#AIR-CLINIC HEALTH TALK: What Causes Schizophrenia (Madness)? Why You Should Care To Know...
Hello Air-Clinicians & Friends,
Have you ever seen the regular mad man on the main roads or market place? Have you ever wondered how they got to that state of mental health? Do you know they were once normal people before this happened?
Today we are going to explore this topic to the best of our ability. Apart from this writeup, this will also be discussed in our discord channel this evening. So endeavour to avail yourself.
What Is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling.
A person that suffers from Schizophrenia is called a Schizophrenic. We don't use that term for our patients though because its a little derogatory.
This definition above shows you that a sufferer's problem comes from his/her interpretation of already existing reality and NOT from reality itself. This interpretation is done automatically by the individual's brain hence the person acts in accordance with what the brain tells him is real.
Symptoms Of Schizo
- Delusions: is an abnormal false belief in something unreal. Eg. Thinking that President Obama is in love with you.
- Hallucinations: is a sensation of something that's not there. Eg Some just touched you whereas you are alone in the room or you hear voices speaking to you.
- Speech & Thoughts become disorganized: this results in impairment of expressions Eg. You may mean to say "come" but instead you mutter a gibberish.
- Behavioural Abnormalities: this individual looses his/her personality, makes no/poor eye contact, lives in his/her own world etcx
- Movement & Postural Disorders: he/she can stay in an abnormal position for so long.
All these relate to the effects of Schizo on the brain....
Causes & Risk Factors
Most of the causes all relate to Bio-Psycho-Social issues.
Family history is also a predominant issue as the genetic makeup can predispose a person to mental illness when exposed to certain environmental conditions.
Intake of Psychoactive medications. Many young people don't know that the drugs they abuse can make them run naked on the streets. This is a wake-up call. Desist from it to avoid dire consequences.
Factors impacting brain development in early life: eg drug use by mother during pregnancy.
Certain personality types are more predisposed.
Previous history of mental illnesses. Eg depression, mania, panic attacks etcx.
Its important to note that its not the sufferer that treats him/her self. Nope! Its usually family & friends that help the person seek help.
- When you notice abnormal symptoms in your friends, neighbours or family members, please don't just chain them up in the house. Its not the solution. Take them to a psychaitric center.
For More Details On This Topic,
Endeavour to join the #DAILY HEALTH TALK TODAY on #Air-Clinic Discord.
Time: 5:30pm (+1UTC /Nigerian Time).
See link here: https://discord.gg/rqded5m
AIR-CLINIC ROCKS!
Thanks for the write up @air-clinic. I really think that dhyan I.e. meditation can help a person maintain reality checks here. But then I also want to know what you think about it. #air-guild.
This actually made me laugh
Fun Fact
In some Nigerian societies, schizophrenia is believed to be caused by evil spirits and their solution is to beat the sufferer till the evil spirit flees the body of the sufferer.
Let's learn and educate as many as we can.
AS IINNN, NOT EVEN NIGERIAN SOCIETIES ONLY, I WOULD SAY Africa as a whole. The lever of superstitious believes and illiteracy is overwhelming. God help us.
Lol this is so true in the Philippines. A lot of people still bring mentally ill individuals to faith healers and folk medicine.
Hey @the.chiomz,
thank you for the insightful comment dear.
The Evil spirit theory is what these scammish faith-healers use to decieve many and dupe them of their money.
Thats why we are educating people to do the right thing.
Oh! Great... Quite informative
I know the symptoms of Schizophrenia. But some how i missed this one:
This is true:
i have a relative suffering from this. But then, he thinks he is perfectly alright, and we are the ones delusional. He doesn't take drugs, he could be violent at times and he's always suspicious of everything that happens around him. He doesn't even trust his family.
How do you convince someone like this to go to a hospital?
Hey @shuta,
We are glad you understand the rudiments of what we are saying about Schizophrenia.
As for your relative, you don't convince him coz he's not amenable to reason. Well, unless, you take time to find that special thing that can move him even in his state.
Besides that, you guys should find a way to bring him to the nearest psychiatric hospital. There's no easy way to do this. In the appropraite hospital, they know how to manage them and make them do things.
Cheers!
Thank you very much@air-clinic
True we'll have to find a way to convince him...
Yea, I can relate to this topic cus my step brother passed through this sickness years back (2002) family members were saying it's spiritual stuff cus he kept saying he was the one that killed our dad but we understood it to be the result of the hard drugs he's been taking (weed)... So we did our part in taking him to the appropriate hospital that handles that. He's sane now, married with three kids... This topic is very important cus people needs to be informed and awareness created on the cause and solutions to this disease
Thanks clinic_FM for this
Awwn @jhaysnsonofbenz,
We really appreciate your story about your step-brother.
We are especially glad that you all did the right thing for him by taking him to a proper hospital.
Now, he's perfectly well.
Cheers!
Thanks very much
I believe that traumatic experience can also lead to schizophrenia. This trauma makes them suppress that certain memory but as a familiar scene recur, this tend to bother them and such memory will slowly and eventually resurface.
Yeah @jeizwannahavfun,
Thats true, especially when there are other predisposing factors and positive family history.
Thanks for your beautiful contribution.
Cheers!
Wounderful lecture.very brillant amd educative.since we have the causes and symptoms.i think you should have also gives out the posible remedy.last how large have you assist and educate people on order socail medias,because its not every body that is on.steem.do you also try to reach people on facebook,twitter etc to educate them about there health? I love work on steem but try to extend it to the outer world.
Hey @tpassion,
Thank you for the thoughtful suggestions.
We are getting to those other social sites as well as other mass media sources soon.
Currently working on it.
Cheers!
Contributing to the causes of madness... I think the sun in Lagos Nigeria can literally make someone mad as well.😓
Hey @el-morenza,
Lolx.
AFrican (equitorial) sun can be quite hot... but it never makes anyone mad though.
Cheers!
Nice....
this is very interesting, knowledge is power. thanks @air-clinic
Hey @Emekasegun,
thank you!
Nice medical subject to consider. It's an issue that is common but knowledge about it is lacking. With more enlightenment we can appreciate what the victims are going through.
Exactly @stacey31,
The sufferers are going through alot.
Do you now what it means to want to say "amen" and something else comes out.
That's why some of them just keep to themselves or mutter to themselves.
Cheers!