This document is a fictional account of schizophrenia written for a high school psychology class. It provides information about the symptoms and experiences of living with schizophrenia, including hearing voices, difficulty trusting others and functioning socially. It discusses the history and causes of schizophrenia, how it typically develops in late adolescence/early adulthood, and treatments like medications that can help manage symptoms in many cases. The document aims to provide insight into what it's like to live with schizophrenia from the perspective of someone experiencing it.

1. Disclaimer
This is a project for an High School AP
Psychology Course. This is a fictionalized
account of having a psychological
ailment. For questions about this blog
project or its content, please email the
teacher, Laura Astorian:
laura.astorian@cobbk12.org

2. Schizophrenia
An insight into my ailment

3. Introduction
• Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized
by a breakdown of thought processes and by
impaired emotional responses.
• This means that I have trouble functioning
socially because I have voices in my head that tell
me what to do and they influence my thinking.
• I am taking medications like Clozapine and they
help me, but the voices in my head keep telling
me to discard them.

4. History of Schizophrenia
• The causes of Schizophrenia are still widely
unknown.
• Schizophrenia was actually first identified in
1887, but can be traced back to thousands of
years ago, which means that it has been
recurring throughout history.
• The word schizophrenia comes from Greek
roots, schizo meaning split and phrenia
meaning mind, to describe the fragmented
thinking of people with the disorder.

5. Information on Schizophrenia
• The symptoms of
Schizophrenia usually begin
between 15 and 25 years old
for males, with females
develop it later (around age
30).
• It is rare for a person to
develop Schizophrenia before
10 years of age and after 40
years of age.
• Schizophrenia occurs in all
societies regardless of class,
color, religion, culture, etc.

6. Information (Continued)
• Rates of schizophrenia are similar from country to country, between
.5 and 1 percent of the population.

7. Causes of Schizophrenia
• The leading theory of what
causes Schizophrenia is that it is a
result of genetic predisposition
with an environmental exposure,
and or stress during pregnancy to
trigger the disorder.
• Studies have shown that drugs
such as marijuana and cannabis
can also lead to Schizophrenia

8. Treatment of Schizophrenia
• In the early 1900’s, Adrenaline, ECT,
and insulin comas were used to treat
Schizophrenia.
• After the 1950’s, antipsychotic
medications such as Clozapine and
Zyprexa were used to treat
Schizophrenia.

9. Treatment (Continued)
• Antipsychotic medications effectively control hallucinations,
delusions, and confusions that schizophrenics face, as they normalize
the biochemical imbalances in the brain.

10. Prognosis with Treatment
• A person afflicted with Schizophrenia must take their antipsychotic
medication on a regular basis
• After 10 years of treatment, 25% of Schizophrenics completely
recover.

11. Prognosis (Continued)
• After 10 Years:
25% are relatively independent
25% have improved their functioning capabilites
Overall, at least 75% of the people find their conditions to improve with
medication!

12. Life with Schizophrenia
• I can never find peace because the voice in my head always tell me
that something is wrong.

13. Life with Schizophrenia
• The medications help a great deal, as they dull the voices in my head.
Without the voices telling me what to do, I can function somewhat
properly.

14. Life with Schizophrenia
• I have trouble trusting people and don’t have any friends.

15. Life with Schizophrenia
• My family is bent on making me take medications, which I do not like
at all.

16. Life with Schizophrenia
• I sometimes sit still for hours, talking to the voices in my head.

17. Life with Schizophrenia
• I feel that everyone is plotting against me, even my family sometimes
seems like they’re trying to trick me .

18. Life with Schizophrenia
• I’m glad I don’t have to undergo electric shock therapy, as if I were
born 50 years ago, that would have been the norm for people like me.

19. How I became Schizophrenic
• I was undergoing a lot of stress from work and school and started
becoming paranoid, and soon heard voices in my head. I even hear
them today.

20. Will there be a cure?
• I truly hope that there will be a cure to my illness. I cannot stand the
thought of having to listen to evil voices all day.

21. Thank You!