The Specter of Schizophrenia
What do mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. and legendary rock star Syd Barrett of the band Pink Floyd have in common?
Both suffered from schizophrenia, a mental disorder that begins between the ages of 15 and 25 and affects about one percent of the population or 51 million people worldwide. Schizophrenia is found in 12 million people in China, 8 million people in India, and over 2 million people in the United States.
Schizophrenia, which is a form of psychosis, is characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality. It leads to hallucinations, delusions or disorganization in speech and thinking process. It usually occurs in young adulthood with approximately 1 percent of the population. Schizophrenia occurs equally in males and females although it typically appears earlier in men with the peak ages of onset being 15–25 years for males and 25–35 years for females.
“People with the condition have a 50 times higher risk of attempting suicide than the general population; the risk of suicide is very serious in people with schizophrenia. Suicide is the No. 1 cause of premature death among people with schizophrenia, with an estimated 10 percent to 13 percent killing themselves and approximately 40 percent attempting suicide at least once (and as much as 60 percent of males attempting suicide),” according to Schizophrenia.Com, a non-profit web community that provides information, support, and education to people with schizophrenia.
The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three categories: positive, negative or cognitive. Positive symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and disorders of movement. Patients may see, hear, smell or feel something that normal people don’t. They often hear voices that comment on their behavior, order them to do things, or warn them of impending danger. They see people or objects that aren’t there, and smell odors that no one else detects. Delusions take the form of false beliefs where patients think that they are famous or people are plotting against them or spying on them.
One famous victim of schizophrenia was the Nobel Laureate mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. who was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the critically-acclaimed film, “A Beautiful Mind.” The story tells of Nash’s early days at Princeton University where he meets his roommate Charles and his niece Marcee. Nash is later approached by Department of Defense agent William Parcher to help the Pentagon decipher secret messages to thwart a Soviet plot. At the end of the movie, we learn that all three people never existed and are products of Nash’s troubled mind.
Syd Barrett, a founding member of the rock band Pink Floyd was a brilliant musician whose musical career was cut short by schizophrenia. His first album influenced generations of musicians and made him a superstar. As the disease progressed, however, Barrett suffered from weird thoughts, odd behavior, bizarre actions, disorganized thinking, and catatonia. He withdrew from public view at the age of 28 and stayed home until his death at age 60.
Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, effective treatments have been developed to help patients live normal and productive lives. If you have any of the above symptoms, seek medical help. To enhance your memory and support healthy brain function, take Neurovar. For more information on this powerful supplement, go to http://www.neurovar.com/.
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Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.healthnfitnesszone.com.