Princeton Thesis About Schizophrenia
Nicole Spearman
Professor Garcia
WRI 100
13 August 2023
Why Would You Kill Yourself When You Have Everything You Ever Wanted?
You are so beautiful, why do you want to hurt yourself? These are questions that I get asked quite often. As someone who lives with 6 diagnosed mental disabilities and 1 undiagnosed mental disability, as you can imagine... Life can get very tough. The disability that presents itself the most in my life is my schizophrenia. The sleepless nights, the constant, uncontrollable screaming in my head, and the suicidal ideation is more than I can bare at times, BUT I’m still here. The precise research question that my thesis responds to is why are schizophrenics 170 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population? I have been researching schizophrenia since I first heard of it. I thought it was interesting as I met many people affected by the schizophrenic spectrum as I’ve volunteered at many homeless shelters. Schizophrenia can be hard to live and function with as you can become entirely detached from reality. You can’t work a job, raise a family, or even drive a car when one of your episodes is presenting itself. I have been hearing voices since I had my first rape kit at 5 years old due to my dad molesting me. Since then, I had my first break last year that ended in a week-long psych ward stay at Jersey City Medical Center. I empathize completely with anyone who suffers from a mental illness. I know, first hand, that it is not easy to live with or receive the proper help you deserve. Scholars should care about the answer to my research question because 5-13% of schizophrenic patients die of suicide (Ann Gen Psychiatry 2007). Early recognition of schizophrenia can help in implementing preventative measures, but that recognition is still lacking in everyday medical practices. Due to this lack, I have to unfortunately bring to your attention the extremely high suicide risk of schizophrenic patients. I believe my thesis will be in conversation with others who have the same concern as me: The tragically high suicide rate in schizophrenic patients. This topic is filled with ideologies, statistics, and research on prevention methods, but, in all honesty, it seems like nothing has worked thus far. There is a present argument on the percentage of schizophrenics that do commit suicide. The numbers are between 5-13% with studies ranging from being on the lower end, and some studies ending on a higher percentage of suicide in schizophrenics. There are ongoing arguments on the exact percentage on the statistic of suicide within schizophrenic patients. Scholars should care about this sensitive matter because 1% of the US population is affected by schizophrenia (Treatment Advocacy Center 2022) and 40% of schizophrenics go untreated in any given year (Treatment Advocacy Center 2022). Although, this information may seem heartbreaking, the Treatment Advocacy Center states, “according to the National Advisory Mental Health Council, the treatment success rate for schizophrenia is comparable to the treatment success rate for heart disease.” (Treatment Advocacy Center 2022).
Let’s think about what we already know about schizophrenia. We know that it is a mental illness that causes delusions and alterations of the senses, but the stigma surrounding the disease gives it such a bad rep. Not every schizophrenic is a serial killer or murders their whole family, that’s not true. It’s also not true that every schizophrenic is violent and out of control. The media plays a big part in portraying schizophrenics as such, but that’s not entirely true either. It is true that violent behavior is more common among schizophrenics and those that suffer from mental illnesses, but those cases are very few and only make up a small percentage of violence in society (Walton 2022). It’s interesting to know that sufferers of mental illness are more susceptible to be victims of violence, more so than suspects. My thesis would contribute to the knowledge of the statistical rate that schizophrenics practice self-harm. Although, I don’t believe that many people are aware of the statistical reports of self-harm in schizophrenics. Many people focus on the violence and crimes that schizophrenics carry out. I think my research will change the minds and hearts of many people. Until you’ve been diagnosed or have a loved one diagnosed, you really don’t know what schizophrenia is. Due to the judgement that media/society puts on psychotic disorders, you may not feel comfortable knowing that your classmate or coworker suffers from a concurring mental illness. As someone who grew up with an HIV-positive mother while maintaining a negative status, I was not able to tell anyone about my mother’s health status. The judgement would’ve been too hard for me to bear as a child, a student, and an active member of my community. Along with this, I believe that my thesis will help with integrating mental illness into society successfully without judgement. Anyone suffering from mental illness should be able to comfortably go to school/work/home, without someone calling them crazy, insane, or deranged.
