About Schizophrenia

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Schizophrenia has been defined in many ways; the most outstanding definition is the one by the World Health Organization that schizophrenia is the existence of hallucinations, delusions, as well as impaired human thinking and functioning of the mind. Another definition by the National Institute of Mental Health considers schizophrenia as a chronic mental illness that alters how people think and react to different circumstances in life. Another description by the American Psychiatric Association (n.d.) is that schizophrenia is the existence of a condition where people have unreal touch with reality. The predominant idea emanating from the above three definitions is that schizophrenia changes human's minds, and they lose touch with reality; as such, their perception and conceptualization in not based on reality.

Understanding schizophrenia is essential because its causes are still unknown, affect about 20 million people worldwide, and it has a critical implication on people's ability to complete their daily activities.

To begin with, causes of schizophrenia across the world are still unknown. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the treatment of schizophrenia is aimed at eliminating signs and symptoms rather than curing or healing the actual ailment. This fact makes schizophrenia very significant because it can lead to the discovery of a cure in the future. To manage symptoms, specialists in this area use 'antipsychotics and 'psychosocial treatment.' The application of these intervention methods is aimed at helping patients reduce the magnitude of adverse effects on their minds. For example, one can stop having more hallucination