pics: 2010

Monday, October 18, 2010

Science Paper

Vanessa Sanchez
Herrmann/Glazik
Language/Science
22 October 2010

Confusion of Schizotypal
How do you know you have a disorder if there are no tests to tell you that you do? How would you treat it, if you knew you did? Schizotypal is a personality disorder that relies only on symptoms for a diagnosis. It is derived from schizophrenia, which is what it is often confused with. Schizotypal personality disorder is a psychiatric condition in which a person has difficulty with interpersonal relationships (GoogleHealth), which is a largely known symptom in many disorders. Few people know about schizotypal, and not only is it confused with schizophrenia, but it’s symptoms are not unlike bipolar, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder, sometimes even attention deficit. What is it that makes this disorder what it is? Why are its symptoms so similar, but not quite the same?
Symptoms
What exactly are the symptoms that are so easily confused with other disorders? Many of them share the same characteristics. They include extreme anxiety and paranoia, which are recurring symptoms in many mental phobias and disorders. These symptoms make it hard to be around others, and therefore can create painful isolation. People with schizotypal rarely have intimate relationships other than close relatives, which is why relatives are usually the ones to notice the symptoms.
There are many things that can make it obvious that a person has schizotypal, depending on the mildness of the case. It’s easy to see some, such as a person’s odd beliefs and eccentric behavior. A person could develop paranoia for the supernatural, and believe in many different things, which are strange to others. Airplanes in the sky could be UFOs or fairies. They could believe that their neighbor is a witch, or a vampire. It is difficult to see other symptoms, which may include lack of close friends. That could be easily confused with shyness or social awkwardness.
There are few to no warning signs of schizotypal. It depends on how the person was raised, and in what environment. Schizotypal is more likely to occur in people with negative relationships with parents and siblings, leading into people in general. A person who has had few or no romantic relationships might also be a sign of schizotypal. They usually do not marry and end up living with and being dependant upon first-degree family members (MentalDisorders).
Causes
Schizotypal is neurological, and is difficult to determine it’s cause or origin. Between 30% and 50% of people with schizotypal also have major depression disorder (GoogleHealth), and may also have other disorders attached. Since the symptoms are reflected in many different disorders, it is possible for schizotypal to be connected to them. It is possible to have schizophrenia as well as schizotypal, but schizotypal does not always have the same degree of bodily illusions.
Genetics have been questioned through the causes of schizotypal,