There are many methods/approaches that I’d like to take on my thesis. I’d definitely like to visit different psych wards in NJ and take into account all of the patients that are diagnosed with schizophrenia. I’d like to question them on their suicidal behaviors/ideations and any family history of suicide or mental illness. Along with this, I’d like to also try to account for all of the undiagnosed schizophrenics in New Jersey. Statistically speaking, it can be proven that 1% of the population suffers from schizophrenia (Treatment Advocacy Center 2022), but I personally believe that there are more sufferers that haven’t been diagnosed. It can be quite difficult to diagnose schizophrenia as some of the symptoms mirror psychosis and there’s a period of 6-12 months that a health care provider must monitor you before giving you an official diagnosis. I’d like to believe that the 6-12 month period allows many to go undiagnosed because schizophrenia presents itself in different ways. For me, I was diagnosed as being on the spectrum and then the diagnosis was retracted due to my schizophrenia receiving treatment well. After having the diagnosis retracted, I had another psychotic break that Bayonne Medical Center gave me my official diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, severe PTSD, depression, anxiety, and PMDD. It took about a year and a half and me not taking my meds to receive the proper diagnosis and help that I should have received in the first place. Now it makes me wonder about many others that are/were in my position. What I also believe isn’t being considered are the people that have committed suicide and went undiagnosed of a mental disorder. It would be hard to diagnose someone with a mental illness after passing, but depending on if there was a note left and their previous behaviors, we can point to something. This would take much resources and we’d have to thoroughly study, in depth, many suicides, past family history of suicide in the sufferer’s family, and any triggers that they may have possessed during their lifetime. I would analyze the behaviors of schizophrenics in the psych ward, question as many as I can in the state of NJ, and study suicides that went under the radar and left the world wondering, “Why?”. One suicide that I believe the world was shocked by was Marilyn Monroe. “She was beautiful, why would she hurt herself?” is a question that still shakes the world as we remember the marvelous woman Monroe was. To put things into perspective, Monroe was on the schizophrenic spectrum and even spent time in a psych ward. If medical professionals spent more time with her and studied her and her triggers, I believe a life could’ve been saved. They say that therapists are there to help, but as soon as you say you can’t go on anymore, they call the ambulance and you’re picked up. Nobody asks you, “Why?” I’d like the world to reach a point of asking ‘Why’ someone wants to kill themselves, not condemn them and lock them away in a psych ward.
I believe there are many limits/constraints in play for my proposal. I think I would struggle mostly with schizophrenic patients being honest with me about their suicidal ideation/behaviors. Everyone knows what happens when you tell the truth and mention the word ‘suicide’... They lock you away and take away your rights. So, getting my patients to be honest with me about what’s going on in their mind and hearts will be quite difficult. Also considering that I’m a stranger and this is a sensitive subject, I may receive some push back for that. In all honesty, there’s nothing I’d like to wait for when it comes to the research of my thesis. I’d like to get this research done immediately as suicide is the leading cause of death in America. If I could save another life and advocate for others, I’d be honored. I advocated for myself for a whole year and finally got my official diagnoses and the proper meds to live a life of sustainability. If every schizophrenic could have that advocacy, I truly believe that we’d have less suicides and self-harm incidents in the mental health community. I also expect that hospitals may be skeptical and not supportive of my research proposal and may not allow me in the hospitals to complete my studies. Like previously stated, it will be quite difficult for many to be honest with me about their suicidal behaviors and ideations for fear of going to the psych ward and being locked away. Which, honestly, is a fear of mine that I consider every day. Can you imagine living like that every day?
Works Cited
Administrator. “Schizophrenia – Fact Sheet.” Treatment Advocacy Center, www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/25-schizophrenia-fact-sheet#:~:text=Schizophrenia%20is%20a%20chronic%20and%20severe%20neurological%20brain%20disorder%20estimated,States%20aged%2018%20or%20older. Accessed 13 Aug. 2023.
Pompili, Maurizio, et al. “Suicide Risk in Schizophrenia: Learning from the Past to Change the Future.” Annals of General Psychiatry, 16 Mar. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1845151/.
“The Stigma Surrounding Schizophrenia.” WebMD, www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-stigma. Accessed 13 Aug. 2023.
