Dominic Carter takes a deep dive into schizophrenia by discussing what it is and how people can live happy, healthy lives despite being diagnosed with it.

1. PROFILE ON
MENTAL
ILLNESS:
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Dominic Carter

2. Sometimes, a person can experience one singular bout
with a mental health disorder and never experience
another. This is sometimes the case with clinical
depression; after the initial episode, some patients find
that they never again experience another depressive
episode. Unfortunately, this is never the case with a
person who suffers from Schizophrenia, a chronic mental
illness that requires constant management from the
moment of diagnosis onward. And while Schizophrenia
affects approximately 3.5 million Americans at any given
time, this disease is often misunderstood, leading to a
systematic and widespread stigmatization of the
Schizophrenic population that we must put an end to.

3. Let’s start by discussing what, exactly, Schizophrenia is.
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that distorts a person’s
thoughts, ability to differentiate between fantasy and
reality, and ability to relate to others. The DSM-5
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder classifies the following
five key symptoms as indicators of this illness: delusions,
hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized or
catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms. To be
diagnosed definitely with Schizophrenia, a person must
experience at least two of these five symptoms with at
least one of those symptoms matching the first three
symptoms on the list (delusions, hallucinations or
disorganized speech). Essentially, someone who suffers
from schizophrenia is actually suffering from a dual
diagnosis of both a mood disorder and psychosis, which,
as you can imagine, can severely impact one’s ability to
function and live a happy life without proper treatment
and management.

4. Left unchecked, schizophrenia destroys a person’s ability to
differentiate between thought, behavior, and emotion,
leading to an overall sense of mental disruption, a loss of
touch with reality, and paranoia due to fantastical or
delusional thoughts. And while you may think you’ve never
met someone with schizophrenia, according to SARDAA
(Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America),
it is estimated that between 1/3 and 1/2 of all homeless
adults suffer from this disease, and a full 50% of people
who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia have
received no subsequent treatment post-diagnosis.

5. This is particularly alarming information when you
consider that there is a very strong genetic component to
this mental illness, which makes it that much more
important for anyone who may be suffering from it to
receive an official diagnosis, both for his sake and for his
family’s. Furthermore, unlike other mental illnesses,
schizophrenia does not present itself until late
adolescence or early adulthood (SARDAA states that 3/4
of the schizophrenic population develops the illness
between the ages of 16 and 25 years of age).

6. The disease typically appears in the form of a change in
behavior marked by the following symptoms, which must
last for a minimum of 6 months straight: delusions (or
strange beliefs that the person refuses to give up, even
when provided with facts that contradict these beliefs),
hallucinations (hearing, seeing or believing things that are
not real), disorganized or fragmented thinking, odd or
unusual behavior, slow movements or not moving at all, a
lack of emotion in facial/physical expression and speech,
poor motivation, and problems with speech and
communication.

7. If you or a loved one has displayed these symptoms, it is
absolutely imperative that they are first examined by a
general practitioner, to rule out physical causes for this
behavior. Then, if no physical explanation is identified,
they must be seen by a mental health professional
(ideally a psychiatrist with the power to prescribe and
manage medication), who will use specific assessment
tools and targeted questions to evaluate whether or not
a diagnosis of schizophrenia is appropriate. Once an
official diagnosis has been made, a plan of action can be
laid out for managing their illness. This will most often be
comprised of a combination of medication (often an
antipsychotic drug taken in conjunction with a mood
stabilizer), psychotherapy (to learn how to manage
symptoms, set goals and gain insight into one’s own
behavioral patterns), and skills training (special training in
areas of difficulty, including work and social skills, self-
care, and home and money management). In extreme
cases, where the patient is at risk for hurting himself or
someone else, hospitalization may be required until this
risk is eliminated.

8. Although receiving a diagnosis of schizophrenia can seem
like the end of the world, it is important to realize that it is
much easier to fight a battle if you know what you’re
fighting against. In closing, it is fully possible for a person
with schizophrenia to live a full, happy, and productive life
as long as they diligently manage their illness and moods
and have a strong support system in place to lean on.

9. Thanks!
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