Annotated Bibliography

Akib Islam

Professor Cipriani

ENG 1101

11/11/22

 

                                                                                                Schizophrenia

What is schizophrenia? This is a question that I’ve been wondering about because of all the things I’ve heard about. What intrigued me to start researching this mental illness is the fact that it is possible to have hallucinations and delusions, both in one mental illness. TV shows and movies show characters with hallucinations and make them see things that aren’t really there. The characters sometimes see their dead family members, or their lovers right in front of them, talking to them and laughing with them. 

So I wonder, do schizophrenics go through this as well? I also wonder what kind of delusions schizophrenics have. Do schizophrenics have only bad delusions or can they have all kinds? Do schizophrenics know that they are being delusional but just can’t help but believe it or do they fully believe the delusion that they made up? These two symptoms alone have made me question a lot about this mental illness. I can not begin to imagine what a person with schizophrenia goes through on a daily basis with just those two symptoms. I still have more questions that I want answers to. What causes schizophrenia? Can anyone develop this mental illness? Is it inheritable? What kind of hallucinations do schizophrenics have? How delusional can they really get? Does having schizophrenia affect an individual’s daily life tremendously? Is it life-changing to the point where they can’t be normal again? Is there a cure for this mental illness? If there is no cure, are there treatments for this mental illness? Do they have to take medication? So many questions run through my head about this mental illness because there is just so much to know and find out. I expect to find out about all of these questions in my research. 

National Health Service “Causes – Schizophrenia” NHS.UK. November 2019.

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/schizophrenia/causes/

This article from the National Health Service addresses the causes of schizophrenia. The article’s main point is what causes schizophrenia. Unfortunately, the causes of schizophrenia are unknown. The article states that it’s more of a combination of things that makes an individual develop the illness. The important points I want to talk about from this article are how an individual can obtain or trigger episodes of this illness. 

The article talks about what “triggers” are and the article says that triggers can be different things that can basically activate the schizophrenia inside someone who is at risk. Now that we learned what trigger means, one of the ways that individuals who are more likely to develop the illness can trigger episodes is by experiencing a traumatic life event. The article gives examples of traumatic life events that can trigger episodes of schizophrenia. Examples are “bereavement, losing your job or home, divorce, the end of a relationship, physical, sexual or emotional abuse.” Another way to develop this illness is by inheriting it. The article states that schizophrenia runs in families and that’s how an individual can develop it. The article also talks about how in identical twins, if one twin develops the illness, the other twin has a 1 in 2 chance of developing it as well. Now, in twins that are nonidentical with “different genetic make-ups,” if one of the twins has schizophrenia, the other twin has a 1 in 8 chance of developing the illness. 

Another way to develop this illness is by taking certain drugs. The article talks about how marijuana, cocaine, LSD, or amphetamines can trigger symptoms of schizophrenia in those who are more likely to develop the illness. 

What this tells me about my research question is that people who are more likely to develop this illness should live life more carefully than the average Joe. I say this because a regular individual won’t trigger an episode of schizophrenia by losing their home or job, but someone who is more likely to develop schizophrenia will. Or if a regular person were to smoke marijuana, that wouldn’t cause a trigger of schizophrenia for them, but it would cause a trigger for someone who is more likely to develop the illness. A susceptible person of schizophrenia cant control traumatic life events to not happen. If they could then I’d ask them for some tips but unfortunately no one can. So this makes me wonder since no one can control traumatic life events, does that mean susceptible people with schizophrenia will eventually always end up triggering an episode? 

“The exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown. Research suggests a combination of physical, genetic, psychological, and environmental factors can make a person more likely to develop the condition. Schizophrenia tends to run in families, but no single gene is thought to be responsible. It’s more likely that different combinations of genes make people more vulnerable to the condition. However, having these genes does not necessarily mean a person will develop schizophrenia. In identical twins, if a twin develops schizophrenia, the other twin has a 1 in 2 chance of developing it, too. This is true even if they’re raised separately.”  “Certain drugs, particularly cannabis, cocaine, LSD or amphetamines, may trigger symptoms of schizophrenia in people who are susceptible.” “Triggers are things that can cause schizophrenia to develop in people who are at risk. The main psychological triggers of schizophrenia are stressful life events, such as bereavement, losing your job or home, divorce, the end of a relationship, and physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. These kinds of experiences, although stressful, do not cause schizophrenia. However, they can trigger its development in someone already vulnerable to it.” Here the National Health Service discusses ways for people to either develop schizophrenia, or ways to trigger episodes.

National Institute of Mental Health “Schizophrenia”, nimh.nih.gov, 2022. 

