Upon completing my abnormal psychology course I found the subject of schizophrenia an to be very interesting. I researched articles that allowed me to reflect across all the courses that I had been a part of during this semester. One of the most interesting factors that I read about was that ,it has been found that a decrease of sensory overload could cause a decrease in cognitive fragmentation, which is a commonly observed symptoms of schizophrenia (Sarnyai, 2015; 132). Previous research suggests that patients who suffer from schizophrenia also depict deficits in attention based situations (Sarnyai, 2015; 132). The research showed that when an individual with the disorder attempts to complete tasks there is an increased level of brain activity that deters the individual from focusing on one task at a time (Sarnyai, 2015; 132). The information gained from this study also theorized that the increased brain activity in a patient with schizophrenia also impairs the ability of long term memory processing (Sarnyai, 2015; 132). I never truly took the time before to realize that schizophrenia plays a key role on the ability form long lasting memories, which made me feel as if I had been ignorant to the subject before. After determining that my ignorance on the subject was not acceptable at all I set upon accoplishing a goal of forming a greater understanding of how schizophrenia can play a integral role in memory formation. When I attempted to compile a search of key words to learn more about schizophrenia, I came across many articles that stated the same conclusion that there needs to be more research on the subject of whether individuals who form a late onset of schizophrenia as to whether the condition is based solely on genetic attributions or if the disorder is also formed due to environmental pressures.  Overall throughout the semester I have strived to learn more about how the mind works, and have become facinated in the minds processes of forming memories. I know that memory formation is determined by repetative tasks, or the use of imagery, but I now want to strive for a greater understanding of how more psychological disorders are effected by the loss of long term memory formation. In a world where individuals value memories and events, I find it saddening that no matter our age, race, gender, and belief system we are still plagued with illnesses that deteriorate the mind and can potentially leave us as an “empty shell” of the person we once were. Overall I find that there is great importance in individuals to research and find cures in disesease that effect the mind just as much as all the other organs that lie within our bodies.

Sarnyai, Z., Jashar, C., & Olivier, B. (2015). Modeling combined schizophrenia-related behavioral and metabolic phenotypes in rodents. Behavioural Brain Research, 276, 130-142. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1560646137?accountid=13158