Melody Lin Synthesis Letter.

Topic: Teenage Schizophrenia

Research Questions:

1. What are the signs of schizophrenia in a teenager?
2. What is the differences between teenage schizophrenia and adult schizophrenia?
3. What are the impacts and treatment plans for teenage schizophrenia? 

Synthesis Letter: 

Dear Professor Beacher,

               In the process of researching adolescent schizophrenia, I found many useful resources. Here I chose these four more persuasive and reusable resources. These resources come from authoritative organizations related to the subject, which makes them more convincing and reliable resources. These resources may seem scattered, but all items are connected in some way. This gives the main idea that adult schizophrenia and juvenile schizophrenia have similarities but some differences. The signs of adolescent schizophrenia are not so easy to detect, and its diagnosis and treatment options are also different from those of adults. They help us understand how to view juvenile schizophrenia in a correct way and how to prevent juvenile schizophrenia. 

            Androutsos Ch. (2012) and Dr. Rochelle Caplan. (2010) both found through research that the proportion of adolescent schizophrenia is usually less than that of adult schizophrenia. But this does not mean that he should not be taken seriously, because part of adult schizophrenia is developed from early adolescent schizophrenia. Androutsos Ch. (2012) mentioned in the article that although the DSM-IV and ICD-10 schizophrenia standards are applicable to all age groups, they are difficult to apply in earlier ages. Both authors believe that the incidence of young schizophrenia mostly increases during adolescence, which is between 13-18 years of age. Dr. Rochelle Caplan. (2010) believes that adolescents in adolescence are moody and moody due to unstable hormones in their bodies. They often show tension and anxiety, and anger and quarrel are their behavioral expressions. This affects the sleep of adolescents and severely causes behavioral disorders. Such as self-harm, alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide. Jamison Monroe (2020) also agrees with this view. The author mentioned in the article because most teenagers have changeable thoughts and unstable emotions during adolescence. Many adolescents often feel anxious due to the academic and social pressures of adolescents, as well as developmental diseases without proper guidance and emotional expression. Sick teenagers often feel nervous and fearful, which may interfere with daily work and school activities. Many teenagers abuse drugs and alcohol in an attempt to paralyze themselves, hoping to eliminate mental harm. But the fact is just the opposite. The use of drugs and alcohol aggravated their condition. Long-term use can lead to addiction. These various mental illnesses are all related to the adolescent schizophrenia I studied. The behavioral disorders, depression, and eating disorders mentioned in the article are all complications related to schizophrenia. Caplan. (2010) also called on more parents in the video to use the above-mentioned signals to find out their children’s psychological problems as early as possible.

               Androutsos Ch. (2012) believes that in addition to an emotional imbalance in adolescence, genetic history is one of the reasons for most adolescent schizophrenia. If one parent or both families have a history of mental illness, this will greatly increase the child’s chance of suffering from schizophrenia. Compared with adults, pre-morbid neurodevelopmental disorders are more common and obvious in people who develop schizophrenia during childhood or adolescence. Therefore, ordinary diagnostic techniques are not effective for teenagers with schizophrenia, because most of the main symptoms of psychosis are usually hidden. This is different from adult patients, which causes delays in diagnosis and treatment are common. Regarding the treatment of schizophrenia, Goff, D. C. (2021) mentioned two generations of antipsychotic drugs and psychosocial and rehabilitation interventions in the fourth resource. Regarding the fact that Androutsos Ch. (2012) mentioned genetic inheritance, Goff, D. C. (2021) mentioned in the study that this part of patients belonged to lifelong patients. The author also mentioned that the hallmark symptoms of schizophrenia are apathy, loss of emotional expression, and cognitive deficits, which are the same as the concept of schizophrenia by other authors. In terms of drugs, the first-generation drug named clozapine was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1990 for the treatment of drug-resistant schizophrenia. Although the symptoms are alleviated, side effects also exist. The second-generation antipsychotic is olanzapine, a chemical mimic of clozapine. Compared with the first-generation drugs, olanzapine reduces many adverse neurological reactions, so the treatment effect is better. But this still does not solve the problem, and medical treatment requires the cooperation of social assistance. It is very important to provide a wide range of evidence-based psychosocial services for patients with mental illness, such as establishing psychological service stations in schools and communities. Family psychological education should also be carried out at the same time, with regular psychological education and emotional counseling for young people. This is consistent with the ideals conveyed by Dr. Rochelle Caplan. (2010). Family psychological education has played a vital role in preventing adolescents with schizophrenia.

               Now, I have gained knowledge of adolescent schizophrenia symptoms, prevention, and treatment options from these resources, which will help me explain and show the topic to the audience better and more clearly. I believe these four resources can better help me understand adolescent schizophrenia. I will avoid using too many complex and difficult technical terms and should use words that are easy for the audience to understand. This can make my article clear, easy to understand, and straightforward. Because the number of cases of youth schizophrenia is rapidly increasing worldwide, I hope I can integrate these resources and the knowledge I have learned to share these with the audience.

Sincerely,

Melody Lin