Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Verses Schizophrenia

Running head: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER VERSES SCHIZOPHRENIA 1

Post-traumatic stress disorder verses Schizophrenia

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POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER VERSES SCHIZOPHRENIA 2

Post-traumatic stress disorder verses Schizophrenia

Symptoms

i. Similarities

The similarity in symptoms between these two disorders occurs in the level of cognitive test

performance in that there are no significant observable differences between them. Cognitive test

performance describes a kind of psychometric assessment tools with the intention of measuring

an individual’s level of general intelligence. In both conditions, cognitive test performance puts

into consideration the health behavior of the patient, depression and vascular risk factors.

Furthermore, other symptoms similar in both disorders include; the belief that external factors,

delusion instill thoughts, feel of personal connections to ordinary events, slowness in undertaking

activities such as response to questions or situations, thought disorder, amnesia, delusion,

amnesia, mental confusion and general disorientation (Peleikis et al., 2012) . At times, patients

the may exhibit false superiority to beliefs. It is imperative to note that symptoms of post-

traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia may take longer periods even up to a year before

being shown.

ii. Differences

Basing on the level of current depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder experience more

depression that those who have schizophrenia. Current depression refers to a mental disorder

whereby an individual exhibits low moods across all situations for a period of more than two

weeks (Peleikis et al., 2012). It is worthy to note that, current stress among patients sufferings

from post-traumatic stress disorder suffer more prolonged periods of current stress than those

suffering from schizophrenia. For instance, patients with PTSD exhibit longer periods of

internalized stigmatized, having an illness mentality and taking more extended periods to recover

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER VERSES SCHIZOPHRENIA 3

from subsequent minor downfalls. Patient’s sufferings for schizophrenia often exhibit higher

number of adverse secondary symptoms than those suffering from PTSD

Etiology

Etiology describes a study dwelling into the causes of diseases. This study is usually aimed at

providing explanation and control measures for the disease by giving a historical explanation of

the disease.

i. Similarities

According to etiology, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia are caused by a

composite interaction between environmental and genetic factors. PTSD is triggered by

terrifying event the patient experienced and keep the memories keep on recurring in form of

flashbacks, severe anxiety, nightmares and uncontrolled thoughts. On the other hand,

Schizophrenia is caused by problems in the neurotransmitters such as glutamate and dopamine

which are part of the brain chemicals. It is imperative to note that, the risk factors involved in

this conditions include; history of the family members having the disease and occurrence of

inflammation diseases (McCarthy-Jones and Longden, 2015). Apart from the genetic relationship

as a primary cause, exposure to traumatizing situation increases the vulnerability of an individual

to the conditions. The kinds of trauma most likely faced by patients who have PTSD included;

accidents, childhood physical abuse, physical assault and combat exposure.

Another distinctive cause of these conditions lies on the way the body regulates hormones and

chemicals when responding to stress. Excessive release of the chemicals and hormones is

characterized by the patient responding negatively when they encounter situations that remind

them of the trauma they went through (McCarthy-Jones and Longden, 2015). For instance, when

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER VERSES SCHIZOPHRENIA 4

watching television and they see an accident scene, they are likely to respond negatively to it as

it reminds them of what they went through.

ii. Differences

Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by a traumatizing event which an individual went

through whereas schizophrenia is caused by a combination of; chemistry of the brain, genetics,

and environmental factors. Furthermore, schizophrenia is common among people who are

suffering from secondary conditions such as high levels of immune system activation, a

condition normally caused by inflammation diseases (McCarthy-Jones and Longden, 2015).

Schizophrenia is also associated with interpersonal social disorders such as aggression towards

people around, social isolation and victimization especially for learners in school. PTSD, on the

other hand, exhibits more intrapersonal social disorders such as; eating disorders, drug abuse,

depression, and anxiety.

