Observations during the Life of One Person Suffering with Schizophrenia and How to Deal with it-Juniper Publishers
Global Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (GJIDD)
Well it may seem farcical to say that one should
relate to schizophrenia in such and such nameless way and behave in a
particular fashion when one has a relapse. Nothing would be further from
their minds than the severity of the symptoms and the instinctive
reactions to them. This article is more for patient as well as the
caregivers. However, if the subject were struck with the dreaded disease
he would need to realize a few things about its effects,
counter-effects, and challenges.
Firstly, I would touch upon the signs and symptoms
leading up to schizophrenia. Every psychiatrist, many health care
professionals, counsellors, and psychologists would give a boilerplate
definition of schizophrenia and how it is led up to a pathologic form.
Then they would give a set pattern of theories about how devastating it
is and the various subtypes and its corresponding behaviour But I have
first-hand information since I've had schizophrenia (severe) at as early
an age as 14, and can relate to this problem much more easily than the
professionals.
There are many factors which govern its onset.
Firstly, if one is to understand why schizophrenia occurs then the most
important thing one has to understand is that there is always a very
significant period of depression preceding it. Depression occurs due to a
series of trivial reasons (which seem significant to the person), as
well as failures. Most of my frustrations occurred in school when was
not conditioned to tackle the ignominy of a very competitive performance
culture and syllabus, plus an ego not in consonance with my performance
leading to a severe personality disorder. This was further compounded
by high standards set by the institution and constant bullying.
What I'm trying to say is that school could be a
central element in altering a student's personality. Which is why it is
imperative for the caregiver to note signs in school days like
depression, lethargy, lack of interest in studies or falling grades,
lack of companionship, excessive brooding, greater penchant for sexual
acts, and falling prey to substance abuse.
Again, when these above factors are considered the
caregiver when he is alerted of any of these symptoms, he/she should
immediately take cognisance of his ward and go to a psychologist first
instead of a psychiatrist. A psychologist will be the best one to
understand the subject and delineate any cognitive behaviour treatment
requirements with abnormal behaviour which indicates pathology. The
reason behind this is it that the psychiatrist sometimes might be myopic
in his approach and might unnecessarily administer sizeable medications
which would be disastrous in the long run.
In case of abnormal behaviour the psychologist would
immediately recommend a psychiatrist. Then one should be given both a
Mental Health Assessment test plus an aptitude test. If the patient
scores low in both these forms of examinations then and only then should
a patient be classified as mentally ill and can he given medications.
However, the role of the caregiver does not end here.
One of the most important education and impacts the primary caregiver
has to do is:
- Not to cause any further stress to the ward who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
- To immediately withdraw him from school or college which could be causing him schizophrenia symptoms.
- Not to expect him to perform at any level, and most of all to tell him that nothing is expected of him.
- Give a brief background of his illness explaining to him that it is mainly because his brain is not functional.
- Inform him in as compassionate a manner that they or his relatives will look after him forever
- This underdog feeling in him will make his stress level much less and might actually make him perform to some degree of his satisfaction, because one of the most important causes of breakdowns and relapses are when the patient is comparing himself with his peers, and the expectancy his parents have of him.
There should be a treatment program for psychotic
children's parents in which they help the child to develop further. They
should be guided to react to the child's developmental disorder rather
than cause it. Parents should be given demonstrations to focus on
corrective approaches, competence motivation, cognitive and perceptual
functions.
A very significant part of treatment is finding a
suitable rehabilitation home and continual follow-up with his treating
physician. Most of the mental illnesses are due to giving too much
significance to performance of the patient and one's own imagined
comparisons with his peers. The resultant effect of these conditions
leads to heightened stress levels as well as which he is not able to
cope with plus a retardation in psychological wellbeing. Wiser it would
be that once the client is in a rehab home to tell him that he should
not show his potential or excellence in any event lest it lead to
excruciating circumstances where he has to perform at each and every
stage.
I am not saying that one should limit the scope of
progress of an entity. This is furthest from the case. The main reason I
have suggested, which is the cause of schizophrenia, is that during the
process of growing up the individual has received many inputs and most
of them he has absorbed in his childhood. What most caregivers don't
realize is that they keep ushering the schizophrenia patient 'to do
better', 'you're capable of it', 'you're very intelligent', 'a student
who doesn't study becomes a cobbler', and all these types of unrealistic
and idealistic fear inducing and complex creating ideations in a
person. One must keep away from these false complex-enhancing
statements, because they are all false and will create a negative impact
on the patient. These are the stress triggers for students which lead
to schizophrenia. This is because the caregiver is really gauging the
patient from the artificially heightened struggle and makeshift
achievement he has completed to keep him in sync with his family and
peers expectancy, leading to an overestimated response to his abilities.
However much you stress on a probable patient to go out and achieve for
one who is dropping down the ladder of success, the more demoralized he
will become. The best option would be to find out his real threshold
verbatim and then let him grow on his own from scratch. But inform him
without mincing words, that that they or this world expects nothing of
him nor should he expect anything of himself. Since at that time he will
have the luxury of staying in a rehabilitation home plus company of
fellow patients and medicine monitoring, as well as psychiatrists,
psychologists, and counselling professionals. Under this status quo it
would be easier for the patient to find himself and get better
One can never undervalue the importance of taking the
medicine as prescribed by your physician. There is a strong bond
between the suitability of the medication and the curable effect it has
upon you. The medicine which the doctor prescribes is the underlying
force behind getting better and remaining unstable and violent for the
rest of your life. The medicine acts directly upon the patient's
neurotransmitters in the brain and balance out the excess dopamine which
is causing the mental illness. Sometimes it may take years to get the
right admix of pharmacology, but it is worth it, because even in the
event of the patient taking a slightly incompatible dose in the
beginning the symptoms of the illness are greatly reduced.
Now I am 60 years old. I have lived almost all my
life with this illness. However, I have been very fortunate to have got
the perfect blend of a great rehab home with an assembly of very
dedicated counsellors as well as an incredible doctor who has virtually
cured me (even if we don't use the word 'cure' for schizophrenia). I am
in remission for the last 7 years and for someone who was on the scale
of 1 to 10 in critically ill during his formative year, I would choose
10. I can only hope for an equally generous state of affairs for all my
fellow sufferers who have gone through this traumatic illness
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