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

This article from the National Institute of Mental Health discusses the treatments for schizophrenia. The main point of this article talks about schizophrenia in general. The symptoms, how an individual can get the illness, treatments, and finding help for it. Though all of these are important, the main category from this article that I want to talk about is called treatments and therapies. Treatments help schizophrenics with their symptoms, help them with their daily life, and have them achieve their personal goals. The treatments that will allow schizophrenics to be able to achieve these things are called antipsychotic medication. This medication helps schizophrenics have less effect on the symptoms they suffer from. 

Antipsychotic medication will cause the symptoms to happen periodically. For a change in life for schizophrenics, they need to take antipsychotic medication every day either in liquid or in pill form. Now if the antipsychotic medication doesn’t work, schizophrenics can result in being prescribed something called “clozapine.” People who take clozapine need to have regular blood tests to check for threatening side effects. 

Lastly, the article talks about addictions being mixed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenics tend to usually be addicted to either drugs or alcohol. The article talks about how important it is for a treatment program to help schizophrenics live a life without drugs or alcohol, and to help them with their symptoms of schizophrenia. Drug and alcohol use also affect treatment for schizophrenia, which is another reason why it’s important for treatment programs to help schizophrenics recover from their substance use. I mentioned that drugs are a way to trigger episodes of schizophrenia, and we now learn that it is common for people with schizophrenia to have addictions to drugs and alcohol. We also learned that drugs and alcohol can interfere with treatment. Although it is hard to quit these addictions, sacrifices have to be made in order to have a chance at living a better life. What this tells me about my research question is what the treatments are to help schizophrenics to get back on their feet. There is no cure for this dreadful illness, but that shouldn’t mean schizophrenics should give up on their lives. Treatments can help people suffering from this illness by allowing them to have a second chance at a normal life and getting them back on their feet. Therapy will help schizophrenics control their hallucinations and delusions. Of course, it will take time to deal with these things, but progress is key. 

“Antipsychotic medications can help make psychotic symptoms less intense and less frequent. These medications are usually taken every day in a pill or liquid forms. Some antipsychotic medications are given as injections once or twice a month. If a person’s symptoms do not improve with usual antipsychotic medications, they may be prescribed clozapine. People who take clozapine must have regular blood tests to check for a potentially dangerous side effect that occurs in 1-2% of patients.” “It is common for people with schizophrenia to have problems with drugs and alcohol. A treatment program that includes treatment for both schizophrenia and substance use is important for recovery because substance use can interfere with treatment for schizophrenia.” Here we can see the National Institute of Mental Health talking about the treatments for schizophrenia.

Kennedy Lauren. My Top 10 Delusions, YouTube.com. Jan 27, 2022. 

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/schizophrenia/causes/

This YouTube video was made in early 2022. In this YouTube video, Lauren talks about her top 10 delusions while suffering from schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder. The main point of this video was for Lauren to tell her audience about the 10 delusions that she has.
To start this off, we need to know what delusions are, and the different types of delusions that exist. Delusions are when a person believes something is true when it clearly is not. Delusions can be made up in different ways but they usually are made up of what a person fears. A person also can have an endless amount of delusions because remember, it’s a delusion so that means it’s not real. Examples of delusions can be, thinking that people on TV are sending out messages directed specifically towards them, or when one thinks that they are this powerful and famous person that owns multiple businesses. A more popular delusion is when an individual thinks people are out there to get them, or they are being chased or watched, or even followed. 

There are 4 popular types of delusions. The first one is persecutory delusions, which are when an individual thinks that they are going to be harmed in some way. Second is grandiose delusions which are basically when an individual thinks they are this very famous or wealthy person or even a person with power. Third is somatic delusions which are when an individual thinks their bodily functions are not normal. Lastly, erotomanic delusions are when an individual thinks someone is in love with them. 

One of the delusions Lauren talks about of hers is that she believes the police are following her, either to arrest her or bring her to the hospital. This delusion has made Lauren more aware of her surroundings, whenever she’s driving she always checks which vehicles are around her, or even when she’s walking she is aware of her surroundings. Another delusion Lauren has is that she believes other people can hear her thoughts. I think this delusion is a good delusion to have because it made Lauren always think good about other people which makes her a good person. The last delusion I want to talk about that Lauren has is thinking that she’s in a coma. Now, this delusion is honestly a very interesting one. The example she gave is that she believes that she is dreaming when she’s going to the bathroom, but in reality, she’s laying in a bed, in a coma, wetting the bed. This helps my research question because delusions are a very common symptom of schizophrenia. So to really understand what schizophrenia is, it is important to know about delusions. 

