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Schizophrenia: an Examination

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Schizophrenia: An Examination PYC4802 Assignment 3: 668049 17 JUNE 2015 The El

Index * Cover * Index * Introduction * Chapter 1: A Definition of Schizophrenia * Chapter 2: Symptoms of Schizophrenia * Chapter 3: Causes of Schizophrenia * Chapter 4: Treatment of Schizophrenia * Chapter 5: Living with Schizophrenia * Conclusion * References

Chapter 1. Introduction Schizophrenia, or mental illnesses in general isn't something new. It isn't a new age ideal which popped up out of nowhere. Even in the time of the Egyptians, there were reported cases of mental illnesses, but back then, they did not have the knowledge that we do today, so as Yuhas (2013) states, they simply deemed that those who displayed the symptoms of mental illnesses, such as those who had issues with concentration, those who were delirious or those with dwindling attention spans as simply suffering from emotional distress. It's not just the Egyptians, though. As Nizamie and Goyal (2010) point out, the ancient Indian text known as the Atharva-Veda also speak of mental illnesses, but to them back then, they were simply divine afflictions and curses sent from the gods who were angry at those who suffered. They also go on to elaborate on the Atharva-Veda, revealing that in the ancient text, there were detailed descriptions of conditions which sound similar to both bipolar disorders and schizophrenia, with many of the symptoms and descriptions given sounding quite similar to today's definitions. Mental illnesses continued to be quite prevalent throughout history, especially in ancient Greece but, as Hinshaw (2007) points out, back then, those who suffered from any form of mental illness were also simply viewed as cursed and people believed the gods had taken their minds as

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