SchizophreniaMore than 2 Million

Americans suffer from it at any given time

and 100,000 – 200,000 are newly diagnosed

each year.http://www.emedicinehealth.com/

schizophrenia/article_em.htm

Despite the connotation of the word positive, positive symptoms of schizophrenia include,• Thought disorganization• Delusions• Hallucinations• Paranoiahttp://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/550755_13

All of which can cause the sufferer to feel, or appear to others, as though he or she were lost (even in an otherwise familiar setting). Social interactions can become overwhelming. Positive symptoms can cause schizophrenics to withdraw from society and isolate themselves.

Positive Symptoms

• Ambivalence

Having simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings about an object or person

• AnhedoniaThe inability to experience pleasure in acts which would normally

produce pleasure.

• Affective FlatteningExpressions which appear, inappropriately, to be devoid of

emotion.

• Impoverished speech Communication seems incoherent, sentences jump from one

subject to another, or words or complete thoughts seem to be missing from sentences. http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/550755_13Definitions taken from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp

Negative symptoms can cause the sufferer to appear as though he or she is lacking important information during a given situation.

Negative Symptoms

• Anxiety• Agitation• Suicidality • Distractibility• Catatonic or trancelike states• Abstract thinking impairment (does not seem to

grasp generalizations and common concepts)http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/550755_13

Mood and Neurocognitive symptoms can have a great impact on the sufferer’s ability to form and maintain relationships.

Mood & Neurocognitivesymptoms

ProblemsEveryone has them

Have you ever been

Lost?

Perhaps you’ve made a wrong turn, gotten turned around in an unfamiliar part of town, or

have gotten off the highway too soon or too late. In any case, most of us hate that lost feeling.

http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

Have you ever felt as though you

were

Missing key information?Maybe a friend has asked you what the

population of Lexington Tennessee is, or to name the capital of each State. Quick wit and

intelligence are highly coveted traits.

http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

Have you ever experienced

Relationship Troubles?Ah the all too familiar, “You forgot

our anniversary!” or “You don’t spend enough time with me!” How about,

“We have nothing in common!”

http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

And

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

THERE’S AN APP

FOR THAT!

Thanks to advances in technology, individuals can solve virtually

any problem!

With Google maps, you can plan a trip and your routes before you leave

home.

Smartphone owners need not worry

about getting lost on the go

There’s even an app in the event

of a missing smart phone! http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

Search engines like Google and Bing afford laptop and PC owners the ability to access more information than most

individuals could fathom.

Thanks to apps, such as Pulse, the mobile BBC app, and a new

dictionary.com app, information is accessible from virtually any location.

Heck, certain advances in technology allow

Smartphone users to enlist the help of personal

assistant-like AI to help them find information

http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

IF YOU ARE AMONG THE BILLIONS OF INDIVIDUALS, EITHER CURRENTLY OR BY PAST EXPERIENCE, INVOLVED IN A A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP, CHANCES ARE, AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER YOU

EXPERIENCED RELATIONSHIP TROUBLES.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES CAN HELP SOLVE THOSE TOO. APPS LIKE LOVE

MAPS, KAHNOODLE, , FIX A FIGHT, AND AVOCADO WERE DESIGNED TO

PROMOTE THE SUCCESS OF RELATIONSHIPS.

http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

What if…

There were an app for

schizophrenia?

Individuals experiencing normal daily issues utilize social media apps, thought to be helpful in locating a destination, getting proper information, and apps reported to help with relationship problems. Though

schizophrenia can be more disorienting than being lost, can greatly confuse the sufferer with boat loads of inappropriate information

about a situation, and can cause severe family and friendship stresses, the same technological advances used to provide

citizens with help during times of need are providing new options in the treatment of

schizophrenia.

Virtual RealityThis technology is currently being

used by psychiatrists, during a patient’s psychotic episode. The

treatment is designed to relieve the patient of the notion that the

auditory and visual hallucinations he or she might experience, during a schizophrenic episode, are real.

Family members and doctors are also using the virtual reality programs to gain a better

understanding of what the patient might be experiencing.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2459-vr-hallucinations-used-to-

treat-schizophrenia.html

Second Life

A second chance to make sense of or cope with a scattered reality

James Cook, MD MS (also known as Nash Baldwin on Second Life), is the creator of the Virtual Hallucinations Project, a space within the Second Life virtual reality venue, which allow an individual to experience a setting or environment with the virtual eyes and ears (examples of possible auditory and visual hallucinations) of a schizophrenic. The Second Life building was designed by Doctor Cook based on the descriptions he was given by two separate patients with schizophrenia. The project is intended to heighten awareness pertaining to the disease. According to Peter M. Yellowlees, M.B.B.S., M.D. and James N. Cook, M.D., M.S., “A common cause of frustration and alienation for sufferers of schizophrenia is that their therapists, family members, and caregivers cannot really understand their experiences.”

http://ap.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=50418

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Ceasing the Virtual Opportunity

As an individual who suffers from schizophrenia, I can appreciate the benefits of virtual reality therapy.One of the main causes of feeling the need to isolate myself is how overwhelming public situations can be. Loud restaurants and super markets intensify my auditory hallucinations.

While trying Second Life for the first time, I was able to enjoy virtual shopping, with little to no noise to distract and dissuade me for the first time in many years.Virtual reality settings allow the user to abort an uncomfortable or unpleasant experience immediately. Theses technological advances, available to the public through media and the internet afford the opportunity to explore therapy beyond a medical office setting.