Schizophrenia not a joking matterAfter reading “Ghosts — brain’s illusions” I felt it only necessary to respond with my (limited) knowledge to the author’s questions.A person who supposedly communicates with ghosts is in no way related to a person that has schizophrenia, aside from the obvious fact that they are both human. Schizophrenia is a very serious disorder of the brain that affects around 1 percent of the American population. Unfortunately the cause has not been clearly defined and we are only able to treat the symptoms. This may seem like a small portion of the population, but it is not one to be overlooked nor is it one to be poked fun at. In fact, schizophrenia’s onset is generally thought to occur in your 20s-30s, so it is actually a relevant issue for you and your reading audience to be informed on. Also, I completely agree, the brain is an extremely powerful thing, but I do not agree with your light-hearted suggestion of asking a person with schizophrenia about this, but perhaps rather a professor from the psychology department or biology department.I understand the purpose of this column is not educational and is merely sarcastic — “Odds and Ends” — but I strongly believe there is no time or place to sarcastically mention serious mental disorders in hopes of gaining another chuckle. I am sure that there are many people who would love to write for the Reveille and that it is fairly competitive to get a column.Obviously then, they have chosen you because you have met their standards, therefore I am sure that you have the capability of coming up with something a little more clever and thought out than poking fun at a severely ill population.Caroline Foleypsychology senior—-Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at [email protected]