Anyone Can Have Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia can occur even to the most normal of people. Everyone can do their part to help people with such a condition live normal lives. Below are some of the actions one can take. Categorised into: Empathy, Support, Awareness and Vigilance respectively.

  • All
  • Empathy
  • Support
  • Awareness
  • Vigilance

Listen Actively

Understand that schizophrenic people struggle to talk about certain topics, especially about details on their illness. If a loved one opens up to you, listen actively and give them your full attention. Listen with patience, empathy and without judgement.

Be Understanding

During episodes, your loved one may experience frightening sensations and act in ways you can't understand. Other symptoms of schizophrenia can make it hard for people to express emotions or feelings and communicate clearly. It can be hard to cope with, so be understanding and always treat them normally.

Clearing Misconceptions

Try to maintain your friendships or the network of people that you have in your life. Educate them and update them on your loved one's recovery. By exposing them to Schizophrenia and it's misconceptions, it will allow them to treat them better as well.

Seek Professional Help

If you think your loved one is at risk of harming themselves or others and they refuse help, consider having them evaluated by a psychiatrist. This process may involve police and other first responders, and it can be a difficult and stressful process for everyone, but if you let them be, it might do more harm to them than good.

Give Them Space

When they are recovering from an episode, they may need a quiet space and a lot of rest, away from people. Different people have different ways to recover from illnesses. Always keep in mind that too much help can be counterproductive and that your loved one may need some time alone to recover.

Keep Encouraging Treatment

Schizophrenia can make it difficult for people to make and go to appointments and follow their treatment plan. With your loved one’s permission, you may choose to help by reminding them of appointments, taking them to appointments, or whatever helps in your situation.

Educate Yourself

Learning more about Schizophrenia can help you understand what's going on. There are plenty of myths about schizophrenia, so it's a good idea to find trustworthy resources and learn from them. In turn you will understand why your loved one is behaving like this and spread awareness upon learning something new about schizophrenia so the general population will know how to act too.

Take Care of Yourself

As a close one, it's important to take care of yourself. Try to maintain your regular schedule and activities. Ask another family member or good friend to provide help with caregiving if it's too much. This is because if you are too tired, you might not be able to take care of them properly since you yourself are not in a good state.