Schizophrenia

unlikely though possible.

Schizophrenia has genetic components and usually manifests in adolescence or early adulthood, not at mid-life (though it's possible).

See a physician but don't tell them what you THINK the problem is (they may take your diagnosis and then you're locked into a treatment regimen). Let them decide. Just focus on describing problems and symptoms.

If you are actually hearing voices telling you things, or seeing hallucinations, that could be schizoid. If you simply have "crazy" ideas, it could just be a form of psychosis (the good news is that you can recover from this).

More likely: Mid-life crises can certainly lead to "nervous breakdown" or a "psychotic break" under certain conditions.

In any case, following some of the advice below could help you immediately.

The first thing you need to do is an inventory of your life and situation.

Write down lists of the positive and negative things in your life, your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing you, wants, needs, limiting factors. Try to put together a realistic picture of your life NOW and a realistic set of actions you will take to arrive at a new profile that is happier and healthier.

For some middle-aged folks, divorce and custody battles can play a huge role here- set aside the fight and be an amazingly kind and generous person here and you may find a whole new you and a whole new relationship.

Professional challenges and failures are a big one these days- very few people are getting quite what they imagined for themselves, professionally or financially. Remind yourself that the economy has changed the game on alot of us, and we are actually better off than younger people who cannot even get a start in their career these days. So many lawyers and Bachelor's degree holders serving coffee and working retail these days...

Secret key: a lowly job is better than no job at all. I am a nurse but while briefly unemployed I worked a simple job and focused on perfection/excellence in that job, which increased my self-esteem, filled the gap in work history, and gave me a GLOWING reference from that manager. A truly glowing reference from a retail manager is better than a halfhearted one from a CEO. Best of all, it got me out with people, being positive and living life.

In any case, it is a good time to remove stressors, perhaps move into an easier job, take a vacation that you've always wanted (Caribbean/Bahamas, Hawaii, somewhere without too much stress or crime- don't go see the pyramids or Peru this time).

You've got to decrease stress and increase natural happiness.

Decreasing stress: Yoga is fantasic both physically and mentally. and most classes accomodate beginners. A daily walk reduces many negative feelings and blasts away stress.

Stop drinking coffee and switch to decaf, tea, or no caffeine at all. Green Tea actually has in addition to caffeine a chemical that helps you relax at the same time and cancels out the jittery aspect of caffeine.

Increasing potential for happiness: Comedy, laughs are excellent medicine. you can watch standup comics on the internet. There are lists of heart-lifting and funny movies published online also. These can be very uplifting and empowering.

A church community can be a nice place to get away and be treated nicely by other people. even if you aren't sold on religion, you can try a more liberal church such as unitarian if you are more of a deist.

There are Buddhist, new age spirituality, and other options in many cities.

Helping other people by volunteering is a huge secret key to happiness. It increases self-esteem. Help the homeless (you won't get dirty or catch any diseases, most shelters are pretty clean) or volunteer for something non-political.

If you can't handle these things for yourself or set them up, that's OK. Look for a support group and somewhere you can go to ensure that you are not isolated from other people.

Depending on how you divide it, there are either 5 or 2 types of schizophrenia.

The five types are paranoid, disorganized, residual, catatonic, and undifferentiated.

The two types are positive (or Type I) schizophrenia and negative (or Type II) schizophrenia. Positive schizophrenia consists of mainly positive symptoms. Negative schizophrenia consists of mainly negative symptoms.

Symptoms of autism and schizophrenia both can include inappropriate emotional response (including flat affect and emotions at inappropriate times), extreme sensitivity to sensory input, and preoccupation with strange topics. However, autism and schizophrenia are two completely different things and should not be confused.

the only known treament in the 1930s was a fresh dose of air to strengthen the patients immune system. Patients at that time also had their infected lung collapsed but later died for it.

Imaginary playmates are quite common in children. The child's imagination is a wonderful tool for playing. An imaginary friend helps them explore social situations and face their fears. They may say that the imaginary friend is afraid of monsters, instead of saying that they are. The best thing to do is to go along with the child and pretend that the imaginary friend is real. Eventually, they will grow to the stage where they do not need them any more.

Schizophrenia, although it runs in families, is not a mutation, in the sense of something that has happened in a particular generation. It has been common throughout recorded history (although we used to call people who heard voices mystics, holy men or prophets).

Schizophrenia is caused by imbalances in brain chemistry, possibly by physical brain abnormalities in some rare cases, and occasionally may be either caused or triggered by physical or emotional trauma. Normal onset is in the late teens or early 20's, and it often self-ameliorates in late middle-age -- although by no means always.

