Schizophrenia and Related Disorders
Schizophrenia is a serious diagnosis and affects many features of the brain including but not limited too; cognitive and emotional functions, perception, communication, behavioral monitoring, and fluency of thought and speech. Symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized behavior, negative symptoms, and dysfunction with social occupation. There are also many types of schizophrenia like Paranoid Type, Disorganized Type, Catatonic Type, Undifferentiated Type, and Residual type. Symptoms must occur at least one to six months before, they must display two or more symptoms from the first category, and show social dysfunction that occurred after the other symptoms began. (DSM IV).
There are some recent studies out that believe that depression could also be one of the Category A symptoms of schizophrenia. A recent study reported that around 31% of those with a stable diagnosis of schizophrenia are depressed; this does not include those with schizophrenia which were previously diagnosed with depression. (Diez). This suggests that those with schizophrenia are either predisposed or susceptible towards depression. The same study also showed that depression might have an association between negative symptoms or might herald a psychotic relapse. If this is true then this means that depression can trigger certain areas in the brain which could correlate with the affected areas of schizophrenia which might cause a slight mimicking of symptoms.
There are several other disorders that are closely related to schizophrenia. Some of which only have a few minor differences. The first one that’s relevant to this guide is Schizophreniform which in affect is basically a precursor to schizophrenia which lasts a shorter period of time. Schizoaffective disorder is essentially a merge between schizophrenia and major mood disorder. Schizotypy and Schizotypal are both personality disorders that have very related features to schizophrenia. Since they are both personality disorders that means that the person that is diagnosed with this disorder is going to be/has been affected by their whole life since, as the name suggests, it is part of their personality. However, looking at studies that involve these two disorders can help us understand the other related ones.
Schizotypy shows an overlap between dissociation. Dissociation involves the separation between integrated mental processes which leads to effect of awareness, memory, and identity. The main overlap between the two is in the feeling of depersonalization/derealization. The two also correlate with unusual sleep experiences. The three seem to be involved together in the result of strange cognitions and perceptions which could manifest itself in nightmares and hallucinations. (Koffel, Erin, and David Watson).
There are some recent studies out that believe that depression could also be one of the Category A symptoms of schizophrenia. A recent study reported that around 31% of those with a stable diagnosis of schizophrenia are depressed; this does not include those with schizophrenia which were previously diagnosed with depression. (Diez). This suggests that those with schizophrenia are either predisposed or susceptible towards depression. The same study also showed that depression might have an association between negative symptoms or might herald a psychotic relapse. If this is true then this means that depression can trigger certain areas in the brain which could correlate with the affected areas of schizophrenia which might cause a slight mimicking of symptoms.
There are several other disorders that are closely related to schizophrenia. Some of which only have a few minor differences. The first one that’s relevant to this guide is Schizophreniform which in affect is basically a precursor to schizophrenia which lasts a shorter period of time. Schizoaffective disorder is essentially a merge between schizophrenia and major mood disorder. Schizotypy and Schizotypal are both personality disorders that have very related features to schizophrenia. Since they are both personality disorders that means that the person that is diagnosed with this disorder is going to be/has been affected by their whole life since, as the name suggests, it is part of their personality. However, looking at studies that involve these two disorders can help us understand the other related ones.
Schizotypy shows an overlap between dissociation. Dissociation involves the separation between integrated mental processes which leads to effect of awareness, memory, and identity. The main overlap between the two is in the feeling of depersonalization/derealization. The two also correlate with unusual sleep experiences. The three seem to be involved together in the result of strange cognitions and perceptions which could manifest itself in nightmares and hallucinations. (Koffel, Erin, and David Watson).
Psychology during Shakespeare's Time
Those with mental disorders during the 16th century was not as we think of it as today. Today psychology is very much a science with high standards, regulations, and data collection. Ethics is a very important consideration for psychology as its history has many example of the mistreatment of patients. It was also very easy to ‘diagnosed’ as mad.
There were several types of core ‘diagnoses’ such as dementia, delirium, furor, and melancholy. Melancholy was generally clinical depression and hypochondria was also another that tied in with melancholy whose presences came from either the liver, gall bladder, or spleen. Many psychological problems were viewed to be caused by some sort of infection of a body part. Much of the ‘treatments’ attempted to purge the body of the infected parts. (Burton).
Leaches were used to attempt to suck the madness from the blood. Throwing a patient into frozen water to ‘shock’ the madness out of them was also popular as was the rotating chair. One ‘scientist’ coined something called ‘Mad Doctoring’ which he claimed was to exert your will over the patient because if you attempting to talk with them or compromised at all you were well on your way to becoming mad yourself. (Mathews).
The insane were more a special for the public then and an experiment for those working there. Bedlam, one of the most famous insane asylums, was a tourist attraction for much of its history. You paid to get in and be entertained by harlots, the patients putting on a song or dance, or to just listen to them rave. However, the visitors to the asylum generally acted madder than anyone in there as they took it as an excuse to behave is some of the worst possible ways. Although, a patient once commented that in the asylum one had the most freedom of speech for they could not be locked up for something like treason because they were already contained.
There were several types of core ‘diagnoses’ such as dementia, delirium, furor, and melancholy. Melancholy was generally clinical depression and hypochondria was also another that tied in with melancholy whose presences came from either the liver, gall bladder, or spleen. Many psychological problems were viewed to be caused by some sort of infection of a body part. Much of the ‘treatments’ attempted to purge the body of the infected parts. (Burton).
Leaches were used to attempt to suck the madness from the blood. Throwing a patient into frozen water to ‘shock’ the madness out of them was also popular as was the rotating chair. One ‘scientist’ coined something called ‘Mad Doctoring’ which he claimed was to exert your will over the patient because if you attempting to talk with them or compromised at all you were well on your way to becoming mad yourself. (Mathews).
The insane were more a special for the public then and an experiment for those working there. Bedlam, one of the most famous insane asylums, was a tourist attraction for much of its history. You paid to get in and be entertained by harlots, the patients putting on a song or dance, or to just listen to them rave. However, the visitors to the asylum generally acted madder than anyone in there as they took it as an excuse to behave is some of the worst possible ways. Although, a patient once commented that in the asylum one had the most freedom of speech for they could not be locked up for something like treason because they were already contained.