| Schizophrenia, Mental Illness, and Disability Benefits |
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Hallucinations) and can no longer work a full time work week, I would be happy
to help you obtain your rightful Disability Benefits. You may be eligible for
Social Security Disability benefits, even if you will eventually recover.
Start by filling out the FREE online Social Security Disability Claim Evaluation
Form (see Tab, on Left Hand Navigation), calling me at 201-317-0610 or
emailing SsiHelp@ptd.net or sojlaw@ptd.net.
| What is Schizophrenia? |
men and women with equal frequency. People suffering from schizophrenia
may also be diagnosed with Depression, BiPolar Disorder or Psychosis and
may have the following symptoms:
- Delusions
- False personal beliefs held with conviction in spite of reason or
evidence to the contrary, not explained by that person's cultural context - Hallucinations
- Perceptions (can be sound, sight, touch, smell, or taste) that occur in
the absence of an actual external stimulus (Auditory hallucinations,
those of voice or other sounds, are the most common type of
hallucinations in schizophrenia.) - Disorganized thoughts and behaviors
- Disorganized speech
- Catatonic behavior, in which the affected person's body may be rigid
and the person may be unresponsive
The term schizophrenia is Greek in origin, and in the Greek meant "split
mind." This is not an accurate medical term. In Western culture, some people
have come to believe that schizophrenia refers to a split-personality disorder.
These are two very different disorders, and people with schizophrenia do not
have separate personalities.
Schizophrenia and other mental health disorders have fairly strict criteria for
diagnosis. Time of onset as well as length and characteristics of symptoms
are all factors. The active symptoms of schizophrenia must be present at
least 6 months, or only 1 month if treated.
Who is affected? Estimates of how many people are diagnosed with this
disorder vary. The illness affects about 1% of the population. More than 2
million Americans suffer from schizophrenia at any given time, and 100,000-
200,000 people are newly diagnosed every year. Fifty percent of people in
hospital psychiatric care have schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is usually
diagnosed in people aged 17-35 years.
The illness appears earlier in men (in the late teens or early twenties) than in
women (who are affected in the twenties to early thirties). Many of them are
disabled. They may not be able to hold down jobs or even perform tasks as
simple as conversations. (If you believe that you or someone you love, are
unable to work due to the symptoms of schizophrenia or another mental
health disorder, we can help you obtain Social Security Disability benefits.)
Some may be so incapacitated that they are unable to do activities most
people take for granted, such as showering or preparing a meal. Many are
homeless. Some recover enough to live a life relatively free from assistance.
The causes of schizophrenia are not known. However, an interplay of
genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors are thought to
be involved. We do not yet understand all the causes and other issues
involved, but current research is making steady progress towards elucidating
and defining causes of schizophrenia. In biological models of schizophrenia,
genetic (familial) predisposition, infectious agents, allergies, and
disturbances in metabolism have all been investigated. Schizophrenia is
known to run in families. Thus, the risk of illness in an identical twin of a
person with schizophrenia is 40-50%. A child of a parent suffering from
schizophrenia has a 10% chance of developing the illness. The risk of
schizophrenia in the general population is about 1%.
The current concept is that multiple genes are involved in the development
of schizophrenia and that factors such as prenatal (intrauterine), perinatal,
and nonspecific stressors are involved in creating a disposition or
vulnerability to develop the illness. Neurotransmitters (chemicals allowing the
communication between nerve cells) have also been implicated in the
development of schizophrenia. The list of neurotransmitters under scrutiny is
long, but special attention has been given to dopamine, serotonin, and
glutamate. Also, recent studies have identified subtle changes in brain
structure and function, indicating that, at least in part, schizophrenia could be
a disorder of the development of the brain.
It is important for doctors to investigate all reasonable medical causes for
any acute change in someone’s mental health or behavior. Sometimes a
medical condition that might be treated easily, if diagnosed, is responsible for
symptoms that resemble those of schizophrenia. If you or a loved on suffer
from debilitating schizophrenia and are unable to work and support yourself,
help in obtaining federal social security disability benefits is available to you.
