The Soloist

1. The Soloist

2. Schizophrenia • A psychotic disorder in which a person has lost touch with reality • Hallucinations and delusional thinking frequently accompany this disorder

3. Hallucinations • Experiencing sensations that don’t actually exist except inside your head • For example, seeing things, hearing voices, or smelling, tasting, or feeling things that are not actually there

4. Auditory Hallucinations • Hearing voices inside your head • Your brain interprets these voices to be real because the part of of your brain that process auditory information is activated • These voices usually insult you, tell you negative things, or tell you to do things

5. Are all schizophrenics the same? • No – some have severe cases and are unable to function in society at all and need to be in a psychiatric hospital • Others are able to lead quite normal lives with the help of antipsychotic medication • Some experience multiple, long-lasting episodes of psychosis, and others may have only an occasional psychotic episode

6. Nature or Nurture? • Schizophrenia is genetic and is unlikely to occur in someone who does not have a parent or relative who has it • However, schizophrenic episodes are often brought on by anxiety and stressful situations

7. Are schizophrenics violent? • Most people falsely believe the stereotype that schizophrenics are dangerous • In reality, the vast majority are not dangerous • They are more likely to harm themselves than act out violently toward others

8. Types of Schizophrenia • Paranoid • Disorganized • Catatonic • Undifferentiated

9. Paranoid Schizophrenia • Characterized by delusions (false beliefs) about being persecuted by others • Because they believe that others are out to get them they don’t usually trust anyone and likely won’t take medication b/c they believe it to be poison • Other thoughts, speech, and emotions may appear fairly normal

10. Disorganized Schizophrenia • Behavior often appears “crazy” • Frequently confused, incoherent, and have jumbled speech (word salad) • Behavior is often silly, childlike, or inappropriate for the situation • May also exhibit flat affect (appear emotionless) • Ability to perform normal daily activities may suffer – eating, showering, finding adequate and safe shelter

11. Catatonic Schizophrenia • Visibly appear unresponsive to the world around them • Appear rigid, stiff, and immobile • Unwilling or unable to respond to the world around them, though they may be very well aware of what is going on • May demonstrate peculiar movements, strike bizarre postures, or appear to grimace for no apparent reason

12. Undifferentiated Schizophrenia • Diagnosis given when person does not clearly fit into one of the other 3 subtypes • Often has a combination of the symptoms of the other 3

13. Where do they end up? • Unfortunately, many schizophrenics do not receive the treatment that they need • Most are not in psychiatric hospitals, but instead living on the streets or in jail

14. It is estimated that anywhere from 30 – 60% of the homeless population in this country is mentally ill – that translates to hundreds of thousands of mentally ill individuals living on the streets of America • Most of those who are in jail are not in for violent crimes, but rather for petty things like trespassing or disturbing the peace – they are usually not even aware of why they are being arrested

15. What about treatment? • Though treatment is available many do not benefit from it for a number of reasons. • Some are unresponsive to medication • Some refuse treatment because they do not trust the doctors/social workers or because they don’t believe they are ill • Some are not capable of regularly taking their medication due to forgetfulness or disorganized thinking

16. Can a schizophrenic be forced into treatment if they would clearly benefit from it? No one can be forced into a psychiatric hospital or forced to take medication against their will unless it is determined that they are a danger to themselves or others i.e. makes a suicide threat or threatens to kill someone else