes have occurred during active-phase symptoms, their total duration has been brief relative to the duration of the active and residual periods.

E. Substance/general medical condition exclusion: The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.

F. Relationship to a Pervasive Developmental Disorder: If there is a history of Autistic Disorder or another Pervasive Developmental Disorder, the additional diagnosis of Schizophrenia is made only if prominent delusions or hallucinations are also present for at least a month (or less if successfully treated).

Subtypes

1. Paranoid Type

A type of Schizophrenia in which the following criteria are met:

• Preoccupation with one or more delusions or frequent auditory hallucinations.
• None of the following is prominent: disorganized speech, disorganized or catatonic behavior, or flat or inappropriate affect.

2. Catatonic Type

A type of Schizophrenia in which the clinical picture is dominated by at least two of the following:

• motoric immobility as evidenced by catalepsy (including waxy flexibility) or stupor
• excessive motor activity (that is apparently purposeless and not influenced by external stimuli)
• extreme negativism (an apparently motiveless resistance to all instructions or maintenance of a rigid posture against attempts to be moved) or mutism
• peculiarities of voluntary movement as evidenced by posturing (voluntary assumption of inappropriate or bizarre postures),
• stereotyped movements, prominent mannerisms, or prominent grimacing
• echolalia or echopraxia

3. Disorganized Type

A type of Schizophrenia in which the following criteria are met:

• All of the following are prominent:
  • disorganized speech
  • disorganized behavior
  • flat or inappropriate affect
• The criteria are not met for Catatonic Type.

4. Undifferentiated Type

A type of Schizophrenia in which symptoms that meet Criterion A are present, but the criteria are not met for the Paranoid, Disorganized, or Catatonic Type.

5. Residual Type

A type of Schizophrenia in which the following criteria are met:

• Absence of prominent delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior.
• There is continuing evidence of the disturbance, as indicated by the presence of negative symptoms or two or more symptoms listed in Criterion A for Schizophrenia, present in an attenuated form (e.g., odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences).

Associated features

• Learning Problem
• Hypoactivity
• Psychosis
• Euphoric Mood
• Depressed Mood
• Somatic or Sexual Dysfunction
• Hyperactivity
• Guilt or Obsession
• Sexually Deviant Behavior
• Odd/Eccentric or Suspicious Personality
• Anxious or Fearful or Dependent Personality
• Dramatic or Erratic or Antisocial Personality

​

 

Has anyone ever really thought about the symptoms of schizophrenia? Let’s look at paranoid schizophrenia. I don’t know about you guys but the thought of getting caught is not exactly a pleasant thought. Every time one smokes, one knows that there could be serious consequences if one is seen by the wrong person. If people did not have to fear getting caught, my guess is that less people would show symptoms of schizophrenia.

Picture a raid type of situation, cops burst into a woman’s house, the lady dies of a heart attack. There was a post about this earlier. If that’s too extreme, picture this situation, better then the first, but still a bad bad situation: you are sitting on a bench after smoking, suddenly you hear sirens and see flashing red and blue lights, cops zoom towards where you are, eventually they get out of their cars and look for who ever just smoked in the area. Neither of these situations is very pleasant. This seems like a panic attack waiting to happen. A situation like this seems like it could help an individual become schizophrenic.

Think about it this way, the illegality of marijuana, probably does not help this situation. If marijuana was not illegal, it would definitely cut some of the paranoia it's often associated with.

Going back to the original question, could marijuana cause schizophrenia? It seems that the ‘‘experts’’ on the matter still can’t tell for sure. They noted that some kind of relationship exists between the two; however the greater majority of people who smoke cannabis will never develop schizophrenia. For this reason, one cannot state that marijuana is a one way ticket to schizophrenia. That being said, a person who for instance tends to be afraid, should not do anything to make him or her more afraid. If a person knows that cannabis makes them paranoid, and the person is paranoid to begin with, cannabis will probably not help that individual. As the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates once said, “a person should know him or her self.” Is knowing oneself not the first step towards distinguishing between reality and delusion? Knowing who one is helps an individual deal with reality.

If one smokes, one generally aims for a good time following smoking. (I would think most people don’t aim for a miserable experience.) How one is feeling and the setting will greatly affect the outcome of a person’s experience smoking. If a person can control their environment, they may be able to have a better time. (In this situation let’s say, not freak out and have a panic attack.) Reminding oneself that he or she just took a mind altering substance can help a person mellow out.

There seems to be several misconceptions about schizophrenia. WhisperingWoods, your forgetting, some psychiatrists in this world are full of shit themselves. They are but people, and all people make mistakes. (Yes, even after all that time they spend getting their degrees) It has been said that schizophrenia is associated with high levels of dopamine, however this is not the only reason why people develop schizophrenia. If the sole cause of schizophrenia was dopamine, antipsychotic medication should always be able to fix the chemical imbalance in a person’s brain. While antipsychotic medication works for some people, other people do not respond to it well.

It seems that many people with schizophrenia have smoked cannabis in the passed. From what I heard, a lot of people with schizophrenia choose not to smoke cannabis because it increases their paranoia. On the other hand, I heard that other people with schizophrenia benefited from using cannabis. Wouldn’t it be ironic if something society believes helps an individual develop schizophrenia actually helped some people with schizophrenia? While many people with schizophrenia probably will not benefit from cannabis, (the ones who cannot deal with it,) the few who find a way to deal with it probably receive some benefit.

You brought up a good point, undercooked, just because one could be diagnosed with schizophrenia, does not mean that an individual necessarily has schizophrenia. Misdiagnosis is possible because any thought that seems to stray from the norms of the majority could be described as abnormal thinking. Many people who get diagnosed with schizophrenia are schizophrenic, however there are some people who are not. One generally associates schizophrenia with dysfunction. ‘Functional’ people generally do not get diagnosed with schizophrenia, unless their thinking really strays outside the set box. The information you posted seems like a good description of schizophrenia.

mr.greenxxx , If your mood never changed, I would question if you were awake. While it may be best to stay calm in any situation, being a human implies that one is capable of changing ones mood to fit ones situation. A person will generally react differently at a wedding versus a funeral. If one’s emotions fit one’s situation, that seems to be a part of being alive.

Theoretically, if one stays in control of his or her life, and does not allow his or her life to deteriorate, one remains one step ahead. Stay well guys, peace

 

The cause of schizophrenia is unknown, but it is suspected that those with it are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia and that an environmental stressor tends to trigger it in them. For example, somebody might drop acid and experience the symptoms of schizophrenia, but it could just as well have been triggered by the death of his or her cat or by getting hit by a bus. However, it is believed that these events do not cause it because the person is already inclined toward it.

A psychologist once told me that there is a positive correlation between schizophrenia and drug use. Notwithstanding, it is important to note that correlation is not causation. Many schizophrenics might use drugs because it conveniently explains their strange behaviour in a way that is more socially acceptable than mental illness. Also, many recreational drug users may be misdiagnosed as schizophrenic.

 

cool, im paranoid schizphrenic too.

 

Oh yea? How badly has it affected your life? I've been really bad at relationships, I recently broke up with my sons mom, she just wasnt willing to deal with me when I would be losing control of my perception of reality, and I can understand that, it must be difficult to deal with me when I get out of control.