Why Do People With Schizophrenia See Things (Schizophrenia Explained)?
Today, the works of Vincent Van Gogh are highly prized, known for their short, textured strokes
and use of bright, vibrant colors.
However, his personal life was a dark and lonely one, plagued by rejection, isolation,
and illness.
With time, failure both real and imagined, took its toll.
On December 23, 1888, following a disagreement with a fellow artist, Van Gogh sliced off
his ear.
It was the first of many breaks with reality until his suicide on July 29, 1890.
Some believe he was schizophrenic, let's see if the facts agree in this episode of
the Infographics Show – Schizophrenia Explained.
Schizophrenia is a disorder that affects intellectual, emotional, and behavioral health.
Many who have it experience difficulty forming relationships and succeeding in school or
at work.
Coping with schizophrenia is hard, and suicide is, unfortunately, not uncommon.
Individuals may have psychotic episodes when they break with reality completely and show
drastic behavior or personality changes to the shock of those around.
Fortunately, the frequency of these episodes should decrease with age.
Between them symptoms may improve, or alternatively, they may get worse.
While there is a lot of variation, people who develop signs earlier will usually have
a more serious form of the condition.
Some psychotic illnesses may appear soon after birth; this is not the case with schizophrenia.
In fact, many can go their whole childhood without anyone suspecting a thing.
Cases have been seen among children over the age of 5, but it is much more likely to strike
during or after adolescence.
The average age that signs appear varies somewhat by gender.
Most men experience symptoms between their later teenage years and early 20s, while a
majority of women show signs in their late 20s to early 30s.
It is uncommon for someone to be diagnosed who is much younger or older than this.
Many will go through a prodromal period where the condition has begun but before it's
fully developed.
This can last as little as days or as long as years and, due to its subtlety, is hard
to notice.
It generally involves some struggle with friends and academics as well as challenges with sleep,
focus and mood.
Many will isolate themselves or withdraw from those around them as they experience strange
thoughts and fears.
Over time, the condition will grow worse.
Symptoms must be serious and last long enough for an official diagnosis.
There are many different symptoms that can be present.
These are grouped by category and are either positive, negative, or cognitive.
In most instances, the positive symptoms of hallucinations and delusions alone are sufficient
to indicate schizophrenia.
Positive symptoms are things that are added to an individual's personality and, contrary
to what their name suggests, have negative consequences.
These include hallucinations, or when someone either hears, sees, feels, tastes, or smells
things that are not actually there.
Although others can understand these things are not real, the one who is hallucinating
cannot.
This is often accompanied by the additional positive symptom of delusions, or unusual
things that the individual is convinced are true despite facts to the contrary.
Delusions may be in part due to difficulties with recalling, focusing on, or processing
information.
Disorganization is yet another positive symptom where an individual may think, talk, and write
in nonsensical or illogical ways.
Slow, laborious movements or repetitive behaviors, indecisiveness or forgetfulness, and an inability
to process stimuli are also manifestations of disorganization.
The final symptom in this category is catatonia.
This is when someone remains unmoving in one position for prolonged periods of time.
Negative symptoms are things that are not added to an individual's personality, but
lost.
While similar to depression, they are not the same thing.
To an outsider, someone suffering from negative symptoms will present themselves as lacking
emotion or with a limited ability to feel.
Individuals will also struggle to follow through with tasks, lose enthusiasm for life, and
fail to make meaningful connections with others.
It is not uncommon for people to stop taking proper care of themselves as some point, resulting
in poor personal hygiene and an overall disheveled appearance.
Finally, many will display significant issues with their thought process and show cognitive
symptoms as well.
They may lack the ability to recall recent memories, to make meaning out of information,
or focus in order to get anything done.
Most are unable to separate themselves from their symptoms in a meaningful way to understand
they have them, and so remain unaware that there is a problem.
This can make treatment difficult.
The causes of schizophrenia remain a mystery.
However, there are believed to be many contributing factors.
One of these is genetics.
Without a close family member such as a parent or sibling having the disorder, odds are less
than one percent that anyone will go on to develop it themselves.
