A creative and thought provoking element to this class will include reflecting upon and writing about a specific mental illness in order to understand what it must be like for individuals who struggle with any of the specific disorders discussed in class.  For this assignment, you will be required to compose a poem or a song (for you aspiring songwriters or music lovers) regarding the experience of a specific mental illness.

There is no required format or topic, as these are left entirely up to your own choosing and discretion. You may choose to be concrete or abstract, serious or humorous, or personal or theoretical, and you may describe the experience using first- or third-person pronouns. The poems do not need to be in a rhyming format. Anything goes!

However, you must have a poem that contains at least 300 words. Failure to meet the minimum word count will result in point loss.

In terms of grading, you will be judged primarily on content, rather than format or poetic language. However, be mindful that you must have a very clear understanding about the experience of the mental illness that you choose.

To earn an ‘A’, a poem must convey an excellent under­standing (or be an excellent description) of anxiety, depres­sion, psychosis, or some particular disorder (e.g., avoidant personality disorder). A ‘B’ grade is given to a poem that conveys a good understanding or description of the experience of men­tal illness. Some latitude is available for the evaluation of writing ability. For example, an adequate description of avoidant personality would earn a grade of B; an adequate description that is also well written (e.g., the poem’s lines contain the appropriate number of syllables for its rhyme scheme, and the poet’s choice of words is good) would earn a B+.

Please be aware that this is NOT a paper assignment and I do not want you to hand in an academic essay describing symptoms, treatment etc…This is your opportunity to understand mental illness in a less structured, creative and exploratory manner. You might want to talk to individuals you know who have struggled with mental illness, reflect on your own struggles or delve into case studies within the academic literature. I also suggest reading personal memoirs about these conditions. A number of books can be found at your local bookstore. Also, be aware that if you choose to explore a mental illness that we have not yet discussed in class, you will have to read that chapter and any other relevant material ahead of time. You can always set up a time to talk to me during office hours to clarify any confusing information.

I have always found it easier to tap into creative sources when I am feeling relaxed. The benefits of an elaborate dream, wonderful music, or a good

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can help us escape the mundane and make us feel rejuvenated. All of us have the potential to be creative, even if you don’t write poetry, play an instrument, sing, dance or paint.  Most importantly, attempt to free yourself of judgment regarding your creative abilities. Consider the various ways in which you want to be creative, and like a child allow yourself to play. Throw out the rules or what you know to define creativity and just imagine.

The entire assignment is worth 60 points. 30 of the points will come directly from the poem that you submit. The other 30 points are tied to your ability to meet the requirements stated for the poetry posts at 15 points each.

**Note: Attached part 1 and 2 of this assignment.**

Maria V. Ortega

Poetry Post #1 (Schizophrenia)

I have chosen to analyze schizophrenia which is a condition that involves a range of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional symptoms. According to the DSM V for the diagnosis of schizophrenia, the condition is characterized by the occurrence of the following four main symptoms. First, hallucinations involve hearing and seeing things that are not real which have a full impact on a normal experience in people with schizophrenia. Hearing voices is one of the main types of hallucination that people with this disorder undergo. Second, delusions are based on having a feeling of false beliefs that are not real. Most of the time, they have feelings of being harassed or harmed which are not real experiences. Furthermore, people with schizophrenia experience disorganized speech with the frequent derailment. It involves the expression of childlike behavior to unpredictable agitations with random behaviors that lack focus, including bizarre posture, resistance to follow instructions, and complete lack of response.

Also, they are grossly disorganized, characterized by impaired communication and giving partially unrelated answers. Sometimes speech may be characterized by putting together meaningless words referred to as word salad. The symptoms are present at a significant period of 1-month with negative symptoms, including diminished emotional expression. The disorder affects the level of functioning in one or more areas like work, self-care, or interpersonal relations lower than the level achieved before adolescence. Therefore, the condition affects the level of interpersonal, occupational functioning, and academic capabilities. Besides, this disorder’s symptoms continue for more than six months, including one full month of symptoms according to the first criteria, which may include periods of residual symptoms. During this period, the symptoms are expressed in a less severe form, with manic episodes appearing concurrently.

One of the causes believed to cause schizophrenia is genetic inheritance. The disorder is theorized to run in the family in cases whereby a close relative, sibling, or parent had the condition, which exposes an individual to the probability of acquiring it genetically. The disorder is believed to be inherited through several genes that can make a person susceptible to this condition. Besides, the chemical change in the brain is another theory believed to cause schizophrenia. It involves a series of interrelated chemicals located in the brain referred to as neurotransmitters responsible for the transmission of signals between brain cells (Holland, 2018). Therefore, the imbalance of these chemicals is believed to result in developing this disorder and other mental health conditions. Furthermore, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that acts as a chemical messenger between neurons and is one of the chemicals that are believed to cause the development of schizophrenia.

