Schizophrenia among Young Adults

Introduction

Everyone has contemplations for the things they worry in regard. Unusually, in a smaller number of persons, rare thoughts and strong feelings can be an indication of a mental disorder that is popularly referred to Schizophrenia. Individuals diagnosed with the illness experience challenges when trying to differentiate amid the real and imagined things. Most individuals believe that Schizophrenia is the condition where an individual has two distinct personalities but this notion is inaccurate. Schizophrenia is a severe mental disease that restricts the ability of an individual to control thoughts, make decisions, feelings or maintain relationships. Contrary to most of the mental illness, Schizophrenia is slightly exceptional because it normally appears in young adults and not during the teenage years of after attaining thirty. Most of those found with the illness experience the preceding symptoms in their 20s. For men, the illness might appear in the early 20s while for women the occurrence might appear later. The aspect of attacking young adults is what makes it unique and a devastating disorder. In the period when most individuals are actively exploring the surrounding, personality and creating lasting relationships than the disorder attacks. Schizophrenia is, therefore, a severe disorder that mainly affects young adults although in rare cases.

According to Tillman & Weiss (2009), Schizophrenia symptoms are usually devastating and might not be understood easily among young adults given that they are closely related to the rebellious acts among young people. Schizophrenia is a constellation of deeds and symptoms that involves experiencing false impression, illusions, illogical speech, weakened expression of feelings and unsystematic behavior (Tillman & Weiss, 2009). Based on findings by the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH), it has been established that more than 75 percent of those diagnosed with Schizophrenia experienced their first attacks before their 25 the birthday. The highest prevalence rate of the illness is mainly common amid individuals of between 18 and 24 years. The results, therefore, highlight the essence of mental awareness among young individuals to ensure that the spread of Schizophrenia and other mental health illnesses are established and treated early.

Diagnosing schizophrenia among young individuals in the adolescent and development stage is quite challenging because. It is because this is normally a period that is associated with terrific transformation in terms of personality and behaviors. Some severe effects of the mental issue can often be ignored which makes the diagnosis to be very challenging. In addition, some studies have illustrated that schizophrenia and depression can in most cases start with related symptoms which are dominated by stressful and undesirable implications which appear prior to the striking of the psychotic signs in Schizophrenics. Young adults mainly in their prodromal stage in relation to the illness will show distinct symptoms. Konarzewska et al., (2015) the signs might include appetite loss, sleep disorder, unorganized behaviors, blunted emotions which might seem to be abnormal to others and being unrealistic in terms of expression (Tsai et al., 2015). In other words, the illness does not only affect the rational behaviors but also the ability to decide and act as a normal person. The personality and behaviors are usually affected.

While in most cases depression is believed to be common among young people due to the challenges experienced during the transitioning period, Schizophrenia is evidently a devastating illness (Kiran & Chaudhury, 2016). This is based on the fact that the mental disorder is a serious and debilitating psychiatric illness that affects young people. Among young people, there are over 2.5 million people in the country. Unlike other disorder such as anxiety which only lasts for a short period, Schizophrenia is normally a long-term illness that has no cure and will affect the ability of a person to perform basic activities (Kiran & Chaudhury, 2016). Early Schizophrenia diagnosis is essential towards an efficient treatment of the illness. Thus, establishing the signs of the illness among young adults leads to improved care and mental stability. Unlike other mental illnesses, the disease affects both men and women respectively despite the fact that it first appears among men when compared to women.

The exact causes of the illness are not well known but specialists believe that a number of factors are mainly involved in influencing its development. Based on confirmation, genetics and environmental forces integrate to generate Schizophrenia. The illness holds an inherited component but environmental aspects have a significant influence on its growth. It is asserted that, if there is any history of the illness within the family then there is about one percent chance of developing the illness. In addition, the risk normally intensifies up to 10 percent in the instance that the parent was diagnosed with the illness. The presence of chemical inequities in the individual’s brain is also a trigger. Certain chemicals such as serotonin normally lead to the elevation of the illness. Most individuals believe as well as experiencing unsteady family relationships is also a cause of the illness. In that growing up, in a family that is dominated by tensions might trigger the deteriorations that cause a breakdown due to stress.

