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Dr. Taylor
PSY 100
9 March 2010 An Inside Look at Schizophrenia “If depression is the disabling but common cold of psychological disorders, chronic schizophrenia is the cancer” (Myers). Today, there are many abnormal disorders that have become better understood; one of which being schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic, disabling brain disease that almost two million Americans will suffer from in a given year. Although schizophrenia may appear to be a dysfunctional disorder, there is more to this disease that meets the eyes. Most likely to develop earlier, more severely, and more often in men, schizophrenia affects both the male and female populations, and “it knows no boundaries” (Myers). Symptoms begin to arise in the late teens to early twenties for men, and in the twenties to early thirties for women. Although only one percent of the population will develop such a chronic disorder in their lifetime, schizophrenia should not be pushed aside. Found in many different individuals, schizophrenia’s symptoms and long-lasting pattern often results in a high degree of disability. People with schizophrenia have various symptoms that vary for each individual; “hallucinations of sound, sight, smell, taste, or touch may occur” (Berkow), the most common being hearing voices. People with schizophrenia tend to hear internal voices that can’t be heard by others; this may result in one talking to oneself or possibly doing something out of the norm. Other symptoms include believing that others can read one’s mind, plotting to harm, and controlling one’s thoughts. Symptoms such as those presented by schizophrenia are liable to leave an individual fearful and withdrawn from the outside world. This disorder may also have some affect on one’s speech;