Professor Garcia
WRI 100
13 August 2023
Why Would You Kill Yourself When You Have Everything You Ever Wanted?
You are so beautiful, why do you want to hurt yourself? These are questions that I get asked quite often. As someone who lives with 6 diagnosed mental disabilities and 1 undiagnosed mental disability, as you can imagine... Life can get very tough. The disability that presents itself the most in my life is my schizophrenia. The sleepless nights, the constant, uncontrollable screaming in my head, and the suicidal ideation is more than I can bare at times, BUT I’m still here. The precise research question that my thesis responds to is why are schizophrenics 170 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population? I have been researching schizophrenia since I first heard of it. I thought it was interesting as I met many people affected by the schizophrenic spectrum as I’ve volunteered at many homeless shelters. Schizophrenia can be hard to live and function with as you can become entirely detached from reality. You can’t work a job, raise a family, or even drive a car when one of your episodes is presenting itself. I have been hearing voices since I had my first rape kit at 5 years old due to my dad molesting me. Since then, I had my first break last year that ended in a week-long psych ward stay at Jersey City Medical Center. I empathize completely with anyone who suffers from a mental illness. I know, first hand, that it is not easy to live with or receive the proper help you deserve. Scholars should care about the answer to my research question because 5-13% of schizophrenic patients die of suicide (Ann Gen Psychiatry 2007). Early recognition of schizophrenia can help in implementing preventative measures, but that recognition is still lacking in everyday medical practices. Due to this lack, I have to unfortunately bring to your attention the extremely high suicide risk of schizophrenic patients. I believe my thesis will be in conversation with others who have the same concern as me: The tragically high suicide rate in schizophrenic patients. This topic is filled with ideologies, statistics, and research on prevention methods, but, in all honesty, it seems like nothing has worked thus far. There is a present argument on the percentage of schizophrenics that do commit suicide. The numbers are between 5-13% with studies ranging from being on the lower end, and some studies ending on a higher percentage of suicide in schizophrenics. There are ongoing arguments on the exact percentage on the statistic of suicide within schizophrenic patients. Scholars should care about this sensitive matter because 1% of the US population is affected by schizophrenia (Treatment Advocacy Center 2022) and 40% of schizophrenics go untreated in any given year (Treatment Advocacy Center 2022). Although, this information may seem heartbreaking, the Treatment Advocacy Center states, “according to the National Advisory Mental Health Council, the treatment success rate for schizophrenia is comparable to the treatment success rate for heart disease.” (Treatment Advocacy Center 2022).
Let’s think about what we already know about schizophrenia. We know that it is a mental illness that causes delusions and alterations of the senses, but the stigma surrounding the disease gives it such a bad rep. Not every schizophrenic is a serial killer or murders their whole family, that’s not true. It’s also not true that every schizophrenic is violent and out of control. The media plays a big part in portraying schizophrenics as such, but that’s not entirely true either. It is true that violent behavior is more common among schizophrenics and those that suffer from mental illnesses, but those cases are very few and only make up a small percentage of violence in society (Walton 2022). It’s interesting to know that sufferers of mental illness are more susceptible to be victims of violence, more so than suspects. My thesis would contribute to the knowledge of the statistical rate that schizophrenics practice self-harm. Although, I don’t believe that many people are aware of the statistical reports of self-harm in schizophrenics. Many people focus on the violence and crimes that schizophrenics carry out. I think my research will change the minds and hearts of many people. Until you’ve been diagnosed or have a loved one diagnosed, you really don’t know what schizophrenia is. Due to the judgement that media/society puts on psychotic disorders, you may not feel comfortable knowing that your classmate or coworker suffers from a concurring mental illness. As someone who grew up with an HIV-positive mother while maintaining a negative status, I was not able to tell anyone about my mother’s health status. The judgement would’ve been too hard for me to bear as a child, a student, and an active member of my community. Along with this, I believe that my thesis will help with integrating mental illness into society successfully without judgement. Anyone suffering from mental illness should be able to comfortably go to school/work/home, without someone calling them crazy, insane, or deranged.
