This point was brought up in psychology earlier,"is schizophrenia a genuine condition or is it merely a label given by society to those with atypical behaviour", this got me thinking because there have been sever studies which show perception of behaviour changes after diagnosis. I won't way any more so I don't influence your opinion.

I have had psychology classes myself. I believe that Schizophrenia is a genuine condition. Studies have shown that their brain activity is different. With modern technology we are starting to understand this disorder more. I do not think its a label as it a real disorder that really their is not a perfect treatment for. I have met some people with this disorder and I felt bad for them. Lot of them I have known have struggled. 

Schizophrenia is definitely a genuine disorder, I don't see how it wouldn't be. Keep in mind that most psychological conditions are labelled "disorders" because the behavior exhibited by the patient is atypical to our society, that's kind of what a psychological disorder is. The word "disorder" is a subjective term, so some behaviors that may be considered a disorder in one society may not be considered a disorder in another.

Multiple Personality disorder, Autism, Bi-polar disorder, Schizophrenia... These are labels that have been assigned to particular behaviors exhibited by the patient, and these terms have been around even before neuroscience was around. Now we can look at brain scans of people who have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, and see distinct differences in the brain activity and brain structure of a schizophrenic, and the brain activity/structure of a "typical" person.

It should be said that people who have been misdiagnosed with a psychological disorders tend to be treated differently. Once you've been labelled, people will continue to stick it to you because that's just how people are.

Unfortunately, people with Schizophrenia(and other disorders), are stigmatized. People either think schizophrenics tend to be more violent(they aren't), or they are treated as outcasts usually, which shouldn't happen. People shouldn't be shunned because they have a problem with they're brain, it's a physical organ just like any other.

sloanstar1000 : I forgot the specific reason why but the tutor brought this up but she said we would go into detail after the mock exams.

If the modern science calls the friend of mine who sees dragons out his window without his medication a schizophrenic, I guess it is fine. Call him what you will, he still sees the dragons outside his window without his meds. Are the dragons real? It doesn't matter. He sees them. We don't. He needs his medication.

ergo

He is a schizophrenic.

It's a disorder that refers to people who experience reality different from the norm.  Because it results in all sorts of negative or unsafe behavior, it is completely accepted as a genuine condition.

Google image search drawings by schizophrenics.  They're beautiful and eerie.

warmaker : I think the problem is whether or not the symptoms are that of another disorder, a study by Rosenhan found that people's behaviour is interpreted as atypical after the diagnosis regardless of what it was. On average it took 3 weeks for the hospitals to notice that they weren't actually schizophrenic.
Other well known psychologists/ psychiatrists have called it's credibility into existence.
We are still yet to do the debates in lesson yet because we had mock week (got an A in schizophrenia but C in child development and stress.

As someone who has had schizophrenia for almost a year, I can say it's a genuine condition. It's not just "Oh, he just acts a bit different, nothing big" Well, It's actually a big deal.

People have studied the brains of schizophrenics have found they have very different brain patterns and activities, almost opposite of what "Normal" people's brain activity is like.

If someone is sick, and they take medication, it will help them recover faster and even lower the symptoms of what they have. Schizophrenic's medication will only help them with their disease, it's something it can't be cured, only controlled.

Of course, it's not like we are different, we are the same as everyone else. We just look at the world and think a different way.

I studied psychology for almost three years and I truly believe schizophrenia is a disorder and that those with it are just people suffering from a disorder, just like other people who suffer from other disorders or illnesses. It's unfortunate that labels are as common as they are and I encourage everyone to see people as people first and not as the problem they are having.

Yes, yes it is. I've known a few people with it. And I think I sometimes might have a mild case of it. Some have it more severe than others. But in a way it is a label, because if you see dragons at night, or faintly hear people calling you, you're roped under Schizophrenic.

Yes, yes it very much is. I've seen people suffering from it pretty badly in hospital. It's behaviour and beliefs that are potentially harmful to another person. It's not just about hearing voices. There's more too it than that.

I still haven't had the lessons on debates but the tutor provided clarification. She said "it is the most one sided argument we will cover and is quite frankly a load of bull faeces". If only she told me that before I made this thread.