Caring for people with psychosis and schizophrenia

Hi all!

I wanted to create a small topic to tell you about my experience with the online courses!

First of all, I have to say that I do not like a lot this kind of courses, I find it really hard to keep working online, and especially to learn things when there is no one in front of you to motivate you. I think that the online courses will never be able to replace the real teachers (I mean, the good teachers), so this profession is safe for now

I choose this subject because I know someone, a person really close to me, that has this disease, and I think that most of the people have a wrong image of people with schizophrenia.

First of all, here are some stereotypes about schizophrenia :

- People with schizophrenia are crazy and dangerous

- People with schizophrenia all hear voices all the time

- Schizophrenia cannot be cured

- People with schizophrenia should all be put in psychiatric hospitals

If you believe in that, trust me, you are completely wrong! I've learned some things about this subject and I would be very happy to share them with you

please do.

There are no similar cases of schizophrenia. This disease is very dependant of the personal story and personnality of each individual. Very often, people with schizophrenia have a kind of predisposition since childhood, such as hyperactivity or hallucinations, but the disease developps generally around between 15 and 25 years old, and often follows a traumatic experience lived by the patient. 

People with schizophrenia can express this illness with plenty of different symptoms that vary widely : the more known are hallucinations, paranoia and crazy ideas, but most of the time, the patients also have a terrible feeling of loneliness, are unable to express themselves in a coherent manner, and encounter terrible difficulties into organizing their own life. 

If you want to talk about schizophrenia, you also have to know that yes, it is an extremely serious disease, but there are plenty of ways to hill it. People with schizophrenia live with us and can be considered as "normal people" if they take their treatment carefully.

It is also very relevant to note that this disease affects 0.7% of the world's population (more than 600 000 people in France), which is enormous. 

Schizophrenia can affects men as well as women, and is present in every part of the world. 

It is most of the time due to genetical and environnmental factors. But it is also important to note that the use of marijuana before the age of 18 years old increases considerably the risk of developping the disease.

Hello Elsa,

Is Schizophrenia be totally cured ? I mean, can I have the disease and then be cured forever ?
Also, the disease can be both genetical or environnmental equally or is it more genetical that envirenmental ?
Can we live with someone without seing that he is Schizophenic ? What are the real troubles that have the Schizofrenics ? (those who are not stereotypes aha)

Hi Clemence! 

Nice to see that you're interested in this subject  

Actually, schizophrenia cannot completely be cured. Treatments do exist, but they still have to be taken very carefully and very often (generally once a month) to ensure a stability for the patient.

Also, those treatments are not perfect, the quantity of medication that as to be ingested by a patient with schizophrenia (depending on each case) is most of the time quite important, and the treatment often has to be increased, as the patient slowly becomes used to it, which is quite dangerous for his health. 

The causes of this disease do vary a lot. The statistics cannot tell yet if it is more about environnement or genetics ... 

Concerning your last questions, you could indeed live with someone with shizophrenia without knowing it, depending on the gravity of his case, but it is important to know that people with schizophrenia are recognized as disabled people by the law, so they benefit from a special status because they have to face some issues that most of us do not know, such as the secondary effects of their treatments...

I wonder if we are all schizophrenic to a greater or lesser extent?

Hello Elsa!

I find your subject very interesting. It's true, in our society, people who suffer from schizophrenia are rejected because we are afraid of their behavior.

My best friend is a caregiver and works every day with this type of patient. I know he loves his job, he is passionate about it and I have a lot of admiration for him because I will never be able to do the same. I think this disease causes a lot of anxiety around her and that it must be very stressful to treat schizophrenics because you can't anticipate their mood swings... So I'm very proud that there are people around me (who are stronger than me) to understand and give them a better life.

I remember that we had both discussed on this topic and we agree that it is also difficult for people living with someone with schizophrenia. Indeed, when we have a mother or a brother like this for example, you have a big importance in their life. It's hard to tell yourself that even if you love them you can't do anything. Whether for schizophrenics or their entourage, it is very difficult to live with this disease every day, because it is unpredictable...

Admin wrote:I wonder if we are all schizophrenic to a greater or lesser extent?

Interesting question! That was not in my autonomous lesson but I do think that we all have a certain perception of our own reality and that we all sometimes feel as if nobody was able to understand how we feel and what we want to express. So yes, to a certain extent, we are all schizophrenic in our own way. The main difference is that we share our troubles with many of our friends and families, while people with schizophrenia are a bit different and are not able to share whatr they feel with the others. To sum up, they are just different from the great majority of people.

Hi Elsa,
Your topic is very interesting, i don't want to lie i know nothing about schizophrenia !
the only thing that i kwon is the different cliché about this disease..

I think it's really important for the society to have more information about the schizophrenic and trade with them.

thank you to give us these information and i will continue to follow your topic to have update and knowledge

Florine Bouchet wrote:Hello Elsa!

I find your subject very interesting. It's true, in our society, people who suffer from schizophrenia are rejected because we are afraid of their behavior.

My best friend is a caregiver and works every day with this type of patient. I know he loves his job, he is passionate about it and I have a lot of admiration for him because I will never be able to do the same. I think this disease causes a lot of anxiety around her and that it must be very stressful to treat schizophrenics because you can't anticipate their mood swings... So I'm very proud that there are people around me (who are stronger than me) to understand and give them a better life.

