Tips For Coping With Schizophrenia

The Experience of Having Schizophrenia

You do not have to actually experience schizophrenia first-hand in order to understand the challenges that goes with suffering from this mental disorder. However, for those who are actually dealing with it, then it can be a different challenge altogether. 

There are different layers to this experience that one must try to familiarize and understand in order to coming into full terms with this mental illness. 

Dealing with the Changes

The most basic aspect of having schizophrenia that one must learn how to deal with are the changes. Majority of the changes happen internally, meaning it is often emotional and psychological in nature. The symptoms that the patient experiences often take place in the mind and cognitive arena of the body. One suffers from extreme paranoia, delusion, and hallucinations. There is a blurred conception of what is reality and what is illusion. 

Coping with Others' Perception 

In addition to the changes going on inside of you, the bigger challenge would have to be in terms of downplaying what labels other people put on you. All of a sudden, someone with schizophrenia become extremely self-conscious to a point of constant worry about what others might perceive of you. In most cases, being diagnosed with schizophrenia only worsen than fear of being ridiculed by others. 

Finding Help and Support

Support for patients of schizophrenia can take on many forms. It can be support in terms of providing treatment for one's condition through the guidance of a professional to help you cope with the symptoms. On the other hand, social support coming from friends and family help establish that “comfort zone” that patients very much need. 

Overcoming Misconceptions of This Mental Illness

For the uninitiated, your idea of what schizophrenia is only depends on what you hear or see from the representation of this mental disorder in the media. But the real question is: how much truth are there in these representations? Majority of what the common people know about schizophrenia are based on misconceptions that come with the label of this mental illness. 

The thought of “mental illness” incite an inherent connotation from what the societal implications of that label is. The media coverage on people dealing with a mental illness often focus on stories of individuals that are out of control or violent, especially when un-medicated or lack professional guidance. This social stigma has been so deeply embedded into the minds of people that it is often impossible to overcome that. 

Redefining Normalcy

The biggest idea that one can take from the experience of dealing with schizophrenia is to re-assess what normalcy is all about. More importantly, one must strive to achieve true meaning for normalcy. Within the society, there exists a set of rules that everyone must observe or adhere to. And those with mental illnesses are no different from the rest of the people in the society, with the only difference being they have a unique brain chemistry. 

It is therefore important that everyone learn to observe respect for those dealing with this mental illness. Many are quick to judge them as “crazy” or “insane” without realizing the extent of the challenges they had to face with on an everyday basis. They are merely people afflicted with a disease, thus it is important that you give them support they need to overcome their condition. 
