disorganized schizophrenic withdraws from human contact and might regress to silly, childlike gestures and behavior. Many of those individuals were isolated or
maladjusted during adolescence. b. Catatonic Type
Catatonic schizophrenia is a schizophrenic disorder characterized by bizarre motor behavior, which sometimes takes the form of a completely
immobile stupor. Even in this stupor, catatonic schizophrenic are completely conscious of what is happening around them. An individual in a catatonic state
sometimes shows waxy flexibility; for example, if the person’s arms raised and then allowed to fall, the arm stays in the new position.
c. Paranoid Type
Paranoid schizophrenia is a schizophrenic disorder characterized by delusions of reference, grandeur, and persecution. The delusions usually form a
complex, elaborate system based on a complete misinterpretation of actual events. It is not unusual for schizophrenics to develop all three delusions in the following
order.
d. Undifferentiated Type
Undifferentiated schizophrenia is a schizophrenic disorder characterized by disorganized behavior, hallucinations, delusions, and incoherence. This
category of schizophrenia is used when an individual’s symptoms either don’t meet the criteria for the other types or they meet the criteria for more than one of
the other types.
From the explanation of types of schizophrenia above, the writer assumes that the main character suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Further analysis of
schizophrenia of the main character will be discussed in chapter III.
3. Treatment for Schizophrenia
Because the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown, current treatments focus on eliminating the symptoms of the disease.
a. Medication
The mainstay of psychiatric treatment for schizophrenia is an antipsychotic
medication. These can reduce the symptoms of psychosis like hallucination and delusion.
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Antipsychotic medications have been available since the mid-1950s. They effectively alleviate the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. While these drugs
have greatly improved the lives of many patients, they do not cure schizophrenia.
b. Electroconvulsive Therapy ECT
Electroshock therapy or known as Electroconvulsive therapy ECT, a full body seizure, or convulsion, is brought about by passing a quick jolt of electric
current about 100volts through the brain. The individual immediately loses consciousness. The body becomes rigid, and then the muscles begin to twitch
violently. The seizure lasts up to about a minute, but the patient remains unconscious for several more minutes before waking in a temporarily confused
state. The patient has no memory of what has happened during the treatment and
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Jeffrey S. Nevid, et al, 2005, op.cit. p. 131.
