Mental illness is an uncomfortable topic. Without the ability to talk about it, we can’t help but refer to people afflicted with serious psychological conditions as being unbalanced or crazy. This not only demonstrates ignorance but also allows for the characterization of those suffering as a separate population instead of as individuals. These conditions breed stigma and prejudice and so in the interest of improving the lives and those unfortunates whose minds have betrayed them we should explore and learning about these conditions.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a severe and persistent mental illness that can be debilitating to how a person is able to think and perceive the world around them. Hallmarks of the disease include hallucinations, delusions, movement disorders, depression, reduced interest, poor attention, and poor decision making.
Example of dopamine action
What causes the condition?
A prevailing theory for the cause of schizophrenia is that it is a developmental disorder. This is supported by the fact that conditions that disrupt fetal brain development contributed to the development of schizophrenia as well as by the fact that those diagnosed with schizophrenia missed cognitive milestones in their childhood. The disrupted brain development creates the symptoms that are seen later in life.
One theory as to what is going wrong in the brain’s mechanisms deals with the Wnt signaling pathway in the brain. It is thought that excess dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is preventing the Wnt pathway from creating healthy proteins in the brain and so prevent key areas of the brain from fully developing.
Healthy vs Schizophrenic brain
Treatments
The most troubling problem with schizophrenia is that for all of its terrible effects we still lack adequate means of treating the disease. Anti-psychotics currently in use have such terrible side effects that patients routinely go off their medications because the symptoms associated with schizophrenia can be less severe. In addition to this, when the treatments are working they only affect half of the possible complications of the disease.
This disease affects the quality of life of millions and we are far away from coming up with either a successful treatment or cure. Research keeps pushing forward but currently the going is slow due to the resources invested in the disease. A shift in importance is required before we can develop the treatments that will improve the lives of millions.
Stigma and Schizophrenia
