Whitneyhavard's Blog

Schizophrenia In Everyday Life

whitney — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:25:08 +0000

Research on schizophrenia in different cultures can be applied to everyday life by helping to avoid conflict and showing more empathy for those who may be different from us. In the research done for my topic, I found that social out-casting was a major cause of stress and reason for not seeking proper treatment. Since we do not know the exact causes of schizophrenia we need to be made aware of that it can happen to any of us at any time. As a culture we set societal norms of how people should be and act, but sometimes there are uncontrollable factors that will cause those to deviate from what is considered “normal.” What we can do as a society in the United States is not judge and ostracize those that may be different from ourselves. Exposure to everyday life may even be part of a treatment process for them, so we need not interrupt that. In China, schizophrenia may be applied in almost the same way. Not seeking treatment seems to be the leading cause of death because of the disease and negative symptoms. The Chinese are afraid to seek treatment in fear of offending someone else. How is that fair? This is an involuntary disease that a person cannot choose. In everyday life, if we judge a little less and accept a little more we may be helping out more than we realize.

Directions for Schizophrenia Research

whitney — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:17:05 +0000

Culture consists of shared practices and beliefs out of social interactions, so schizophrenia I feel that research should lean more towards cultural specific reasons. Being that the exact cause of schizophrenia is still unknown, evidence for cultural and environmental reasons is overwhelming. I could not find as much research on the exact beliefs and reasons given for schizophrenia in China, which is very upsetting to my opinions of the topic. I found many more differences between the cultures and schizophrenia than I did similarities. I would love to see more research on the link between schizophrenia and suicide. I feel that the little research I found about schizophrenia in China is partly because of the political aspects involved. The little research I did find involved family members of schizophrenic sufferers. They expressed their desire for more information about the disease and treatment options. At this point in China there are very few health clinics that can provide proper treatment for these individuals. Focusing more on the cultural specifics could possibly give way to some preventative causes that seem to trigger the disease. Environmental dynamics such as social status, socio-economic status, wealth, and measures of success all seem to cause stress factors that may or may not stimulate the onset of symptoms. Because humans have a variety of practices, beliefs, social roles, norms, that are exhibited differently I feel schizophrenic patients should be studies in all contexts.

Schizophrenia; Cultural Differences

whitney — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:10 +0000

When thinking about schizophrenia, one might not ask questions about where the patient suffering from the disease is from or what type of cultural he/she is part of, but maybe we should! Studies show that perceptions and exposure of emotions varies by culture which may mean that the symptoms of schizophrenia can be displayed differently. In countries like China, where political reasons cause reluctance in the diagnosis of a disease, one may be ostracized or socially isolated. Collectivistic cultures, like China are less about being different and more about being the same. This may mean hiding their symptoms in fear of being socially out-casted and not seeking proper treatment for their disorder. Living in an individualistic culture, seeking proper treatment is very much encouraged. In the United States, one suffering from schizophrenia still may feel socially out-casted but family support is very much a part of the recovery process. There are people we encounter every day and we may not know that they at one time, or still are, suffering from schizophrenia. In China, a schizophrenic person may even out-cast themselves, in fear of the rejection they may face. In a study, family members of Chinese schizophrenic patients were surveyed asked questions regarding the effects of social stigma of the patient. Family members reported that the social stigma that the person faced was so severe that it in increased the level of negative symptoms. Research shows that in collectivist cultures like China, those suffering from schizophrenia have social phobias of being offensive to others. The Chinese believe more in counseling, prayer, exercise, and diet as ways to deal with psychological diseases. They place less emphasis on using medications. In the United States, all of these things are encouraged, but medication is seen as a vital aspect to treatment and recovery. Research shows that there is a lack of knowledge and well-developed services for people with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia; Cultural Similarities

whitney — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:59:31 +0000

Considering that schizophrenia affects a part of the world’s entire population, we would think that most of the aspects of this disease would be universal. This disease has never been thought of as a cultural specific disorder, so this leads us to believe it’s the same around the world. Especially considering that schizophrenia has a strong biological basis, there must be many similarities. Symptoms seem to be universal. There are central symptoms of the disorder in China and the United States, hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions. In both cultures those suffering from schizophrenia face and fear social out-casting. Knowledge of the disease and family support seems to be the best for a treatment and recovery of this disease. Research shows that both of these cultures suffer from somatic and psychological symptoms. They face the sleep-disturbance, pains, voices, hallucinations, but also the feelings of sadness and guilt. Genetic factors affect the likelihood of developing schizophrenia and these statistics are the same in Chine and the U.S. If you have a cousin with schizophrenia you have a 2% chance of developing it. A sibling diagnosed with the disease leaves you with a 9% chance and if you have an identical twin that has schizophrenia you have a 48% chance. In a research study, it was suggested that family members of Chinese schizophrenics do give support in the home and wish to know more knowledge and treatment options for the disease. Family seems to be a very important factor in both an individualistic culture and collectivistic. Unfortunately so does social ostracizing, leaving some sufferers of schizophrenia in fear of seeking the proper treatment they deserve.

Schizophrenia

whitney — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:34:48 +0000

Approximately 1% of the world’s population is affected by schizophrenia. It is a disorder characterized by the presence of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and disorganized behavior. There are 5 types of schizophrenia: catatonic, disorganized, paranoid, residual, and undifferentiated. Biological causes are assumed to be an obvious cause of schizophrenia, but some researchers are now proposing that it is an emotional disorder caused by environmental factors. Mainly symptoms are suggested to have a worldwide uniform prevalence with minor variations. Schizophrenia is more common in men than in women in most parts of the world; however, this is not that case in China. Research suggests that for every 3 Chinese men diagnosed with schizophrenia 5 cases of Chinese women are recognized. Schizophrenia affects 2.7 million people in United States and a staggering 4.25 million people in China. So I question, if schizophrenia is mainly considered to be a biologically caused disorder, why is there such a big gap in the numbers? Is it just that more people with the disorder happen to live in China? Maybe culture, social and economic characteristics of communities influence more than we think. Studies have researchers questioning diagnostic procedures, stigma associated with schizophrenia, and government control of the health statistics reported. It has even been suggested that China may have political reasons for lowering the number of cases reported. Because of the differences in our cultures, delusional thoughts in one culture may be completely normal in another. So I question, what makes someone in China more likely to develop schizophrenia than someone is the United States? Is it genetics? … Maybe, but one take into consideration the vast cultural differences between the two.