Kandice's Webpage

WE'RE NOT IN "KANSAS" ANYMORE

Hi my name is Kandice, or Kansas, as my friends call me, I am a Biology major at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Ten years from now I hope to be in a small town, happily married, with no kids at the time, and owning my own Pediatric Dentists office.

• Favorite Food: Anything Italian / Does chocolate constitute food??
• Favorite Band: Some Country, mostly Rock and Pop though
• Favorite Quote: "Tis better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all."
  -Alfred Lord Tennyson
• Favorite thing about college: The freedom and the people
• What I am most proud of in life: My parents…they have been so great to me and have gave me the chance of a lifetime and have put up with me through thick and thin and I will never be able to thank them enough I just hope that I have made them as proud of me as I am proud to call then my parents. THANKS!!! I love you

~this is a picture of my car…..its my pride and joy!!!

A Neuroscience Topic That Interests Me.....

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a problem dealing with cognition, mental process of learning, but also involves perception and motor skills, and emotion. It involves confused thoughts and perceptions. A person that has schizophrenia is thought to have lost all contact with reality, to a considerable extent. Schizophrenia is a collection of symptoms that indicate that the individual has difficulty trying to meet the demands of life. These people may experience incoherence, a marked decline in the thought process. It affects 1 in 100 people worldwide and it increases to 1 in 10 if it is already in the family.
Symptoms of a person with schizophrenia include delusions, false beliefs, hallucinations, false perceptions, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized speech, and behavior, and negative symptoms. Associated features of a person with the disorder are learning problems, a depressed mood, hyperactivity, guilt or obsession, and an odd or eccentric personality.

There are five types of schizophrenia the first is paranoid type. This involves hallucinations and delusions. The second type is catatonic type; this is where the people can remain in motionless positions for many hours. The third type is the disorganized type; this involves incoherent language and inappropriate emotions. The fourth type is remission type, this is when the person's symptoms are completely gone or they are not severe enough to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. The fifth and final type is the undifferential type, this involves the deterioration of daily functioning, hallucinations, and it begins to eventually encompass all systems.

The exact cause of schizophrenia is hard to pinpoint. Some biologists believe that it is a cause of genetics but they cannot pinpoint the exact contribution. Others believe that it is a chemical imbalance in the brain, or that there is too much or too little o certain chemicals that mess up the brains mechanisms. Another cause may result from family circumstances, when there are problems at home they will affect other areas of your life and this could trigger it.

In conclusion I think that schizophrenia is a very serious illness as is any other one. It needs to be dealt with seriously and they need to try and find cures for it. This would help, and although it is not all that common they still need to help those that have it already. It is a very complex research problem but it needs to be dealt with.