Central Nervous System

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality and relates to others. Schizophrenia can leave its sufferer frightened and withdrawn. It is a life-long disease that cannot be cured, but usually can be controlled with proper treatment. Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not a split personality. Schizophrenia is a psychosis, a type of mental illness in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined. Schizophrenia affects about 1.1 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.

Seizures

Seizures are a sudden, violent involuntary contraction of a group of muscles that may be paroxysmal and episodical or transient and acute.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders include sleeping too much or a lack there of. Doctors recommend eight to ten hours of sleep a night; the average American only gets seven. Insomnia is defined as the inability to sleep and/or to be incapable of remaining asleep for any lengthy amount of time. A common complaint amongst insomniacs is the inability to “turn off their mind” for more than just a few minutes at a time. Narcolepsy is a neurological condition characterized by excessive daytime sleep and the disorder of rapid eye movement (REM). It is easily distinguishable, as patients feel overwhelmingly sleepy during the day, even after a full nights’ rest and often tend to fall asleep without warning at inappropriate times and places.