Catatonic Schizophrenia Essays - Schizophrenia,

Catatonic Schizophrenia Catatonic Schizophrenia The most uncommon subtype of schizophrenia is catatonia. Although this kind of mental disorder is the rarest of the schizophrenias, it is perhaps the most disturbing to the people inflicted with the illness, and also to the families and friends who encounter the devastating disorder. Whereas paranoid and unorganized schizophrenia are disorders that effect mainly thought and speech behavior, catatonic schizophrenia not only disables speech and thought processes, but it is also a physically disabling illness. Catatonic schizophrenics experience many of the same symptoms as the other types, especially loosely attached thought and speech patterns and paranoia. Added to these symptoms, catatonic schizophrenics also experience extreme shifts between excited and withdrawn, stuporous motor behavior. These opposing states of physical activity, and the pronounced motor gestures are what characterize catatonic schizophrenia. In one experiment involving 250 patients, all with catatonic schizophrenia, 110 fall into the predominantly withdrawn class, 67 experience primarily excited symptoms, and 73 are considered mixed between behaving stuporous and excited (Morrison 1973). The most common state of catatonia, stupor, is characterized by a loss of all animation, and motionless, rigid, unchanging positions. People in a catatonic stupor will become sometimes become mute and stare into space, remaining still for sometimes hours or days, even until the hands and feet become blue and swollen (Carson, et al. 454). Trying to awaken a patient out of a catatonic stupor is virtually useless. Usually he or she will not acknowledge their surroundings, and will not respond to stimuli. Although during the stupor seems to be completely out there and unconnected to reality, some patients can even retell the accounts of the stupor and the reason, and what they were thinking at the time. One patient who remained motionless with one hand froze in the air, parallel to the ground, came out of the stupor explaining that the forces of the world were battling on the back of his hand. He was deathly afraid that if he tilted his hand he would give the evil force an unfair advanta ge (Carson, et al. 454). Some withdrawn patients are highly susceptible to suggestion and will obey commands or imitate actions, a condition known as echopraxia, or mimic phrases, also known as echolalia. Ordinarily, patients in a catatonic stupor will refuse to comply with even the slightest request and pay no attention to bowel or bladder control. Facial expressions are typically vacant, and skin texture appears waxy. Schizophrenic patients with catatonia may suddenly switch from states of extreme withdrawn behavior to great excitement. During these episodes, they appear to be under great pressure to be active. Some patients become somewhat aggressive during this state. They tend to talk or shout excitedly and incoherently, pacing back and forth. It is not uncommon for patients to openly indulge in sexual activities, attempt self-mutilation or even suicide. The uncontrollable frenzy of these attacks make such patients dangerous to both themselves and others. Fortunately, these excited episodes are extremely rare and typically only last a few minutes or hours. However, cases have shown that a days' or weeks' endurance is not altogether impossible. Psychology

Free Essays on The Old Man And The Perennial Questions

The Old Man and the Perennial Questions The Old Man and the Sea is a classic novella by Ernest Hemingway that draws upon Socrates’ eternal Perennial Questions to put across a theme of honor in struggle, life, and death. The main character, Santiago, is an old fisherman who has been on a low for 84 days. Even though he has not caught anything, the boy, Manolin still looks up to him. Hemingway uses Santiago’s perseverance to show that he is a character to admire. Socrates’ questions also emphasize this point. â€Å"Am I free or determined† is the first query that stresses Hemingway’s themes. In this work, many of Santiago’s actions reflect Socrates’ eternal question â€Å"Am I free or determined?† The main character feels that he does not control his luck with fishing – he says it is all up to God. Santiago thus thinks of himself as determined. Manolin, the boy that looks up to the old fisherman, tells Santiago that he is bound to have good luck because he had once gone 87 days without catching a fish. Manolin, also thinks that Santiago is determined, that his catching fish is all dependent on how many days he has gone without caching fish. This all happens before Santiago even leaves the shore and starts fishing. When he gets onto the sea, Santiago begins to speak to himself. While he is struggling with the Marlin, Santiago begins to wonder if it is his fate to be lead away by the fish. Whether it is his destiny to be pulled out to sea and die while trying to catch the fish. Santiago's insistence that he will sail out farther than ever befo re foreshadows his destruction, because the marlin is linked to Santiago, the marlin's death foreshadows Santiago's own destruction by the sharks. The sharks causing destruction by eating Santiago’s prized catch and ruining his chances of making a large profit at the market. Making a profit at the market is one that Santiago claims to know and be sure of. This thought of his an... Free Essays on The Old Man And The Perennial Questions Free Essays on The Old Man And The Perennial Questions The Old Man and the Perennial Questions The Old Man and the Sea is a classic novella by Ernest Hemingway that draws upon Socrates’ eternal Perennial Questions to put across a theme of honor in struggle, life, and death. The main character, Santiago, is an old fisherman who has been on a low for 84 days. Even though he has not caught anything, the boy, Manolin still looks up to him. Hemingway uses Santiago’s perseverance to show that he is a character to admire. Socrates’ questions also emphasize this point. â€Å"Am I free or determined† is the first query that stresses Hemingway’s themes. In this work, many of Santiago’s actions reflect Socrates’ eternal question â€Å"Am I free or determined?† The main character feels that he does not control his luck with fishing – he says it is all up to God. Santiago thus thinks of himself as determined. Manolin, the boy that looks up to the old fisherman, tells Santiago that he is bound to have good luck because he had once gone 87 days without catching a fish. Manolin, also thinks that Santiago is determined, that his catching fish is all dependent on how many days he has gone without caching fish. This all happens before Santiago even leaves the shore and starts fishing. When he gets onto the sea, Santiago begins to speak to himself. While he is struggling with the Marlin, Santiago begins to wonder if it is his fate to be lead away by the fish. Whether it is his destiny to be pulled out to sea and die while trying to catch the fish. Santiago's insistence that he will sail out farther than ever befo re foreshadows his destruction, because the marlin is linked to Santiago, the marlin's death foreshadows Santiago's own destruction by the sharks. The sharks causing destruction by eating Santiago’s prized catch and ruining his chances of making a large profit at the market. Making a profit at the market is one that Santiago claims to know and be sure of. This thought of his an...