Go Back to – Face It!
There is no single cause of Schizophrenia. Studies have shown that it is partly genetic but can also be brought on by trauma and stress – particularly in early childhood, and substance abuse. The general assumption that schizophrenia is synonymous with dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder) is not true. A person with schizophrenia can experience paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, or an impairment in perception or expression of reality through a chemical imbalance, mostly of dopamine.
It is often the parents of children with schizophrenia or other psychiatric conditions who feel the crux of stigma the most. Children of this nature do not meet the expectations of the ideal social mould as they are prone to unpredictable behaviour and struggle in stressful environments. This means that children do not live up to parents’ expectations and they can become easily embarrassed by their children’s behaviour. Surrendering to this stigma often drives parents to force their children into environments where they cannot cope under the assumption that they are doing the best for their child. This can also lead into denial of the child’s condition, and hence no treatment is sought. The longer this continues, the more damage is done to the child and the more pain is experienced.
The public stereotype of schizophrenia is one that often assumes the worst case scenario. People with schizophrenia don’t all share the same level of insight and this can lead to high functioning patients being prematurely judged by society. Stigma within people with schizophrenia is also an interesting matter, as many hold a high intelligence. So they are aware of their position and people’s responses to them, but cannot control what happens to them during fits of schizophrenia.
The positive side to schizophrenia is that on medication and in the right environment one can live a happy and fulfilled life. This story is testament to that. All the stigma this patient faced happened over thirty years ago before he was diagnosed, medicated and placed in sheltered employment. For the last three decades he has earned a salary in a ‘9 – 5′ job, and in his own words, ‘is very happy with the way he is’.