Accurate portrayal of paranoid schizophrenia?
I'd like to write a book centered on a man with paranoid schizophrenia. There are a couple elements I'd like to include, but I don't know if they would be realistic for someone suffering with this condition. So here are my questions... 1) Can delusions and hallucinations be set off by major stress? (A messy divorce or getting fired for example.) 2) In a lucid state, would past hallucinations still be believed true? 3) If 2 is true, is it possible that the person could write, in great length, about these hallucinations? Is it possible for the person to write cogently -while- they are hallucinating? Any tips or online resources would be greatly appreciated!
Can mild paranoid schizophrenia be prevented, why or why not?
There is nothing called as mild paranoid Schizophrenia. It is a diagnostic category without intensity as a parameter for subtyping. Regarding the prevention, yes Schizophrenic episodes can be prevented. But the detailed answer to this question is very complex. One needs to assess the exact nature of diasthesis the person is having, the nature of stress, previous episodes, duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), sociodemographic variables etc. Only then, one can answer if the further episodes can be prevented in a particular case or not. Hope that helps. Cheers!
Why aren't religious people considered schizophrenics?
According to the DSM IV, in order to be clinically diagnosed with scizophrenia you must have at least 2 characteristic symptoms (delusion, hallucination, disorganized speech enough to substantially impair communication, disorganized behavior or catatonic episodes, blunted affect, alogia, avolition) over a one month period; at least one major area of life is disturbed below the point of function before the time of onset; and the signs of this disturbance must continue at least six months. The facts is, most don't display any of the symptoms. You can call religious thought or "talking to god" (or him talk to you) to be hallucinatory if you wish, but that's only one symptom. And not all believers make this claim. Furthermore, religious believers are generally able to live normal, functional lives. You can call it weird to believe the outrageous claims that religious people make, but it would be category false to call somebody schizophrenic in virtue of them having religious belief.
What is the difference between schizophrenic and psychopathic?
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness whereby one experiences hallucinations (either auditory or visual) and exhibits abnormal social behaviour. Someone with schizophrenia may find it difficult to tell what is real, and they may have delusional thoughts, false beliefs and confused thinking. It is treatable with anti-psychotic drugs.Psychopathy is completely different. It is a personality disorder where a person has no empathy, has impaired remorse and exhibits egotistical and grandiose traits. About 1% of the population is psychopathic. It is generally untreatable, and when a psychopath undergoes therapy they actually begin to manipulate the therapist and learn new ways to manipulate others. Treating psychopathy with therapy or CBT actually makes it worse, and there is a higher rate of criminality for those who have underwent such treatment.Not all psychopaths are serial killers, but it would be difficult to be a serial killer and not a psychopath. Many psychopaths are CEOs of major companies or very powerful politicians - they usually get there because they have no regard for others around them and can easily fire people, for example, without feeling bad.