Running head: A Journey to Understand

A Journey to Understand Michelle L Wilson Rowan Cabarrus Community College

A Journey to Understand To understand something is to know what something is like, having gone through it yourself, or to become informed about it. A lot of people in the world do not understand mental illnesses. The actual definition of a mental illness is any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention. This has evidence

(http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=mental%20illness). There are a many number of mental illnesses, but the two that are most alike and yet different are schizophrenia and bi polar disorder. This essay is going to compare and contrast the symptoms, treatment, and quality of life of these two mental illnesses, in order to offer some understanding to those who do not have a mental illness. A bipolar disorder is like a rollercoaster. It is mood swings that are high which is mania and low which are depressive. When depressed a person feels sad, hopeless, or they could lose interest in anything and everything. Insomnia can occur or oversleeping. The person may also have poor concentration or suicidal thoughts. When a person is manic the person may feel euphoric or full of energy. According to Mayoclinic Staff. (2005-2013). Racing thoughts can occur and inflated self esteem, along with impulsiveness. Impulsiveness can be spending money the person doesnt have, promiscuous sex, or high-risk business investments. The mood swings can occur at anytime, and sometimes mania and depression can happen at the same time. Acording to Web MD staff (2005-2013). There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but it can be controlled. A person can get support groups, go to therapy, or be put on medication. If a person is behaving dangerously then the person could be hospitalized. Sometimes people with bipolar disorder develop substance abuse, and if that occurs then the person will get treatment for that. Psychotherapy is a huge way to help

A Journey to Understand control bipolar disorder. A person can get cognitive behavior therapy, group therapy, or family therapy. According to Mayoclinic staff (1998-2012). Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts,

expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others. A lot of people believe it to be a split personality disorder, however it is not. It is a mental illness in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined. When this happens it is called a psychotic episode. Schizophrenia differs from person to person; sometimes a person may only have one psychotic episode their whole life. According to Mayoclinic Staff (1998-2013). The symptoms of Schizophrenia are grouped into three different categories: Positive symptoms, disorganized symptoms, and negative symptoms. The positive symptoms dont mean good they mean that the symptoms are obvious. Such as delusions, hallucinations, and catatonia which is when a person is fixed in a single position for a long time. Disorganized symptoms of schizophrenia are a type of positive symptom that reflects the person's inability to think clearly and respond appropriately. These symptoms include talking in sentences that does not make sense, shifting from one thought to the next, moving slow, being unable to make decisions, forgetting or losing things, or having problems making sense of everyday sights, sounds, and feelings. For the negative symptoms, the word negative does not mean "bad," but reflects the absence of certain normal behaviors in people with schizophrenia. These symptoms are lack of emotion, withdrawal from family, friends, and social activities, reduced energy, reduced speech, lack of motivation, loss of pleasure or interest in life, and poor hygiene and grooming habits. According to Web MD staff (2005-2013). There is no cure for schizophrenia. The treatment would be to be put on medication, therapy, and support. If necessary, hospitalization can occur for safety, proper nutrition, and for

A Journey to Understand adequate sleep. The person can also get social skills training, family therapy, vocational rehabilitation and supported employment or individual therapy. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are alike and they are also very different. They are both mental illnesses caused by some form of imbalance in the brain and they both cannot be

cured and treatment requires medication and therapy. They are also very different because one is an up and down rollercoaster of mood swings and the other is more psychotic. Having these mental illnesses does not mean a person cannot function in society There are many ways to get help for these and ways to control them, such as medication, therapy, and support. According to Web MD staff (2005-2013). Life is not easy with a mental disorder and a lot of people do not understand what a person is going through. Once a person understands the symptoms and tries to view it from the other persons perspective of what they have to deal with everyday, then relationships would flow better and people would not be afraid to share what they experience. There are differences and similarities for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Both of these mental illnesses play a huge role in society and thats why its important to come to an understanding about them

A Journey to Understand

References

Abraham, R. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/ Mayo Clinic staff. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/schizophrenia/DS00196/DSECTION=treatments-anddrugs Mayo Clinic staff. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bipolardisorder/DS00356/DSECTION=lifestyle-andhome-remedies WebMD Staff. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/guide/schizophrenia-treatment-care

A Journey to Understand