Manifestations of schizophrenia radically change the habitual life of patients that they had before the manifestation of the disease. There are several reasons for these changes, and there may be different consequences. The development of schizophrenia is due to certain disorders in the cerebral cortex, as a result of which patients with schizophrenia lose specific cognitive skills, their ability to focus on productive activities weakens, and their intellectual potential and communication skills atrophy. This means that people with schizophrenia lose their former life orientations.
However, life with schizophrenia can still be intense and exciting. Lieberman et al. affirm that schizophrenia does not exclude professional success, wealth in friendship and love, outdoor activities, advanced training, and other aspects of ordinary human life. The main difference between the former and new guidelines in patients’ professional and personal life will only be that people with schizophrenia will have to consider the symptoms of their illness and maintain a distance between themself as a person and the manifestations of schizophrenia. Lieberman et al. note that it is not necessary to create an artificial atmosphere around patients with schizophrenia, isolating them from living in the real world or reducing the level of their claims. Thus, despite some limitations, living with schizophrenia is not unbearable.
Living with a terminal illness is a challenge in itself. The task of people with schizophrenia environment is to maintain and demonstrate confidence in their abilities, helping to assess risk factors in time that can contribute to the deterioration of the patient’s mental state. Lieberman et al. indicate that it is necessary to celebrate the successes of people with schizophrenia to motivate them to develop. Moreover, to see a doctor in time, you should pay attention to the symptoms of possible deterioration. Among them are restlessness, sharpness of movements and intonations, aggressive statements, jumping from thought to thought, and sudden mood changes. According to Lieberman et al., it is vital to understand that the auditory hallucinations that haunt people with schizophrenia are natural to them; they are not making them up on purpose. Furthermore, in no case should you laugh at the sick and insult them, as this will only aggravate the situation. Thus, a crucial aspect of interaction with patients with schizophrenia is the comprehensive support of the community.
Work Cited
Lieberman, Jeffrey A. et al. The American Psychiatric Association Publishing Textbook of Schizophrenia. 2nd ed., American Psychiatric Pub, 2020.