"Doctor" Parcival's Schizophrenia Symptoms

            Schizophrenia is a brain disorder which can alter a person thinks, acts, and feels. It’s uncommon, affecting approximately 1% of Americans. Symptoms of schizophrenia can begin at any age, but is most likely to begin affecting someone in their 20s. It is believed strong life stresses may be one of the reasons symptoms begin to show. Symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions, cognitive issues, etc. Symptoms also can overlap with other disorders, making it difficult to diagnose. Researchers currently don’t know what causes the illness, but believe genetic and environmental factors contribute. There is currently no cure for schizophrenia, but there is research being done to improve treatments. With current treatments, many who are affected by symptoms of schizophrenia are able to live in group homes, or on their own.

            “Doctor” Parcival through his life experiences and tales seems to possibly have symptoms of schizophrenia. He reveals to George, “My father had been insane for a number of years. He was in an asylum…” (Anderson 42). This reveals his family may have a genetic disposition to mental illnesses, and genetics is one of the main contributing causes for the illness. Parcival also seems to show several bouts of hallucinations and disillusion in what he tells George. He describes murders he seems to believe he’s been a part of, yet has no strong connection to them. Near the end, he has great fear the town will hang him for not responding to the girl’s death in the town, even though all the other doctors did. It is likely these delusions Doctor Parcival are not socially constructed, or a product of society, making this what would be classified as a mental illness, rather than mental unwellness we discussed in lecture. What he is speaking of is not just his “own truth” but rather a completely fictional story his mind has fabricated. The causes of this were likely not produced by society, unlike other problems like anxiety or depression might.