Treatment using antipsychotic medications is the primary way that is used in the treatment of schizophrenia currently. They work by triggering a decrease in the severity of the disorder’s symptoms by regulating the level of chemicals that are believed to be associated with schizophrenia to maintain quality of life. However, this medication can cause sexual problems, weight gain, and shakiness. Besides, physical therapy is another criterion that is used in the management of schizophrenia disorder. It helps enable affected individuals to carry on with their jobs, finish school, or even practice effective communication. Furthermore, my interest in analyzing this disorder regards my childhood friend who developed this condition while in high school. It affected his studies up to appoint he had to drop out of school, which frustrated me a lot as we were very close, making me to be interested in knowing more about schizophrenia.

Ortega 1

Maria Ortega

CLP 4146

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that is uncommon and affects more than 23 million people across the globe. It has a profound effect on the affected individual health as well as those living around them. The signs and symptoms of the disorder occur in individuals between their late teens and early thirties. The disease commonly develops earlier in men than in females. In most cases, the individual can show abnormal behaviors from childhood but become essential as the individual gets older, while in other individuals, the symptoms may appear suddenly. The condition is lifelong, but treatments help in managing the symptoms of the disease. Schizophrenia is a severe condition that affects an individual’s mental health, leading to various lessons and more facts about schizophrenia.

Most individuals have looked at people with this condition as abnormal and unable to do what other people can do. People with schizophrenia view the world differently, view the world from a different perspective, and challenge what is seen, as usual, hence offering an exciting perspective. Individuals with these conditions argue that the world is not a nice place but can be more enjoyable with imagination (Hardcastle &Valerie, 381). They feel different from ordinary people, which makes their life a little bit difficult. The recovery journey is challenging, but individuals affected with the condition show that one can overcome life difficulties with the right attitude and perspective. The individual’s tech that having various positions can bring hope that better days will come.

People with schizophrenia are seen as crazy individuals but teach ordinary people to see life differently and show how to add passion to live. Stigmatization against these individuals is harsh as people with these conditions are poor, unemployed, and homeless (Krupchanka et al., 129). The condition is a treatable mental illness, and such patients should be treated with love and support, and those individuals can manage the condition and live a productive life. The patients should be treated with individuals with a good understanding of the condition. These individuals’ treatment requires good discipline to avoid particular behaviors are upheld, and all the prescribed medication is always taken to avoid excessive behavior.

One of the exciting things about schizophrenia is that specialists are not sure what is the leading cause of schizophrenia but think that it’s caused by various factors such as environmental factors and brain chemistry. The NIMH argues that the condition is primarily genetic, and multiple genes might increase the individual’s risk of developing schizophrenia (Fekete et al.,396). People with schizophrenia are in a position to experience such as grey matter leading to insufficient information processing in the brain. Besides drug usage as a teenager, prenatal exposure to viruses that affect brain development, malnutrition, and psychological factors play a significant role. From this research, no behavior and environmental factors lead to schizophrenia.

It is believed that men are more likely to evolve this condition, unlike women. Specialists are not sure why this happens and have some theories. One of the theories is that the high levels of hormones, including estrogen in females, can intercept the imbalance in neurotransmitters like glutamate and dopamine implicated in schizophrenia ((Fekete et al.,396). Additionally, men and women have different symptoms of schizophrenia. For example, men tend to have more negative symptoms while women are related to mood-related symptoms. Both men and women can develop this condition.

In conclusion, schizophrenia is a severe disease that destroys and affects the mental health of different people. The process of recovery requires peace and love and proper medication to ensure a full recovery. These individuals help other individuals to know the value of life. Besides, studies show that no single environmental factor has led to the development of schizophrenia. It has been both men and women experience different symptoms, and men experience other signs and symptoms.

Works Cited

Fekete, Judit, et al. “Persons With Schizophrenia Misread Hemingway: A New Approach to Study Theory of Mind in Schizophrenia.” Frontiers in Psychiatry 11 (2020): 396.

Hardcastle, Valerie Gray. “Predicting the self: lessons from schizophrenia.” Review of Philosophy and Psychology 10.2 (2019): 381-400.

Krupchanka, D., et al. “Experience of stigma and discrimination in families of persons with schizophrenia in the Czech Republic.” Social Science & Medicine 212 (2018): 129-135.