“So basically delusions are a fixed false belief that is not grounded in reality. Grandiose delusions are when you have an inflated perception of yourself or your ego is overinflated. Persecutory delusions are more along the lines of believing that someone is out to get you or that you are being harmed in some way. Somatic delusions are when you believe that some sort of body function either internal or external is abnormal in some way. Eronomanic delusions are when you believe that someone else is in love with you or infatuated with you in some way.” These are Lauren’s definitions of the different types of delusions.

Ulmer, Christopher. “Living with Schizoaffective illness (Experiencing Psychosis Delusions and Hallucinations)” YouTube.com. September 9, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU8VmJsX6-s&t=212s

This interview was made in 2019. Ulmer interviewed an individual named Daniel, who suffers from schizoaffective disorder. The main point of this interview is to find out what a person suffering from schizoaffective really goes through on a daily basis. Ulmer definitely asked Daniel very interesting questions during this interview, but the question that made me write about hallucinations was when Ulmer asked Daniel, “what is it like to experience psychosis?” 

Psychosis is when an individual loses touch with the real world and starts to hallucinate or become delusional. Daniel responds by saying that it’s “horrifying.” Daniel then goes on to talk about how an individual can know that they are being irrational about the things they imagine or believe, but what does logic even matter when the things a person imagines or believes are at the point where they affect the five senses to touch, smell, hear, see, and taste. What Daniel means when he says this is a person can know that something is fake or not real, for example, a ghost, but when that person starts actually seeing this ghost, or hearing this ghost, or even being able to feel this ghost, that person is forced to believe the ghost is real because logic can’t win when a person’s five senses do. I never understood why people actually believed in their hallucinations. I always asked myself why people couldn’t just snap back into reality and realize what they are experiencing isn’t real. After watching this interview and having Daniel explain why it’s hard for people to go through psychosis, I understood clearly. 

Now of course I can’t understand to the point of actually feeling hallucinations or delusions because I have never gone through them, but I understand why an individual can’t just snap out of a hallucination. As a person that doesn’t have these symptoms, I know when I’m touching my arm, smelling my favorite food, or even when I see the people I know. It isn’t all that simple for schizophrenics. They may be seeing a family member standing right in front of them, talking to them, but it’s all in their head. Or they may hear a whisper in their ear, or even multiple whispers demanding them to do something horrific, or saying negative things to them, but since they can physically hear it, they are forced to believe it is true. 

“I’m convinced it’s real. Does that even make sense? Like you can logically know that you’re being irrational, but what you hear, smell, see, touch, taste, when your senses convince you it’s real, what does logic matter anymore cause I can feel it, I can smell it, I can see it, I can hear it, so logic doesn’t always win out.” This shows that Daniel is forced to believe his hallucinations because his five senses make them feel real.

To conclude, schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects what a person sees and hears, how they think, and how they act. It is a mental illness known for its way to make an individual labeled as “insane,” “crazy,” “delusional,” etc. Although they are labeled as “insane” and “crazy,” they aren’t dangerous people. They can be but can’t we all? We shouldn’t shun out schizophrenics just because of their mental illness. That would only make things harder on them when they already go through so much. 

I’m glad to say that I have answered all the questions I’ve asked about this mental illness. I found out that there is no cure for schizophrenia, what causes this mental illness, what kinds of different hallucinations schizophrenics can have, and what kinds of delusions they can have, schizophrenia affects an individual’s life tremendously but I also found out that there are treatments available for the illness. I also found out that it is inheritable and that drugs can trigger episodes. What surprised me is the fact that marijuana can trigger episodes of schizophrenia. This surprised me because the plant is so popular so I still wonder why many people don’t know about this information. It should definitely be talked about more considering the fact that cannabis is starting to get legalized. 

At first, when I was thinking about this question, I didn’t think that I would learn much about schizophrenia. Then my thinking on my question started to deepen because of the people on Youtube talking about their actual experiences with schizophrenia. To me, it’s more interesting finding out about schizophrenia from people talking about it online than reading about it in an article. Laurens delusions made me realize that schizophrenics can have all kinds of delusions, not just intensely scary ones. Two of the delusions I picked from her top 10 list were good delusions in the end. She was more aware of her surroundings from thinking that she was being followed, and she thought only good thoughts about people because she believed that people could read her mind. It made me question what else people can make up in their heads and truly believe. The creativity of what people can make up for delusions really interests me. 

I want people who are vulnerable to this mental illness, or people that have family members or know anyone suffering from it to read my annotated bibliography so that they can learn about schizophrenia. I also advise people to try and help the people they know that are suffering from schizophrenia because schizophrenics tend not to realize that they have the illness. It’s best to stick by their sides and help them along their journey suffering from this dreadful illness.