Mental Health: Schizophrenia

 	






Mental Health: Schizophrenia
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	The mind is a vital element of human being as it is the central point, where all functions and acts of a human being are controlled. Therefore, mental health is an integral aspect of human health, which should be observed for smooth living (World health Organization, 2004). Mental health is seen as a condition of wellbeing, where an individual is able to use his ability to deal with normal life stresses, and be fruitful in the community. This paper will analyze mental health and look into depth the mental condition known as Schizophrenia.  Mental health is an important aspect for an individual to have a smooth life style. There are different factors said to contribute to cases of mental conditions (Friedli, 2004). Areas of deprivation, low income, less education and poor living conditions experience high cases of mental illness. 20% of the population suffering from mental conditions is made up of lone parents, who are unemployed and living in poverty conditions (Friedli, 2004).  
	Schizophrenia is a serious mental condition or brain disorder, affecting about 1% of the United States population. This condition is also known as Psychos, and it affects the patient by altering their thoughts, perception and affecting behavioural patterns (Bhugra, 2010). Individuals suffering from this condition do not necessarily have to exhibit the same characteristics but their symptoms are influenced by different circumstances (Bhugra, 2010). Schizophrenia is commonly seen among the young adults or sets in at the early stages of adulthood and may persist to adulthood (Andreasen et al. 2011). 
	The main sign that helps in identification of a schizophrenia patient is change in their behaviours. This change happens differently depending on individuals, where some people change their behaviour suddenly. However, the condition might be different for other people as the change of behaviour might be gradual, making the diagnosis slow. It is not distinct, why some people are at risk of suffering from Schizophrenia, while others are not. Due to differences of opinion and existing debates on the major causes of the disorder, there are factors believed to be the main contributors to the suffering. These include; inheritance and drug use.
	There are families, which are more prone to the illness than others, hence suggesting genetic component to the development of the illness in the family (Flyckt, Edman, Venizelos & Borg, 2011). An individual might not have the schizophrenia gene from the family but might inherit from the family, certain genes that might make him or her more vulnerable to suffering from the condition (Bennett, 2009). Having these genes does not generally mean that an individual must suffer from schizophrenia, but  in most cases, individuals, whose parent suffer from the condition are much likely to get it (Flyckt, Edman, Venizelos & Borg, 2011). 
	Studies of the effects of different drugs in the human body have shown that use or abuse of drugs, such as cannabis and other street drugs leads to development of schizophrenia symptoms in an individual (Kerfoot et al., 2011). Abusing drugs result0s in instability in an individual character and they become very vulnerable to changes in moods. These people exhibit aggressiveness and other characteristics exhibited by schizophrenia patients, hence increasing chances of getting the mental condition (Kerfoot et al., 2011). Not only does the drug abuse pose a threat of causing the mental condition, but use of alcohol and nicotine also reduces the effectiveness of drugs used for treatment of the condition (Kerfoot et al., 2011). 
	Brain damage may happen during child’s birth and this might affect the flow of oxygen to the brain, hence increasing the chances of getting schizophrenia (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2004). Compared to people, who do not suffer from schizophrenia, brain scan of the patients show that some parts of the brain may not have developed normally, leading to the contradictions. Brain damage may also result in viral infection of the baby during the first months of pregnancy and develop to later cause schizophrenia (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2004). 
	Results from studies and from accounts of personal nature indicate that stress in life can be a major trigger to getting schizophrenia (Sinclair et al., 2011). Stress due to daily activities such as work lead to social isolation of an individual. As a result, one does not have a platform to exhale the accumulated stress as a result of continued working. This eventually leads to schizophrenia and other mental issues as a result of accumulated stress. In most case, people, who have been harassed or abused, are at high risk of getting schizophrenia (Sinclair et al., 2011). People, who suffers from schizophrenia as a result of stress exhibit different symptoms, due to the nature of human brain capacity to handle s