Treatment

i. Similarities

It is common that the treatment of the post-traumatic stress diseases and schizophrenia is usually

done together. One of the similarities in the treatment of the PSTD and schizophrenia is that the

two diseases are often treated with the cognitive behavioral therapy. This therapy refers to a

psychotherapeutic process that assists the patients to adjust their feelings, feelings as well as their

behaviors. Cognitive behavioral therapy enables people to identify patterns of behaviors as well

as thoughts that are usually disturbing and eventually avoid them. The next similarity is that it is

common for the two diseases to reoccur after the treatment (Australian, 2017). After the patients

receive the treatment, they may get exposed to conditions which trigger the reoccurrence of the

diseases. For instance, it is easier for patients who are addicted to drugs to suffer from the post-

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER VERSES SCHIZOPHRENIA 5

traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia shortly after the treatment if they continue abusing

the drugs.

ii. Differences

Despite the similarities in the treatment of the schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder,

there are a few differences in the treatment of the two diseases. The first difference is that the

treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder focuses on the gradual exposure of the patient to the

conditions that caused the trauma. This exposure assists the patients to slowly get used to the

experiences that were caused by the trauma and eventually stabilize their thoughts thus reducing

the negative mental impact caused by the PSTD. In contrast, the treatment of the schizophrenia

focuses on complete avoidance of the thoughts and emotions that cause schizophrenia. Avoiding

such destructive thoughts and emotions is core to the treatment of schizophrenia unlike in the

treatment of the PSTD where the patients are gradually exposed to the feelings that caused the

condition. Another difference is that the treatment of schizophrenia is usually focused on the

long-term treatment measures (Australian, 2017). On the other hand, the treatment of the PSTD

focuses on handling the current problems and thus adopts short-term treatment measures.

Stigma

Stigma refers to a form of discrimination or hate directed towards people with disorders such as

PTSD and schizophrenia. People suffering from these conditions are not only faced with the

disease problem they have but also discrimination and hate people around them. It is imperative

to note that, stigma is the most significant threat to efforts aimed at curing the disorders as it

makes them feel alienated from the rest and which demoralizes them for continuing with the

treatments (Mittal et al, 2013). In such as case, patients suffering from mental disorders need to

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER VERSES SCHIZOPHRENIA 6

be provided with a serene environment that will ensure that they are not exposed to people who

would stigmatize them.

i. Similarities

Stigma in both PTSD and schizophrenia worsens the conditions where for instance, in a case of

PTSD, stigmatization may increase the occurrence of the symptoms which may cause disruptions

to the treatment process. In both cases, the patient may suffer from challenges such as

experiencing positive emotions. Furthermore, the patients may start experiencing negative

thoughts about themselves which is a predisposing factor to suicidal thoughts. At this point, it is

vital that the patient is placed in an environment where they shall receive support specifically in

the company of their parents, friends of a therapy hospital where they are taken care of by

professional therapists.

ii. Differences

The level of vulnerability to stigmatization varies between post-traumatic stress disorder and

schizophrenia. Patients who have schizophrenia are more vulnerable to stigma, and they are less

likely to recover from stigmatization when compared to those suffering from PTSD.

Furthermore, those with PTSD can be more adaptive when exposed to stigmatized conditions

whereby they have a higher likelihood of adjusting than those with schizophrenia.

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER VERSES SCHIZOPHRENIA 7

References

Australian, R. (2017). Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical

practice guidelines for the treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders. Australian &

New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.

McCarthy-Jones, S., & Longden, E. (2015). Auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia and

post-traumatic stress disorder: common phenomenology, common cause, common

interventions?. Frontiers in psychology, 6.

Mittal, D., Drummond, K. L., Blevins, D., Curran, G., Corrigan, P., & Sullivan, G. (2013).

Stigma associated with PTSD: Perceptions of treatment seeking combat

veterans. Psychiatric rehabilitation journal, 36(2), 86.

Peleikis, D., Varga, M., Sundet, K., Lorentzen, S., Agartz, I., & Andreassen, O. (2012).

Schizophrenia patients with and without Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have

different mood symptom levels but same cognitive functioning. Acta Psychiatrica

Scandinavica, 127(6), 455-463. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acps.12041

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