Brian+Shin+SCHIZO

1. Was insulin shock therapy a viable clinical treatment? Insulin shock therapy is a form of psychiatric treatment, which injects the patient with high doses of insulin to produce daily comas for several weeks. John Nash had to be treated by this therapy for about 10 weeks in the movie. It doesn’t seem viable though because the process seemed to be painful for the patient and the pills he or she takes after the treatment causes several side effects. For example, John Nash gets over his hallucinations for a while but stops taking the pills and then sees the hallucination again. Some psychiatrists proved in 1957 that the insulin shock therapy didn’t do any better than the existing therapies of induction of coma. The therapy had disappeared in the states by the 1970s, which tells us that it wasn’t viable. Treating schizophrenia with medication and therapy doesn’t seem to be useful. It’s a disease in the mind, not the body. Therefore it should be treated in a valuable way just like John Nash did. Getting along with people, basically forgetting about the existence of the hallucinations.

2. Was John Nash an unusual case, or do you think that many schizophrenic patients can be taught to function in society with without medication? I don’t really think John Nash, portrayed in the movie, is perfectly true. Although he got over his disease by socializing with others, there must’ve been some kind of medication combined with it. There’s actually a therapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is used to reduce symptoms and improve related issues such as self-esteem, social functioning, and insight. Recent discoveries suggest that CBT can be effective for some symptoms of schizophrenia. John Nash also seems to be one of the patients who got over his disease through meeting people, talking to them, and facing the reality. I definitely think schizophrenic patients can be taught to function in society, but with a little bit of help from medication. Schizophrenia isn’t a simple thing, it’s serious and hard to get rid of.

3. What are the dangers and/or advantages of this type of treatment (re: insulin shock therapy)? As shown in the movie, insulin shock therapy helps John Nash get over his hallucinations, but it seems to be painful and causes severe consequences. It’s proved that such therapies reduce anxiety, agitations, nervousness, and other symptoms. However, the whole progress is too risky for the patient. Serious side effects such as hypoglycemia can be caused. Hypoglycemia can make patients extremely restless, sweaty, and liable to further after-shock effects. The most severe risks are things such as brain damage, or even death. However, people say the percentage that such things occur is pretty low. I still don’t think it’s a helpful way to cure patients.

4. What is the difference between the treatment of schizophrenia in 1960-1970 and today? The treatment of schizophrenia has changed dramatically through years. Nowadays, most patients are treated with antipsychotic drugs and therapies related to socializing rather than electric shocks on their brain. Back in the old days, there weren’t enough medications discovered to treat patients. Therapies such as the insulin shock therapy were used but they didn’t seem to perfectly help the patients. There were several risky consequences caused by such therapies. However, there still isn’t an exact cure for the disease.

5. What are the various types of schizophrenia? Which would you consider the worst case to have? The least worst? Explain why for each. There are several kinds of schizophrenia such as the paranoid type, disorganized type, catatonic type, undifferentiated type, and residual type. To me, the catatonic type seems to be the worst out of those. The subject may be almost immobile or exhibit agitated, and purposeless movement. Symptoms can include catatonic stupor as well. They basically can’t function as a normal human being. On the other hand, the residual type seems to be the least worst out of the kinds. The reason is because the symptoms of schizophrenia are present at a low intensity only, which means it isn’t that serious and of course, easy to get over and treat. The patient will be able to live with it, unlike the catatonic type.

6. What treatments are being pioneered today for schizophrenia? Although the concept of a cure still remains controversial and incomplete, most people prefer to use managements to a cure. They manage the symptoms and improve functions, which is considered to be more achievable then a cure, which isn’t found yet. Antipsychotic drugs are also used to treat schizophrenia. Therapies such as the insulin shock therapy have been banned a long time ago due to their risks and effects.