Research Assessment #3

Date: October 20, 2017

Subject: Neurosurgery(will possibly help me in my product to incorporate both
brain disorders and heart disorders)
MLA or APA citation: "NIMH » Schizophrenia." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 17 Nov.
2016.<https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml>

Analysis:

Many disorders can infect the body; however, the main, life-damaging diseases
are those of the brain. The brain is the one organ that controls all the vital processes and
functions of our major organs and it’s the only organ that demonstrates our day-to-day
emotions, actions, and thoughts through its general functions. Thus, if the brain gets
affected in anyway, the entire body gets damaged to a higher degree, and in some cases,
death. I decided to investigate a brain disorder in the possible hopes of designing my
product to incorporate both my last year ISM knowledge of the brain, but also this
year’s new knowledge of the heart in an effective manner. Thus, I investigated a
common brain disorder that can affect an individual’s overall being, specifically,
Schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person
thinks, feels, and behaves. A general symptom of this disorder is they nay lose their
sense of reality, thus, they can’t cope with life naturally, and instead they face it through
struggles and conflicts. In addition to loss of reality, they’ll also obtain positive,
negative, and cognitive symptoms associated with Schizophrenia. Positive symptoms
are psychotic behaviors, and result in symptoms such as: hallucinations, delusions,
thought disorders, and movement disorders. These symptoms generally lead to losing
touch sensations and loss of reality; thus, the person may see abnormal images and
experience dysfunctional behavior. Negative symptoms are associated with disruptions
to normal emotions and behaviors. Some symptoms may be: “flat affect”, reduced
happiness, difficulty to perform actions, and reduced speaking. Negative symptoms
affect a person’s mental being; therefore, they have trouble with their emotions and
experience more pain through lack of feeling happiness. Cognitive symptoms are
changes in memory and intellectual thinking. Various symptoms are: poor “executive
functioning”, trouble focusing, “working memory” problems. These symptoms affect
the memory and intellectual thinking of a person; therefore, they may have trouble in
school or actively engaging in their workplace. All three types of Schizophrenia
symptoms will affect a person’s thinking, emotional, and behavioral aspects of life.
 In addition, various environmental and biological aspects can lead to risk factors
associated with Schizophrenia. Regarding genes, scientists have long known that
schizophrenia sometimes runs in families. However, there are many people who have
schizophrenia who don’t have a family member with the disorder and conversely,
many people with one or more family members with the disorder who do not develop
it themselves. Scientists believe that many different genes may increase the risk of
schizophrenia, but that no single gene causes the disorder by itself. It is not yet possible
to use genetic information to predict who will develop schizophrenia. Therefore, this
indicates Schizophrenia’s cause is still unknown, or cannot be tracked completely, thus,
leading us to believe it as a brain disorder that’s still very unknown, but can be revealed
through future innovations. In addition, scientists also think that interactions between
genes and aspects of the individual’s environment are necessary for schizophrenia to
develop. Environmental factors may involve: exposure to viruses, malnutrition before
birth, problems during birth, and psychosocial factors. Thus, Schizophrenia results from
the combination of genetic and environmental influences throughout life. Similarly,
scientists believe differences in brain chemistry and structure can also influence risk
factors associated with this disorder. They think that an imbalance in the complex,
interrelated chemical reactions of the brain involving the neurotransmitters plays a role
in schizophrenia. Therefore, chemical imbalances within the brain plays a major role in
developing brain diseases because the reactions performed in the brain may get
affected, thus, the brain overall will get impacted.
Schizophrenia is a severe disorder that can damage the mentality of a person, but
there are treatments, therapies, and preventions to overcome this disorder. Due to the
unknown causes of Schizophrenia, treatments are used to eliminate symptoms, thus,
reducing the severity, and in some cases, destroying the disease from the body.
Common treatments and therapies are: Antipsychotics, Psychosocial treatments, and
CSC. These treatments and therapies are used to reduce side effects and/or risks
associated with Schizophrenia, so the person will at least be able to function normally
and think normally. In addition, these strategies may even help to prevent other mental
infections from entering the body because of already experiencing a life-damaging
disorder. Aside from general treatments, there’s also ways to help the person through
just love and affection. Some ways are: care, support, encouragement, and respect.
Through love and affection, there’s a high chance a person may experience reality and
function normally.
In conclusion, I learned about a very chronic and severe mental disorder that can
have an enormous impact on an entire individual, specifically, their emotions, actions,
and thoughts. This information is essentially relevant to me because I learned about a a
disorder concerning my possible product, thus, I gained more knowledge about various
diseases of the brain, which I believe will in turn provide me with further resources to
develop a product that incorporates both cardiac surgery and neurosurgery. A Cardiac
surgeon continuously learn, thus, due to this, I think I gained a better understanding of
what kinds of aspects they should learn and investigate in order to ensure the best form
of treatment. This is important in my ISM experience and topic learning because it
enables me to get a better insight on the type of learning Cardiac surgeons constantly
research. I found this entire study very interesting because it consists of a brain disorder
that affects the overall functioning of the body, thus, the person suffers in all aspects of
life through not understanding reality. Overall, this entire knowledge will help me in
my ISM 2 experience because it provides me with in depth information on diseases of
the medical field and particularly on the aspects a Cardiac Surgeon will have to
constantly learn about.
Definition

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks,
feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with
reality. Although schizophrenia is not as common as other mental disorders, the
symptoms can be very disabling. Commented [KK1]: Schizophrenia is a disorder that
affects the main vital activities of a person
---mental disorder

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia usually start between ages 16 and 30. In rare cases, children
have schizophrenia too.