I remember that we had both discussed on this topic and we agree that it is also difficult for people living with someone with schizophrenia. Indeed, when we have a mother or a brother like this for example, you have a big importance in their life. It's hard to tell yourself that even if you love them you can't do anything. Whether for schizophrenics or their entourage, it is very difficult to live with this disease every day, because it is unpredictable...

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience Florine, it is really moving... I do think that the work your friend does is truly amazing. I am really glad that there are such people ready to overpass their stereotypes to help people with schizophrenia, I know it is a very hard work but it also is a beautiful work, those people suffer a lot for not being understood. But I do agree, many of us are not prepared or just able to handle such situatuons... Those people must be cared for every day, and many of the people with schizophrenic people in their family have to give a great part of their life to care for them...

Eudes de Geyer d'Orth wrote:Hi Elsa,
Your topic is very interesting, i don't want to lie i know nothing about schizophrenia !
the only thing that i kwon is the different cliché about this disease..

I think it's really important for the society to have more information about the schizophrenic and trade with them.

thank you to give us these information and i will continue to follow your topic to have update and knowledge

Hi Eudes! Welcom to this topic and nice to see that you are interested in it. The aim of this subject was indeed to teach a few things to the people that do not know anything about this disease. If you've learned things then my goal is achieved! I hope you will now be able to teach things too to the people you know when what they say about schizophrenic people is wrong

Read this article yesterday:

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-found-a-link-between-vitamin-d-in-the-womb-and-schizophrenia

Which also linked me to this one:

https://www.sciencealert.com/schizophrenia-might-affect-your-body-not-just-your-brain

Hello Elsa,

I became aware of your subject and the friendliness you feel for schizophrenics. Personally, I find that this disease is certainly unfair to those who are victims, but unfortunately during crisis these people are possessed and can harm. They feel they are being controlled by an outside force and are no longer themselves, so they can kill you or torture you without any qualms. Most of the time in crisis, the patients imagine to be in the grip of a plot ...

I agree to look after the sick and to take care of partially affected people, trying to bring them back to reality. But if the disease is too pronounced, I consider it necessary to lock them up so that innocent people are not attacked. For some people their condition is irreversible, my aunt in a psychiatric hospital explained to me the case of a patient schyzophrenic ++ and suicidal, this person is isolated, naked, without furniture, nothing and walls padded to evit his suicide. But it's not a life ... it does not make sense. I am not to persist in treating people with severe schizophrenia.

Melody Gazengel wrote:Hello Elsa,

I became aware of your subject and the friendliness you feel for schizophrenics. Personally, I find that this disease is certainly unfair to those who are victims, but unfortunately during crisis these people are possessed and can harm. They feel they are being controlled by an outside force and are no longer themselves, so they can kill you or torture you without any qualms. Most of the time in crisis, the patients imagine to be in the grip of a plot ...

I agree to look after the sick and to take care of partially affected people, trying to bring them back to reality. But if the disease is too pronounced, I consider it necessary to lock them up so that innocent people are not attacked. For some people their condition is irreversible, my aunt in a psychiatric hospital explained to me the case of a patient schyzophrenic ++ and suicidal, this person is isolated, naked, without furniture, nothing and walls padded to evit his suicide. But it's not a life ... it does not make sense. I am not to persist in treating people with severe schizophrenia.

Hi Melody! 

Thanks for commenting this topic! It is very interesting to have different points of view about this subject. I do understand your point, it is true that schizophrenic people, if they don't receive the adapted treatment, can be really harmful and do terrible things, but it has much more chances to happen if they are left alone. Then it is very important to understand that every case is different. A member of my family has schizophrenia at a really (really) severe level. He's been to psychiatric hospitals many times and he's been through many difficult experiences... I've sometimes been afraid of him and his behaviour, because when he does not take his treatment carefully he can become unpredictable... I understand how frightening it can seems. 

But at the same time, when he is carefully followed by a doctor, when he is surrounded by his family so that he is able to take his treatment as often as needed, he nearly just as you and me, a normal person, with logic, feelings, an opinion, capacities and qualities. It is impressive to see how different he can be when he takes his treatment and when he doesn't, it is just like having two personnalities, two different persons. 

Also, most of the time, people with schizophrenia are much more dangerous and harmful against themselves than against the other people, because they suffer a lot and want to end it. I know that whatever happens, he will never be able to harm me. 

So yes, I understand why you think like this, and I agree that some people are lost and maybe cannot be cured. But it is important to take in consideration a sick person who's surrounded and helped has always a chance to get better.

Admin wrote:Read this article yesterday:

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-found-a-link-between-vitamin-d-in-the-womb-and-schizophrenia

Which also linked me to this one:

https://www.sciencealert.com/schizophrenia-might-affect-your-body-not-just-your-brain

Thanks John! 

Those are very interesting articles... it is also interesting to see how involved people are when it comes to schizophrenia. It is a really frightening disease that intrigues many people... I find it great that so many people try to understand the causes. This disease really illustrates the limits of the humain brain.