Schizophrenia in American Culture

Introduction

Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness, and one of a larger class of psychotic disorders defined by the presence of delusions (false beliefs) and/or hallucinations (sensory perceptions without external sensory input). Schizophrenia was once thought to be caused by disturbed family interaction patterns, it is now understood that the cause of the disease is biological, while it also interacts with the environment. Schizophrenia has a profound impact on the family. However, the family can play an important role in the treatment of persons with this disorder. Schizophrenia is a severe chronic disease that affected more than 1 million Americans in mid 60s and 70s era. Majority of men who suffered from the disease were in their late teens (early 20s); whereas, majority of female aged between 20s and 30s. Main notable thing is that the disease affected patients in almost equal proportion (WND, 2006). 

In 1960s era, Schizophrenia was the alarming mental problem in American culture. Symptoms of schizophrenia depended on age, gender, and cultural background of a person (Sham et al., 461). Among other examples of this group are schizoaffective disorder (featuring mood disorder symptoms as well as schizophrenic symptoms; and delusional disorder), marked by the presence of non-bizarre delusions and the absence of distinctive schizophrenic symptoms. The 1975 surgeon general's report on mental illness estimated that in between 1960 and 1970, 21% of adults between the ages of 18 and 54 were affected by mental illness (Sham et al., 462). Most of those people had either anxiety or mood disorders. 

Thesis Statement

Schizophrenia is a disorder of personality, characterized by distortion of thoughts. This paper explores how Schizophrenia prevalence in America affected American culture during the mid 60s and 70s.

Schizophrenia appears more often in men compare to women. Following section describes the causes of Schizophrenia in American citizens during mid 60s and 70s era. In American culture, 20 to 30% patients led a relatively normal life. The other 20-30% experienced moderate symptoms and the remaining 40-60% led a life disrupted by the disorder (Kaplan, 4).

Causes of Schizophrenia

There is a strong reason to believe that significant genetic hereditary factors are involved in the causes of schizophrenia. Many researchers are currently discovering the genetic causes of schizophrenia that transmit across generations. The probability of success increases with as the genes of other complex diseases are discovered. The CT scan indicates that the fluid-filled cavities in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia tend to be larger than those that are not met due to mutation in genes.

The subjects with schizophrenia disorder often have frame of reference. It is essential to distinguish the frame of references that held with delusional conviction. These people can be superstitious or exhibit paranormal beliefs beyond the societal acceptance. Studies show that there can be perceptual disturbances due to environment, for example, feeling that another person is present when in reality no person exists. The schizophrenia disorder commonly occurs with significant emotional distress. Interpersonal distancing, detachment from reality, and emotional distress directly relates with the formation of schizophrenia disorder (Seeman, 2).

Occurrence of schizophrenia directly impacts the gray matter ...