Question

Discussion Board 7: Psychological Disorders      

Have you ever met anyone who suffers from a psychological disorder? If so, what was the disorder and its symptoms? How did it affect the person and those around her or him? If you can't think of anyone in particular or do not want to write about a real person, you may write about a movie that you may have seen, describing the movie character with a psychological disorder. See the list of 10 top movies featuring mental illness to get ideas

http://listverse.com/2009/09/08/top-10-films-featuring-mental-illness/

Answer 1

A distant relative of mine was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Before I became a student of psychology, I had no inkling with respect to her condition. In fact, in most of my interactions with her, I found her to be very eloquent, witty and well-groomed. However, last year, I spent a week at her house and some of her symptoms became apparent to me. During many conversations, she would become completely withdrawn and seemed to be preoccupied with other thoughts. In between her sleep, she would wake up and sit in complete stillness for hours together. She was extremely suspicious of people’s intentions, ranging from her neighbours to her own mother.

My relative has been making several attempts to get married but with little success. She currently lives with her mother and has been doing so for over a decade. Her mother is a widow and takes care of her and her household duties. My relative’s mother is not bothered much by her condition, as her symptoms are mild and residual. I was told that her she was diagnosed with schizophrenia about 15 years ago and at that point, she often had to hospitalised due to the severity of her symptoms. However, she often worries what will happen to her daughter after her death, thus pushing her constantly to get married or atleast conceive a child.