In this article, I will be talking about the social causes of schizophrenia, but before I do that, I would like to throw more light on what schizophrenia means.
Though it is quite common, a lot of people are unaware of its definition and what it is all about, apart from the obvious fact that it is a mental disorder.
DEFINITION:
Schizophrenia can be defined as a serious mental disorder that changes or controls the way a person feels, thinks, sees reality, behaves and communicate with others.
There is no known cause of schizophrenia, but there are various factors and different combinations of environment, genetics and transformed brain chemistry and structure. It is basically about disorganised speech, thoughts, inability to concentrate, reduced involvement or participation in various day to day activities, and abnormal behaviour.
SYMPTOMS:
A schizophrenic patient is most likely to show symptoms like;
1: Social Isolation
2: Abnormal Behavior
3: Aggressiveness
4: Self-detachment
5: Disorientation
6: Memory Weakness or Impairment
7: Lack of Interest
8: Anxiety
9: Hallucination
10: Impaired Speech
11: Heard Voices
12: Depression
13: Delusion (could be religious)
14: Amnesia
15: Rapid Speech
16: Paranoia
The list above is just a few symptoms of schizophrenia, as there are so many other signs of this mental disorder. Before I explain the social causes of schizophrenia, I would like to let you know that there are no main reasons or causes of this mental disorder.
It is mainly about things like genetics, hereditary and the part it plays in circulating schizophrenia. For example, in cases of twins where one of them has schizophrenia, there is a 50% possibility that the other twin will have schizophrenia.
Also, if any or both of your parents suffer from schizophrenia, there is a 40% chance of you inheriting this mental illness earlier or later in life.
DIAGNOSIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
If you indicate signs that point to schizophrenia, you can seek medical help from a professional who would run a series of diagnostic tests on you like blood tests to see if indeed you’re having schizophrenic episodes or a totally different case that is similar in nature.
The doctor will proceed to check if you come from a lineage with a history of schizophrenia and other mental disorder for a proper prescription of drugs.
Like I said before, the exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown, but there are other ways or connections to this mental illness, like genetics, environmental, and other risk factors such as;
- GENETIC:
Individuals with a family history of schizophrenia are more likely to inherit it, as they are at a higher risk.
- BIOLOGICAL:
Genetics also plays a role here as it influences the biological reaction or response to medication. Schizophrenic patients may respond poorly to anti-depressant drugs. Substance use does not cause schizophrenia but can trigger and worsen the symptoms of this mental disorder.
- PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR:
The tendency to ruminate on past undesirable experiences could trigger schizophrenia. This is where weakened, or impaired reasoning and memory come in, as they contribute to hallucination or false thoughts in a patient and prolong the effects of this disorder.
- ENVIRONMENTAL:
If you are at risk of being schizophrenic, past events or traumas, stress, and abuse may influence or trigger signs of the mental disorder. Now, back to the social causes of schizophrenia.
SOCIAL CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
1: INSECURITY
Here, it entails a child’s emotions and feelings. A case where a child’s parents do not have a meaningful relationship with him or her can trigger future signs of schizophrenia as this affects the child mentally and otherwise.
Unable to feel secure in a family can create a meaningless and unproductive relationship with people as adults. The child would be unable to set boundaries and have privacy, and he could grow up thinking that life is meant to function that way.
2: AVOIDANCE
Growing up in a home with unavailable or detached parents and guardians can cause a lot of harm to you. The characteristics of this toxic relationship are social detachment, emotional avoidance, distance in various ways, hard or rigid personality, and intolerant.
You know the importance of early attachments between a child and its parent, so when a child is not shown love or loved properly, it can trigger the possibility of mental disorders like schizophrenia.
3: CONTRACDITORY BELIEFS
In this case, having nosy or prying parents who are also inconsistent is one of the factors of the social risks of schizophrenia. This is damaging to your health and the way you see things. It can completely change you in a bad way. You might have symptoms like insecurity, fear or anxiousness, controlling behaviour, narcissistic personality, and unforeseeable acts.
4: DISORIENTED ATTACHMENT
When your parents constantly fail to listen to you and meet up with your emotional needs or respond in an appropriate manner to your fears and distress, you are still attached to them because you crave that feeling of being heard and understood. You want safety, love and care from parents who do not care much about how you feel and what you go through. This is called disoriented or disorganised attachment. This is said to be the most notable risk factor for emotional problems, poor stress management, clinginess, and the inability to keep healthy, long-lasting relationships with people.
5: STIGMA
This has to do with the mean and negative behaviours and attitudes towards people with schizophrenia that can prevent victims from seeking help and support when struggling because of the fear of being judged like the rest of the people.
6: LOSS OF A LOVED ONE
If you lose a loved one like a parent, you are more likely to get depressed and can sometimes trigger mental health disorders such as schizophrenia. Grief is normal, but it has been proven to trigger chronic depression that is likely to transform into a mental illness. Schizophrenia is a compound condition, and it has several related mental illnesses with the same symptoms. Spread love!
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