Environmental Influences and Continuous Schizophrenia - Essay Example

Environmental Influences and Continuous Schizophrenia In the case study of Shonda who has been suffering from Schizophrenia for a long time it has been maintained that Schizophrenia is a bio psychological disorder that affects the human mind and causes brain abnormalities in the individual. It was also established that the genetic as well as biological factors also contribute to the abnormal psychological situation of schizophrenia. It will be further revealing to ascertain that the environmental influences have a great relevance in the occurrence of schizophrenia. In this essay, the primary concern will be an investigation of the environmental influences on the particular disorder and an exploration of the psychosocial approaches that are commonly used in treating the disorder of schizophrenia. It is of principal reflection that the environmental influences can affect how one develops psychologically, socially, and in some cases, even biologically. The environmental influences and can include family, social class, interpersonal relationships, conditioning or learning theories, culture, as well as other aspects of the environment such as toxins, allergies, or the use of alcohol/drugs that may promote the development of a disorder or condition. The psychosocial approaches that are commonly used in treating the disorder may include psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, group counseling, support groups, hypnotism, bio-feedback or relaxation techniques. There has been consensus about the environmental influences of schizophrenia, though the studies many often cannot conclude on the various factors contributing to this. Therefore, it needs to be maintained that the environmental influences that may cause a schizophrenic illness remain obscure and incomprehensible, in spite of much research in the area. According to Stuart J. Leask, when the effects of an (often prolonged) prodromal syndrome are taken into account, the first episode appears to come from nowhere and he makes some significant reflections. He maintains that “over the past couple of decades a number of factors have emerged that can be argued to influence, and not merely reflect, the illness onset. The possible effects of season and geography of birth, urbanization, immigration, substance misuse, prenatal influenza, famine and other stresses, and obstetric complications are summarized. These varied findings, often of small effect and borderline significance, present a challenge to clinicians attempting to make sense of their patients’ life experiences. Any hard conclusions still depend largely on how one formulates the illness.” (Leask, 2004). Therefore, it is evident that the research evidences suggest that there are several environmental factors that influence the disorder of schizophrenia, though the studies do not confirm the role of any particular environmental factor. However, the role of environmental influence on schizophrenia is categorical and the genetic link to the development of schizophrenia is also found important. Schizophrenia needs to be comprehended as one of the most disabling and bewildering mental disorders which includes a group of mental disorders rather than a single illness. It is a type of mental disorder which generally begins in late adolescence or early adulthood and the researches in the area point to a genetic link to the development of schizophrenia. However, the structure of the brain as well as biochemical activities contribute to the disorder and according to studies environmental influences is the most significant factor in the development of schizophrenia. “Current research implicates abnormalities in both the brain's structure and biochemical activities. Researchers also tend to agree that environmental influences may be involved in the onset of schizophrenia.” (Schizophrenia, 2003). Therefore, it can be maintained that the genetic factors along with various other factors causes the mental disorder of schizophrenia and the environmental influences need special mention. Though the disorder of schizophrenia is highly heritable, it has been found that the shared environmental experiences also give a reason for the increased incidence of schizophrenia. That is to say, the genetic model alone does not fully explain familial schizophrenia but different genotype-environmental interactions contribute to the incidence and development of schizophrenia. Specifically, there have been research evidences suggesting that environmental factors have contradictory effects on individuals with different genotypes, where some individuals may have an increased genetic susceptibility towards developing schizophrenia compared to others. “Harmful environmental influences that may contribute to cause schizophrenia may include psychosocial factors, drug abuse, psychosis related to brain insults, and infections and/or complications during pregnancy and birth.” (Schizophrenia, 2008). Along with these, the impact of social environment is also many often maintained though there are debates on the influence of it. The urban environment, social disadvantage such as poverty, migration related to social adversity, racial discrimination, family dysfunction, unemployment or poor housing conditions etc. have been found influential for the disorder. Another social environment affecting the disorder of schizophrenia is the childhood experiences of abuse and unsupportive dysfunctional relationships also affect the same. An analysis of the treatment for schizophrenia is important and there is not any consensus method for the cure of the disorder. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is one of the standard methods to assess the success of schizophrenia treatment. The chlorpromazine has been one major method of treatment for schizophrenia. The recovery model has been useful, but the hospitalization is not preferred in the treatment of schizophrenia. There is great significance for medication to control troubling symptoms that affect schizophrenia. “People who have schizophrenia often require medication to control the most troubling symptoms. Antipsychotic medications help bring biochemical imbalances closer to normal. The newer drugs may also be effective for symptoms such as social withdrawal, extreme apathy, and blunted emotional expression. More such drugs are being developed.” (Schizophrenia, 2003). Psychological and social interventions are considered effective methods of treatment for the disorder of schizophrenia. Psychotherapy is one of the most commonly recommended and used method for the treatment of schizophrenia. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been found useful in the treatment and there have been research evidences proving the effectiveness of CBT for the treatment for the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. Cognitive remediation therapy and cognitive enhancement therapy also offer effective methods of treatment. Family therapy or Education has valuable results as it addresses the entire family system of the person with schizophrenia. In one of the studies to revise the randomized controlled trial literature of psychosocial treatments for schizophrenia, Juan R. Bustillo et al came up with some significant findings. According to them, family therapy and assertive community treatment have clear effects on the prevention of psychotic relapse and re-hospitalization. They also maintained that social skills training has no clear effects on relapse prevention, psychopathology, or employment status though it improves social skills. They recommended the employment of long-term psycho-educational family therapy in the treatment of schizophrenia and assertive community training programs was advocated for patients with frequent relapses and hospitalizations. They also concluded that social skills training can clearly improve the social competence of patients with schizophrenia and this can translate into a more adaptive functioning in the community. Rapid placement with ongoing support was found useful for patients interested in working. They also pointed out that “Cognitive behavior therapy may benefit the large number of patients who continue to experience disabling psychotic symptoms despite optimal pharmacological treatment.” (Bustillo, 2001). A judicious mingling of the psychological and social interventions may be recommended among these various effective methods for treatment of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serious bio psychological disorder that affects the human mind and causes brain abnormalities in the individual. Therefore, the treatment of this disorder needs to be carefully managed and psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and family therapy offer some effective ways of treatment of the disorder of schizophrenia. References Bustillo, Juan R., et.al. (2001). The Psychosocial Treatment of Schizophrenia: An Updat. The American Journal of Psychiatric. Retrieved August 11, 2008, from http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/158/2/163 Leask, Stuart J. (2004). Environmental influences in schizophrenia: the known and the unknown. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. Journal article. Retrieved August 11, 2008, from http://apt.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/5/323 Schizophrenia. (2008). LONI. Retrieved August 11, 2008, from http://www.loni.ucla.edu/Research/Projects/Schizophrenia.shtml Schizophrenia. (2003). Samhsa’s: National Mental Health Information Center. Retrieved August 11, 2008, from http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/KEN98-0052/default.asp Read More