Ever heard of the disorder ‘Schizophrenia’? If yes, what did you think it is about? Perhaps you thought about ‘hearing voices’ and ‘seeing things’. If so, you are not wrong, but there is much more to schizophrenia than these.
Schizophrenia is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, n.d.) as a “chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves”.
Schizophrenia is a less common disorder with approximately 3 to 7 in 1000 people are affected by this condition (Hickman, 2019).
Symptoms of schizophrenia include positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive symptoms for some. Due to these symptoms, it is hard for people with schizophrenia to lead normal lives.
Positive symptoms are symptoms that are absent in healthy individuals but present in people with schizophrenia (Hickman, 2019). They include (Hickman, 2019):
Hallucinations (seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling something that is not really there)
Delusions (false beliefs)
Disorganised thinking and speech
Negative symptoms are symptoms that are present in healthy individuals but absent in people with schizophrenia (Hickman, 2019). They include (NIMH, n.d.):
Less expression of emotions (from facial expressions/tone of voice)
Feeling less pleasure in daily life
Having trouble starting and continuing activities
Speaking less
Cognitive symptoms are less severe in some patients than others. They include (NIMH, n.d.):
Having poor ‘executive functioning’ (ability to make sense of information and using it to make decisions)
Having difficulty paying attention or focusing on something
Having trouble with ‘working memory’ (ability to make use of information as soon as it is learnt)
Here is a video by the Institute of Mental Health Singapore that may give you a better idea of what having schizophrenia is like.
Schizophrenia is not a treatable condition, but it can be managed. Antipsychotic medications, Psychosocial Treatments and Coordinated specialty care (CSC) are some common treatments to help people with schizophrenia better cope with the disorder (NIMH, n.d.).
Here are some self-care tips for people with schizophrenia that can help improve their lives (Orenstein, 2010).
1. Stop smoking
2. Keep a healthy weight
3. Lead an active lifestyle
4. Have sufficient sleep
Now that you have a better understanding of what schizophrenia is really about, I hope that you will no longer have any misconceptions about people with schizophrenia. More importantly, they are not 'crazy', which is the perception that many people have. Have you ever met someone who might have schizophrenia?
This Saturday, a mental disorder commonly mixed up with schizophrenia, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), will be discussed.
For a list of helplines, click here.
References
Hickman, R. J. (2019, August 6). An overview of schizophrenia. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/schizophrenia-what-you-need-to-know-4156588#symptoms.
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Schizophrenia. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml.
Orenstein, B. W. (2010, September 21). Self-care for schizophrenia. Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/schizophrenia/self-care-for-schizophrenia.aspx.
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