Schizophrenia- Informative Speech

Introduction I. Attention Getter- “This food tastes funny, I bet it’s been poisoned by alien, therefore I must not eat”, these are just a few of the comments and thoughts Debra, a high school senior, heard within her Schizophrenic stricken mind. II. Brief Introduction- Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects almost all of the five senses, but most commonly it manifests as auditory hallucination, paranoid or bizarre delusions, disorganized thinking and speech, and social dysfunction. III. Establishment of Credibility- I decided to inform you of Schizophrenia because my neighbor’s granddaughter is diagnosed with the disorder and I know her and I know what she goes through day by day and I feel like people need to stop the ridicule and get familiar with this disease. IV. Thesis Statement- Schizophrenia is a devastating disorder with disastrous causes, tragic effects and has very little treatment that Schizophrenics need to over come to have some sort of mental control over their lives. V. Preview Statement- First, I will mention the causes of Schizophrenia, next I will describe the effects it has on the victims and people around the victim and finally I will present the treatments for this disorder. Body I. Main Point 1- Causes of Schizophrenia A. Supporting Point- Schizophrenia is a complicated disorder that is difficult to understand and according to Michelle S. Friedman, “currently most people in the mental health field think that Schizophrenia may be caused by a combination of factors” (Friedman 27), one of them being genetics and the other the environment. a. Studies have shown that schizophrenia runs in families (Friedman 28). b. Relatives of schizophrenia sufferers are more likely to develop the condition than people from families that are schizophrenia-free. c. Also, since identical twins share the same genes, there is a 48% (Nadelson 58) chance a person whose identical twin has schizophrenia to develop the disease. In fraternal twins, the non identical twin has about 20% (Friedman 29) chance of developing the disease. d. Researchers have two major theories about the way that genes play a role in causing schizophrenia. 1. One of the theories being that the brain of the victim develops abnormally and the brain structure is different in size and shape compared to the normal brain (Friedman 29). 2. The second theory being that the brains neurotransmitters are abnormal too. Transitional statement- Now, I will move on to the effects of schizophrenia.

II. Main Point 2- Effects of Schizophrenia A. Supporting Point- Schizophrenia not only has harsh effects on the victims, it also has effects on the caregivers of the victim and society. a. As stated in Schizophrenia: Losing Touch With Reality, Carol C. Nadelson writes, “Chaotic” is how relatives of a schizophrenic describe family life (Nadelson 47). b. Siblings worry about the social disgrace or ridicule they will receive due to the illness of another sibling. c. Families of schizophrenics must learn to deal with issues like denial, grief, fear, guilt, exhaustion, anger, bitterness, loss of control, marital problems and loss of place in community (Nadelson 47-49). d. Most of the time parents feel guilty and blame themselves for their child’s sickness. e. Parents and other caregivers often grope desperately for solutions to the ongoing crisis of schizophrenia. f. Too often, the family is permanently damaged and destroyed. B. Supporting Point- Schizophrenia also has an impact on ones money matters (Nadelson 50). a. The most obvious cost of Schizophrenia is the cost of treatment; in fact, hospitalization of any disease is extremely expensive. b. Medicine is expensive and so are therapy sessions. c. Schizophrenics lose wages and productivity when they can not hold down a regular job. d. Recent estimates show the National Institute of Mental Health, place the total cost of schizophrenia anywhere between $30 billion to $65 billion annually in the U.S. alone (Nadelson 50). e. Another issue is the cost of vigorous research to find the cause of the disease as well as improved treatment.

Transitional Statement- Finally, I will get into detail about the treatments for Schizophrenia.

III. Main Point 3- Treatments of Schizophrenia A. Supporting Point- Treatments for Schizophrenics varies from drugs to therapy. a. Antipsychotic or neuroleptic medications change the balance of chemicals in the brain and can help control the symptoms of the illness (Carey). 1. For example, Lisa, a 32 year old woman was diagnosed with the mental disorder at the age of 19 and twice a month, she receives shots of an anti-psychotic medicine, and she also takes anti-seizure drugs every day (Gershenson). b. Supportive therapy may be helpful for many people. c. Behavioral techniques, such as social skills training, can be used during therapy. d. Family treatments appear to help families cope and reduce the odds of symptoms returning.

Now, I will conclude my topic of Schizophrenia.

Conclusion I. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that many suffer from and the victim doesn’t have much control over it. II. Today I have informed you of Schizophrenia, its causes, effects and treatments. III. Just because you don’t hear imaginary voices telling you you’re the Devil, doesn’t mean other people don’t hear it either.

Work-Cited Page

1. Carey, Benedict. “From the Elusiveness of Schizophrenia, New Clues to Treatment”. The New York Times. 06 Feb, 2008. 30 May, 2009. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/schizophrenia/overview.html? scp=1- spot&sq=schizophrenia&st=cse.

2. Friedman S. Michelle. Everything You Need to Know About Schizophrenia. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2000.

3. Gershenson, Adam. “The Neediest Cases; Fighting Schizophrenia In the Throes of Poverty”. The New York Times. 12 Feb, 1998. 30 May, 2009.

4. Nadelson C. Carol. Schizophrenia: Losing Touch With Reality. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000.