A type of schizophrenia known as catatonic can effect the skin (with insensitivity to pain) and can effect muscle control. Generally, the other types of schizophrenia effect only the mind.

It depends on how severely impaired the mother is. If she is only mildly affected by schizophrenia, then she may be able to take care of her children- for example, if she has infrequent hallucinations or magical thinking but no delusions, and few negative symptoms. However, if she has more severe symptoms, especially delusions relating to her children, then she may not be able to take care of her children.

Men usually develop schizophrenia around the mid to late teens, and women develop schizophrenia around the mid to late twenties. However,there are cases of younger and older persons developing schizophrenia. Also, women of any age may develop schizophrenia after childbirth.

If you believe you have or are developing schizophrenia or have a friend/relative who is; it is very important to seek help, as early diagnosis can mean an improved outlook with treatment.

For more information about early warning signs of schizophrenia, as well as the symptoms and subtypes of the disease, this website will provide more information.

it is sometimes caused by head trauma,

A number of reasons. Genetics is part of it. I have a friend who's schizophrenic and so is his dad, but they've got it under control. Like the person above posted trauma can cause it, but not just physical trauma, emotional trauma too. I know another guy who got it after a period of homelessness.

No.

Hallucinations are one of the many symptoms of schizophrenia.

A delusion is usually described as a false belief, impression, something that is not real but may be continuous, on going or always there; where as, delirium is decribed as a disordered state of mind involving incoherent speech, hallucinations, great excitement for a period of time.

Many people dealing with schizophrenia can have a relatively normal life with psychiatric medication and regular visits with the psychiatrist, along with supportive counseling. If medications are covered by the person's insurance then the cost of treatment is no more than perhaps 4 to 6 visits with the psychiatrist and weekly to monthly visits with a counselor.

No, you can't be born with schizophrenia. Sometimes people confuse having schizophrenia at a very early age with being born with schizophrenia. For example, January "Jani" Schofield was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of six, and she is often falsely said to have been born with schizophrenia. However, there is no research that states that you can be born with schizophrenia.

Untreated schizophrenics are spared the brain damage which results from antipsychotic medications. Some may continue to be psychotic, but others may develop sufficient insight to manage or overcome their mental disturbance. Those that receive appropriate support and understanding, preferably away from their family situations, have the best chance of a favourable outcome.

Ketamine

Anyonme can make themselves believe anything if they really want to.

Dopamine.

This is a theory that has been put forth by the pharmaceutical industry and the industry of Psychiatry. However, all scientific attempts to support this theory have failed. The only neurotransmitter imbalances ever identified in mental illness is more scientifically explain as the result of medication. Brains of individuals who have been identified as having mental illness, but not taking medication, do not show these imbalances. The same has been repeatedly demonstrated with serotonin and depression as well.

Often. People whose lives are askew have trouble fitting in. Many people who are aware of their mental disorders are ashamed of them. It is best to try to treat them like anyone else, and not pry. When they feel they can trust you, they will probably be forthcoming on their own.

Typically characterized by delusions, paranoia, and auditory and/or visual hallucinations, not to be confused with autism. Difficult to diagnose because of a child's imagination, and differentiated from schizophrenia- which has an early adult-hood onset. May also have a separate etiology as psychosis in adulthood and adolescence. See the DSM-IV for more info.

From Africa, because the human race originated from there.

From what I know there are usually two ways to treat schizophrenia. If you go to a Doctor or pychologist they will usually prescribe medication for you. These drugs have side affects which can be bad. From my experience, the medications take a while to work and help you to cope with the distress you may be experiencing. However you will never be cured and will have to take the medication for the rest of your life and quite possibly for a lot of people they don't work. The alternative which in my opinion should be explored before trying medication is Orthomolecular medicine, which is treatment for mental illness via nutritional supplementation. There are alot of reasons people develop schizophrenia and more information is located at http://www.4optimallife.com/Alternative-Medicines-Cures-For-Schizophrenia-Mental-Illness.html I have seen and read of many people being cured of their mental illness via this method and if it works for you please spread the word, people need to know this stuff.

Schizophrenia has likely been with mankind since prehistoric times. However, the term schizophrenia was coined by Emil Kraepelin, a Swiss psychiatrist of the late nineteenth century, who thereby distinguished it as a specific type of 'madness'.

About 1% of the UK population are diagnosed with schizophrenia at some time in their lives; most of these are between ages 15-45. 20% of those suffering from schizophrenia fully recover; 60% make a partial recovery; and for the remaining 20% it becomes a long term problem