With respect to environmental forces as the cause of Schizophrenia, despite the absence of definite evidence, it is believed that trauma that is experienced before birth and severe infections might contribute to their evolvement of the illness. Stressful encounters normally commission the eruption of Schizophrenia (Viktor et al., 2010). This is because prior to the occurrence of any actual symptoms those that are affected tend to be short tempered, unsteady and disorderly. In most cases, such situations will lead to the rise of relationships issues and employment loss because it is not just the behaviors that are affected but also an individual’s personality. Such issues are blamed to be the major cause of the illness, while in actual nature it is the vice versa given that the diseases are responsible for the disaster. The disorder is also induced by drugs such as marijuana (Agrawal & Lynskey, 2014). Also, some studies have shown that the consistent use of prescribed drugs such as steroids can lead to the development of psychosis (Agrawal & Lynskey, 2014).

Health experts currently agree that Schizophrenia usually evolves due to the interaction amid biological inclination, for instance, the inheritance of specific genes and the type of environment that one lives in. the line of investigation is asserting that the disruption of the brain development is the source of genetic inclination and environmental stressors during the early period of an individual’s development which results in significant alterations in a person’s brain that might trigger suicidal incidents (Viktor et al., 2010). The occurrence, therefore, makes one susceptible to the growth of Schizophrenia. Environmental forces that are experienced in life can affect the further development of the brain which intensifies the risks of the illness by lowering the general ability of the biological composition to resist the defects which offers a viable chance for the disorder. Researchers now hold that schizophrenia is a result of the interaction amid, psychological, social and genetic forces. In the instance that during the early development an individual is exposed to isolation this leads to the development of anxiety disorder (Sreedhar, Poulose & Kumar, 2016).

Neither of the psycho-social factors, that incorporate the genetic and environmental forces is the actual cause and thus, there is no classified level of participation by each that seek to ensure that an individual is guarded against or will automatically be subjected to schizophrenia. Further, the risks forces for each individual might differ (Sreedhar, Poulose & Kumar, 2016). While an individual will develop the illness because of having an authoritative family history of the disease another individual with lower biological susceptibility might get the disorder because of the combination of different forces ranging from environmental and pregnancy stress that is encountered during the early adult life. The general procedure in which the surrounding forces and stress get accommodated in the brain is interrupted and schizophrenia is believed to be an ultimate outcome of epigenetics. Intense and continuous stress has the ability to trigger the evolvement of brain changes in a negative manner.

Teenagers and young adult’s brain are very fragile with regard to stress. In fact, their brain is about five to six times sensitive when equated with the adult's brain and can easily be affected by progressive stress. The state that appears to be average or manageable stress to adults normally turns to be particularly serious for young individuals. The stress that is associated with the destruction of the brain can highly intensify the risk occurrence for a number of mental and psychological illnesses such as depression. When such an altercation is experienced during the early teenage life it means that the consequences will be felt later as a young adult in the 20’s. The occurrence is caused by the fact that some parts of the brain have been destroyed by the continuous stress (Agrawal & Lynskey, 2014). However, despite the fact that the damages might not be controlled there are a number of ways through which the risks can be lowered. Based on a recent study most cases of schizophrenia can be prevented by taking affirmative actions during pregnancy to ensure that the individual is born with less vulnerability. Also in the development stages, the environment in which one is exposed too can be controlled. These prevention forces are specifically important for individuals with family history any given kind of mental disorder such as bipolar, anxiety, depression and so on.

It is without a doubt that there is a powerful biological element play might in the rise of the illness. Individuals with immediate family psychiatric history have a significant probability of getting the illness. However, twin research has proven otherwise by demonstrating that even though one of the twins might be affected by the illness the risk of the other is not as high. In other words, this illustrates the fact that both environmental and genetic forces must interact to produce the disorder. In that, it is not just a matter of just the multiplication of genes that lead to the rise of the illness (Sreedhar, Poulose & Kumar, 2016). Based on the scientific findings that nature and development are the main determinants of an individual’s character it is evident that the same features are needed in establishing an individual’s health status. It was previously believed that health defects are mainly caused by genetic composition but the notion has changed over the years. It is now more precise that this is not the case as some genes defects tend to remain dormant for the longest period until the moment that they are stirred when an individual is subjected to a given environment. Instead of nature which in this case represents genes while nurture is for the surrounding every component plays a fractional role in driving the development of the characteristics towards the negative health direction. Newer studies have demonstrated the general ability of nature only in the case when the environment is hostile. In that, a biological gene only contributes about zero percent regarding of what an individual becomes in terms of personality (Kiran & Chaudhury, 2016). In other words, if an individual has a genetic vulnerability but is raised in an environment where the defect is not aroused then it means that both the surrounding and the genetic composition have no role. The person will not, therefore, develop the mental illness since the interaction amid the two factors have turned to be without power. In this case, the defected gene will not act and its dormancy will continue. However, if the gene is present and the environment turns to be unfavorable but subjecting the individual to stress this means that the interaction will yield a hundred percent result by developing the illness (Viktor et al., 2010).