There are many methods/approaches that I’d like to take on my thesis. I’d definitely like to visit different psych wards in NJ and take into account all of the patients that are diagnosed with schizophrenia. I’d like to question them on their suicidal behaviors/ideations and any family history of suicide or mental illness. Along with this, I’d like to also try to account for all of the undiagnosed schizophrenics in New Jersey. Statistically speaking, it can be proven that 1% of the population suffers from schizophrenia (Treatment Advocacy Center 2022), but I personally believe that there are more sufferers that haven’t been diagnosed. It can be quite difficult to diagnose schizophrenia as some of the symptoms mirror psychosis and there’s a period of 6-12 months that a health care provider must monitor you before giving you an official diagnosis. I’d like to believe that the 6-12 month period allows many to go undiagnosed because schizophrenia presents itself in different ways. For me, I was diagnosed as being on the spectrum and then the diagnosis was retracted due to my schizophrenia receiving treatment well. After having the diagnosis retracted, I had another psychotic break that Bayonne Medical Center gave me my official diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, severe PTSD, depression, anxiety, and PMDD. It took about a year and a half and me not taking my meds to receive the proper diagnosis and help that I should have received in the first place. Now it makes me wonder about many others that are/were in my position. What I also believe isn’t being considered are the people that have committed suicide and went undiagnosed of a mental disorder. It would be hard to diagnose someone with a mental illness after passing, but depending on if there was a note left and their previous behaviors, we can point to something. This would take much resources and we’d have to thoroughly study, in depth, many suicides, past family history of suicide in the sufferer’s family, and any triggers that they may have possessed during their lifetime. I would analyze the behaviors of schizophrenics in the psych ward, question as many as I can in the state of NJ, and study suicides that went under the radar and left the world wondering, “Why?”. One suicide that I believe the world was shocked by was Marilyn Monroe. “She was beautiful, why would she hurt herself?” is a question that still shakes the world as we remember the marvelous woman Monroe was. To put things into perspective, Monroe was on the schizophrenic spectrum and even spent time in a psych ward. If medical professionals spent more time with her and studied her and her triggers, I believe a life could’ve been saved. They say that therapists are there to help, but as soon as you say you can’t go on anymore, they call the ambulance and you’re picked up. Nobody asks you, “Why?” I’d like the world to reach a point of asking ‘Why’ someone wants to kill themselves, not condemn them and lock them away in a psych ward.
I believe there are many limits/constraints in play for my proposal. I think I would struggle mostly with schizophrenic patients being honest with me about their suicidal ideation/behaviors. Everyone knows what happens when you tell the truth and mention the word ‘suicide’... They lock you away and take away your rights. So, getting my patients to be honest with me about what’s going on in their mind and hearts will be quite difficult. Also considering that I’m a stranger and this is a sensitive subject, I may receive some push back for that. In all honesty, there’s nothing I’d like to wait for when it comes to the research of my thesis. I’d like to get this research done immediately as suicide is the leading cause of death in America. If I could save another life and advocate for others, I’d be honored. I advocated for myself for a whole year and finally got my official diagnoses and the proper meds to live a life of sustainability. If every schizophrenic could have that advocacy, I truly believe that we’d have less suicides and self-harm incidents in the mental health community. I also expect that hospitals may be skeptical and not supportive of my research proposal and may not allow me in the hospitals to complete my studies. Like previously stated, it will be quite difficult for many to be honest with me about their suicidal behaviors and ideations for fear of going to the psych ward and being locked away. Which, honestly, is a fear of mine that I consider every day. Can you imagine living like that every day?
Works Cited
Administrator. “Schizophrenia – Fact Sheet.” Treatment Advocacy Center, www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/25-schizophrenia-fact-sheet#:~:text=Schizophrenia%20is%20a%20chronic%20and%20severe%20neurological%20brain%20disorder%20estimated,States%20aged%2018%20or%20older. Accessed 13 Aug. 2023.
Pompili, Maurizio, et al. “Suicide Risk in Schizophrenia: Learning from the Past to Change the Future.” Annals of General Psychiatry, 16 Mar. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1845151/.
“The Stigma Surrounding Schizophrenia.” WebMD, www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-stigma. Accessed 13 Aug. 2023.
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