Write a 4 page essay on Is Schizophrenia a Disease.Download file to see previous pages... This paper shall consider both sides of the discussion, using elements of the schizophrenia diagnosis and asse

Write a 4 page essay on Is Schizophrenia a Disease.

This paper shall consider both sides of the discussion, using elements of the schizophrenia diagnosis and assessment to establish a clear and comprehensive comprehension of this issue, as well as pertinent elements which refer to its actual status as a disease. Discussion Various arguments have been established on the issue of whether or not schizophrenia is a disease. This disease first and foremost has been discussed as a devastating mental illness. Moreover, about a quarter of hospital admissions are for schizophrenia patients. However, for some experts and authors, schizophrenia is not considered a disease despite the current interventions being implemented for this disease (Szasz, 1988). In a discussion by Van Os, “mathematically, the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia in the DSM can be combined in 114 different ways” (as cited by Metzelf, n.d). As such, based on the DSM criteria, schizophrenia can be interpreted in different ways. And eventually, these symptoms of psychosis may be eliminated. In fact, researchers point out that children who manifest with symptoms of hearing voices no longer hear it after four years (Metzelf, n.d). Moreover, people who have psychotic incidents do not seek treatment because they are no longer bothered by the disease. Schizophrenia, in effect, is not a disease according to analysts like Van Os, instead, it is a series of psychotic experiences (Metzelf, n.d). These psychotic experiences are often caused by social isolation and limited stimuli. These symptoms do not attribute to one complete diagnosis of a disease, but it has to be understood in the context of individual and separate experiences of symptoms. Kahn, another expert on schizophrenia opposes the above ideas, pointing out that psychosis is not a diagnosis and it is not a disease, but a symptom (Metzelf, n.d). Schizophrenia is, like fever, a disease. Not all people who manifest with psychosis is schizophrenic. It is a disease in itself and is characterized by the qualities which define it as a disease. Kahn also illustrates brain autopsies and scans which all establish that schizophrenia is a disease. in effect, schizophrenia is a scientifically proven disease. Schizophrenia is considered a disease of the brain. Various points may be considered to support this argument. Firstly, individuals with schizophrenia have enlarged ventricles of the brain, based on 100 different studies (Van Horn, 1992). Those afflicted with this disease, as well as those who have already been treated for this disease also appear to have an lower amount of gray matter, most particularly in the temporal and frontal lobes (Lawrie and Abukmeil, 1998). Schizophrenia patients also manifest with neurological issues (Schroeder, 1992). These neurological issues also impact on the cognitive functions, as well as information processing and verbal memory (Goldberg and Gold, 1995). These patients have also been known to manifest with lower prefrontal area functions, the area of the brain involved with planning and independent thinking. Many of these patients also have a skewed understanding of their disease and some of them do not even understanding their disease. This is known as anosognosia where the patients do not accept treatment voluntarily. These points all provide clear support for the contention that schizophrenia is a disease.