There is no fee unless you win cash benefits and even then, the Social
Security Administration will usually pay same directly from your won back
benefits. Fill out the FREE Disability Evaluation Form to get assistance from
Disability Attorney Stephanie O. Joy, Esq., right away. Or call 570-234-0171
or email SsiHelp@ptd.net.
| MySsiCase.com |
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| Wecome Video from Stephanie Joy, Esq. |
Overview of Schizophrenia
by: Renee Kennedy
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a diagnosed mental illness where a person may suffer from hallucinations, distorted thoughts or a reduced ability to function in society for a period of at least one month.
There are different approaches to categorizing schizophrenia. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) schizophrenic disorders are classified into the following:
Symptoms
There are many symptoms associated with the different types of Schizophrenia. In order to classify schizophrenia into sub types, certain symptoms need to present themselves. Here is a list of some of the subtypes of schizophrenia and their associated symptoms:
- Paranoid Schizophrenia – a preoccupation with delusions or auditory hallucinations
- Catatonic Schizophrenia – immobility, stupor or excessive motor activity
- Disorganized Behavior – disorganized speech or behavior
- Schizophreniform Disorder – any of the above symptoms excluding major depressive or manic disorder
- Schizoaffective Disorder – any of the above symptoms including a major depressive and/or manic disorder
- Schizoid Personality Disorder – detachment from social relationships and inability to express wide range of emotions
- Schizotypal Personality Disorder – reduced capacity for social relationships marked with eccentricities of behavior
There is no biological test for schizophrenia. Therefore, there is debate on whether or not the above labels accurately describe the disorders.
Causes of Schizophrenia
There is no specific known cause of schizophrenia, but studies suggest that genetics and social environment may both play a role.
People with close relatives that have schizophrenia have a higher likelihood to develop the disease. For instance, about 1% of the general population has schizophrenia. If you have a parent that has it, you have a 10% chance of developing the symptoms. It cannot be accurately predicted whether a person will develop schizophrenia based on their genetic makeup alone.
Certain environmental factors may also have an impact on the possibility of developing the disease. Prenatal and environmental stressors may influence a person’s susceptibility.
Treatment Options
Schizophrenia is a life-long condition that can be treated but not cured. Medication is primarily used to treat the disease. However, sticking to the regimen of the medication can be a problem and cause the patient to relapse. Patients go off their medication for many reasons including side effects or the medication may not work. Thus it is important to back up the medication treatment with psychosocial therapy to keep the patient on track.
Because of the complexity of this disease it may require a combination of different types of medication including antipsychotic, antidepressant, and antianxiety drugs. Also, if one medication does not work, the patient, doctor, and family should work together to try other medications until the right combination is found. This may not be a simple or short process.
Newer antipsychotic medications include Seroquel, Risperdal, Zyprexa and Clozaril.
Statistics
Schizophrenia is a disabling disease that affects approximately 1% of the population of the world. In America it affects 2 million people. Schizophrenia occurs in men and women and across all races. However, it occurs more frequently in men than in women. Cases of children having a schizophrenic disorder are rare, onset generally occurs after adolescence.
Outlook for treatments of Schizophrenia
Scientists are studying brain chemistry to try and determine causes of this disease. Our knowledge of the relationship between the brain and the disease is growing rapidly. Specifically it is likely that schizophrenia is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain possibly dealing with the neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate.
Recent research also suggests that schizophrenia may be prevented by certain precautions taken during pregnancy, as well as by the early childhood and even the adult environment. If you know you have a family history of this disease, it may be beneficial to take these precautions.
One precaution is not to smoke marijuana. A recent study showed that a person with the genetic disposition for schizophrenia (or the COMT gene) increased their risk by 1,000% if they also smoked marijuana.
Other environmental factors include, but are not limited to
- Place of birth – Urban
- Time of birth – Winter
- Infections like Polio, Rubella, Influenza
- Prenatal factors – Famine, bereavement, maternal depression
- Obstretric factors – Rh incompatibility, low birthweight, hypoxia
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