Most people are aware of the recent tragedy involving well-known actor and comedic legend Robin Williams. Although he was an extremely talented actor with a brilliant comedic talent, he commit suicide on August 11, 2014. This sent most of his close family members, friends, celebrities, and even the general public into shock. Most people were …
Cocaine is a drug that when ingested is associated with the release of dopamine and other “feel good” neurotransmitters in the brain. Cocaine acts as a triple reuptake inhibitor (TRI) by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine simultaneously. This results in a person getting a stimulant effect, feeling euphoric, and decreased appetite. It is considered …
Undifferentiated schizophrenia is characterized by general symptoms of schizophrenia that do not fit a specific classification or diagnosis of another subtype. People may exhibit the traditional “positive” and “negative” symptoms, but they may fluctuate over a period of time. This type of schizophrenia can be particularly challenging to diagnose with confidence because someone needs to …
Paranoid schizophrenia is one of the 5 main subtypes of schizophrenia characterized by an intense paranoia which is often accompanied by delusions and hallucinations. Most people with paranoid schizophrenia have auditory hallucinations (i.e. they hear voices) and may experience delusions that people are “plotting” against them. For example, someone with this illness may believe that …
Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness that affects approximately 1% of the adult population in the United States. There are many symptoms of the illness, but a split dichotomy of what are called “positive” symptoms and “negative” symptoms. Positive symptoms are like adding something to the person’s experience such as hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, etc. In …