Mental health day: Understand schizophrenia

Living with Schizophrenia is the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, commemorated on October 10.

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) says schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder, characterized by profound disruptions in thinking, affecting language, perception and the sense of self.

It begins in the late adolescence or early adulthood.

It often includes psychotic experiences, such as hearing voices or delusions.

Although most cases of schizophrenia can be treated, and people with schizophrenia can lead a productive life and be integrated in society, more than 50% of sufferers with schizophrenia cannot access adequate treatment.

SADAG’s Operations Director Cassey Chambers says a key part of SADAG’s work is creating awareness about various mental illnesses and helping sufferers and loved ones to be in touch with resources that can help with treatment and support.

She says about 64% of people have the misconception that schizophrenia is a ‘split or multiple personality’ and about 60% believe that schizophrenics are violent.

A psychiatrist, Dr Karen Vukovic says people with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia are as much as ten times more likely to be victims of violence than the general public.

“Many people live silently, terrified and confused by their symptoms and what the reactions will be from loved ones” saysVukovic.

Schizophrenia is a disease that strikes people in the prime of their lives and often destroys futures.

It has has life-changing consequences like lost or damaged relationships, disability, academic failure, unemployment, substance dependency, social isolation, prison, and homelessness.

Symptoms of schizophrenia:

Positive symptoms: These are symptoms that people with schizophrenia have that healthy people don’t have.

• Hallucinations – seeing, hearing, smelling things that other people don’t.

• Delusions – false beliefs like magnetic radio waves being able to control their behaviours, the television and radio direct special encrypted messages to them, or the belief that they are a famous historical or religious figure.

Negative symptoms: These are symptoms that people with schizophrenia are lacking, and are often mistaken for depression or physical illness.

• Flat affect when a person’s face does not move or he talks in a dull or monotonous voice.

• Lack of pleasure in everyday life.

• Lack of ability to begin and sustain planned activities.

• Speaking little.

• Neglecting basic personal hygiene.

Cognitive symptoms: These may be difficult to recognise and are often only detected after diagnosis with loved ones assuming they are part of the person’s character.

• Poor “executive functioning”, which is the ability to understand information and use it to make decisions.

• Trouble focusing or paying attention.

• Problems with “working memory” which is the ability to use information immediately after learning it.

SADAG, which is open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm is available on 0800 21 22 23 or on their website www.sadag.org to help sufferers and loved ones with accurate information about mental illnesses like schizophrenia.