The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three categories: positive, negative, and
cognitive.

Positive symptoms: “Positive” symptoms are psychotic behaviors not generally seen in
healthy people. People with positive symptoms may “lose touch” with some aspects of
reality. Symptoms include:

● Hallucinations
● Delusions
● Thought disorders (unusual or dysfunctional ways of thinking)
● Movement disorders (agitated body movements)

Negative symptoms: “Negative” symptoms are associated with disruptions to normal

emotions and behaviors. Symptoms include:

● “Flat affect” (reduced expression of emotions via facial expression or voice tone)
● Reduced feelings of pleasure in everyday life
● Difficulty beginning and sustaining activities
● Reduced speaking

Cognitive symptoms: For some patients, the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia are
subtle, but for others, they are more severe and patients may notice changes in their
memory or other aspects of thinking. Symptoms include:

● Poor “executive functioning” (the ability to understand information and use it to

make decisions)
● Trouble focusing or paying attention
 ● Problems with “working memory” (the ability to use information immediately
after learning it) Commented [KK2]: Positive
-kind of turns a person crazy
-lose sense of reality
--thus, they may struggle to look at life from a normal
perspective
Risk Factors Negative
-can't feel or function normally
-have struggle and pain in life due to lack of happy
There are several factors that contribute to the risk of developing schizophrenia. emotions and abnormal behaviors

Cognitive
Genes and environment: Scientists have long known that schizophrenia sometimes -problems in school for children
runs in families. However, there are many people who have schizophrenia who don’t -problems to understand and form decisions
--creates challenges in workplace and school
have a family member with the disorder and conversely, many people with one or more
family members with the disorder who do not develop it themselves.

Scientists believe that many different genes may increase the risk of schizophrenia, but
that no single gene causes the disorder by itself. It is not yet possible to use genetic
information to predict who will develop schizophrenia.

Scientists also think that interactions between genes and aspects of the individual’s
environment are necessary for schizophrenia to develop. Environmental factors may
involve:

● Exposure to viruses
● Malnutrition before birth
● Problems during birth
● Psychosocial factors Commented [KK3]: Biology of a person can result in
abnormal brain disorders
--thus genetics and various exposures to environment
Different brain chemistry and structure: Scientists think that an imbalance in the can have a huge influence on whether or not the
complex, interrelated chemical reactions of the brain involving the neurotransmitters person gets the disorder

(substances that brain cells use to communicate with each other) dopamine and
glutamate, and possibly others, plays a role in schizophrenia.

Some experts also think problems during brain development before birth may lead to
faulty connections. The brain also undergoes major changes during puberty, and these
changes could trigger psychotic symptoms in people who are vulnerable due to
genetics or brain differences. Commented [KK4]: -Chemical reactions of brain
possibly playa role in schizophrenia
-various major stages of life can lead to schizophrenia

Treatments and Therapies

Because the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown, treatments focus on eliminating
the symptoms of the disease. Treatments include:

Antipsychotics

Antipsychotic medications are usually taken daily in pill or liquid form. Some
antipsychotics are injections that are given once or twice a month. Some people have
side effects when they start taking medications, but most side effects go away after a
few days. Doctors and patients can work together to find the best medication or
medication combination, and the right dose. Check the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) website: (http://www.fda.gov/ ), for the latest information on
warnings, patient medication guides, or newly approved medications.

Psychosocial Treatments

These treatments are helpful after patients and their doctor find a medication that
works. Learning and using coping skills to address the everyday challenges of
schizophrenia helps people to pursue their life goals, such as attending school or work.
Individuals who participate in regular psychosocial treatment are less likely to have
relapses or be hospitalized. For more information on psychosocial treatments, see the
Psychotherapies webpage on the NIMH website.

Coordinated specialty care (CSC)

This treatment model integrates medication, psychosocial therapies, case management,

family involvement, and supported education and employment services, all aimed at
reducing symptoms and improving quality of life. The NIMH Recovery After an Initial
Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) research project seeks to fundamentally change the
trajectory and prognosis of schizophrenia through coordinated specialty care treatment
in the earliest stages of the disorder. RAISE is designed to reduce the likelihood of long-
term disability that people with schizophrenia often experience and help them lead
productive, independent lives.

How can I help someone I know with schizophrenia?

Caring for and supporting a loved one with schizophrenia can be hard. It can be
difficult to know how to respond to someone who makes strange or clearly false
statements. It is important to understand that schizophrenia is a biological illness.
Here are some things you can do to help your loved one:

● Get them treatment and encourage them to stay in treatment

● Remember that their beliefs or hallucinations seem very real to them
● Tell them that you acknowledge that everyone has the right to see things their
own way
● Be respectful, supportive, and kind without tolerating dangerous or
inappropriate behavior
● Check to see if there are any support groups in your area Commented [KK5]: Treatments include
-medications
-encouragement, love, affection, caring
-medication with therapy