The phenomenon that an individual’s early encounters are responsible for shaping personality is true for Schizophrenia. The disorder only affects young adults because the unfavorable encounters that they acquired in the early life play part in the development. It is widely known that for instance children raised in a poor setting are at the highest threat of developing complication related to anxiety, drug abuse and depression when they transition to adulthood when compared to those from favorable settings. Those from comfortable environments and backgrounds are more advantaged even though those from the poor one's later transition to a more favorable socioeconomic status. The most crucial thing with regard to early experiences that affects individuals in early adult life is because negative or desirable life encounters are responsible for altering the DNA state. It is not apparently the organization of the DNA that is affected but its composition and structure that incorporates the substances that unites the elements and tightly holds the packs for every cell. It means that the changes which are described as epigenetic modifications normally simplifies the genes with regard to the composition of the proteins (Tsai et al., 2015). The experiences are the same for the individuals struggling with isolation or social acceptance. The pressuring stress implies that their inner stability is unfavorable and as the environmental discomfort continues it implies that the brain and the DNA are altered more leading to cognitive instability.

Schizophrenia is dominant among young adults due to the combination of genetic and environmental factors. In that, as teenagers people normally experience varying changes that changes not only their behavior but also personality. The period of transition is always stressful and the ability to cope is dependent on the support offered socially. Thus, if during the period one is subjected to isolation, it, therefore, means that their psychological and cognitive functions are affected. In other words, it is the past and ongoing encounters that wakes up the sleeping defects. It is without a doubt that mental stability does not only rely on the socio-economic wellness but also psychological stability (Tsai et al., 2015). The subjection to a stressful surrounding alters the biological and psychological steadiness thus creating the opportunity for the illness to rise. For young adults, the life transitioning means that they must not only create strong social relations but also focus on achieving stability both on the social, emotional and economic basis. The stage is one that has its own stressors and if the environment plays part in intensifying the condition the schizophrenia will arise.

Schizophrenia incorporates varying health issues with respect to thinking, emotions, and characters. One will be delusional by building their thoughts on unrealistic beliefs which are caused by schizophrenia because of the incapability to control thoughts and behavior (Grover et al., 2011). However, it does not imply that because the illness leads to the development of hallucinations that those that are involved do not have an actual experience of life. Life can be normal in different instances but the stability is lost in most cases due to the disorganization of the cognitive composition which not only leads to abnormal behavior but also unstable speech which means that communication is not fully composed or in context. Schizophrenia is mainly motivated by negative encounters which means that the affected persons begin to get isolated socially and lacks motivation for activities as they approach young adult life. Due to the difficulty of managing the pressure the situation intensifies leading to an unstable condition that reflects personality abnormality.

It is rather unfortunate that most individuals with schizophrenia have no knowledge of their illness. However, unlike for other illnesses, this act is not a coping approach that involves denial but it is part of the symptoms which makes the ability to assist the individual even more challenging. The general treatment of schizophrenia necessitates the combination of clinical, psychological and psychosocial contribution (Viktor et al., 2010). Since the illness is a psychiatric one the treatment will not lead to a cure but lowering the responsiveness of the illness. Certain medicines that are regarded as antipsychotics are essential in the treatment. Therefore they are usually taken in the long run so that the individual can sustain the cognitive stability. In addition, social support is a necessity as it helps individuals in coping more easily in addition to gaining acceptance of their condition which is an essential part of the management of the illness.

Conclusion

Schizophrenia is one of the leading serious illness that affects millions of young adults across America. With the lack of appropriate treatment, the illness might lead to the collapsing of most social relationships and intense stress. Schizophrenia among young people is caused by prior life encounters particularly from the environmental setting. However, genetic forces also play a crucial role in triggering the defect. Individuals with the disorder will usually isolate themselves from the social context with hallucinations and increased abnormality in behavior. It is worth noting that both the environmental and genetic nature is directly interrelated in determining the direction of one’s personality. With this in mind, the illness can be prevented by a practical intervention that seeks to guard those with the vulnerability by offering them social support. The treatment is effective when the illness is detected early when the signs have not intensified.

 

 

 

References

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