In contrast, this percentage increases to ten percent for those who have a strong family
history.
An identical twin will have as high as a 50% chance if his or her sibling is diagnosed.
However, some may also develop schizophrenia without any affected family at all, and others
will remain symptom-free despite the diagnosis of more than one relative.
While there is clearly a genetic influence, it is likely tied to more than one gene and
may be expressed only under certain conditions, making it impossible to predict based on genetics
alone.
There are also more than genes at play.
Environmental factors, such as prenatal stressors, contribute to schizophrenia development as
well.
This includes when a pregnant mother comes down with a virus or lacks proper nutrition,
especially during the first two trimesters of her pregnancy.
Impaired in-utero brain development could be a contributor as well.
Substance abuse is another possibility, as marijuana use has been found to increase the
chances of developing schizophrenia.
In fact, the sooner and more often it is used the greater the odds become.
Stressors in general have been found to trigger schizophrenia in those already predisposed
to the condition.
This is also supported by its timeline of development, which is during many great changes
in the adolescent to young adult stages of life.
Another cause could be abnormal circuitry within the brain.
Neurotransmitters, which allow the cells of the brain to communicate, may not be properly
regulated and thus lead to problems with message transmission.
This is believed to impact the brain's response to various stimuli which could in turn explain
why some process loud noises or bright lights with difficulty.
This may be linked to both hallucinations and delusions as well.
Of course, some could experience the symptoms of schizophrenia and not have the disorder
at all.
A stroke or tumor, for example, could be an alternate cause that could result in a misdiagnosis.
So could the abuse of an illicit substance such as cocaine.
For this reason, medical professionals often rule out these possibilities before coming
to a conclusion.
Blood analysis and brain imaging will ensure there is not another reason, either physical
or chemical, to blame.
If nothing is found, it will be up to a psychiatrist or psychologist for diagnosis.
Once a diagnosis is made, treatment can begin.
Treatments are not a cure; however, they can manage symptoms.
Options for treatment include medications such as antipsychotics.
Therapy to learn coping techniques and hospitalization for those who need it are additional options
as well.
In addition to these, electroconvulsive therapy and deep brain stimulation are alternative
procedures in which the brain is shocked or stimulated to change and improve its function.
Unfortunately, most with schizophrenia will live a shorter life.
This is in part due to a high incidence of conditions developing along with it, such
as diabetes or heart disease.
This is also because of a tendency for those with the disease to become suicidal and engage
in self-harm.
In fact, suicide is the leading cause of premature death among the schizophrenic population.
Even with this information, the question of whether or not Vincent Van Gogh suffered from
schizophrenia cannot be determined with absolute certainty.
However, an educated guess can be made by looking at his life and the accounts of those
who knew him.
Evidence suggests he had problems when just a teen and the beginning signs of the disorder.
At the age of 14 he dropped out of school, never to go back, and left his friends behind.
He was dismissed from his a job at an art dealership and, although he did work as a
preacher for a time, his contract was not extended.
He tried to study theology but could not focus long enough to succeed.
Unable to keep a job or continue his education, he relied on his brother for support.
He also went back and forth between moving in with his parents.
His love life was less than a success as well and he struggled to connect with others.
He fell for his cousin who did not return his affection and after a failed relationship
with a prostitute lived with his parents once more.
Eventually he moved to the French countryside where he hoped others would come to stay.
Only one did, Paul Gauguin, who quickly wanted to leave.
Vincent took this abandonment to heart, and hearing voices in his head, he sliced off
his ear in what was likely a psychotic break.
Following treatment, he admitted himself into a psychiatric hospital where he had another
episode and ate paint.
After Vincent left the hospital, he began to worry about his financial future as well
as his health.
On July 27, 1890 the stress was too much.
He walked to a wheat field and shot himself in the chest, dying two days later.
Like many with schizophrenia have done, he took his own life to bring himself peace.
For these reasons and more, many think Vincent displayed the traits of a schizophrenic.
Do you agree?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video called Why Do People Go Crazy In Solitary
Confinement?!
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!
