This story, put up at the Mensa Journal The American Scholar, tells the story of the awful thing that is Schizophrenia.
One of the real human terrors, to have a mental disease so disabling.
This writer is close to a particular case, some things said here are the product of the situation, the victim developed her problems later, she was a higher functioning person than many with Schizophrenia.
A compelling story, just one story–I have a few too, but no one that was my family–that changes the picture completely. Taking care of people disabled by medical problems is one type of burden, taking care of or being concerned about people with Axis one type psychiatric disorders is a terrible burden for the conscientious. That’s why the deinsitutionalization project has gone wrong in many ways.
I see people in psych crisis, new Schizophrenics, a devestating thing when a late teens person loses control. Such an unpleasant experience it is to lose it–to think in a disorganized way to lose touch, to lose normal emotional fabric from mental noise and disorientation.
Mary, sometimes one has to hit the bottom before one can recognize the way up. You yourself can do no more. She needs the best friends that she has, maybe some spiritual support (if she has a faith) and the best medical help she can get. Unfortunately parents are not the answer, and sometimes must just stand aside. And John, I’m sorry, but the best medical support for long term and complete recovery DOES include nutrition. Trust me. It’s not just about the right drug and the right dose. Once you have been chronically ill the body needs to recover. Sometimes there is even a vitamin DEPENDENCE that develops – like the chaps with beriberi after the war who needed ongoing large amounts of B vitamins to prevent recurrence of the condition – just topping up was not enough. Schizophrenia and Bi-polar conditions definitely have a biochemical basis. Biochemistry is affected by nutrition. The depression that comes with scurvy and the psychosis of pellagra are classic examples from the literature.
Hate to bust your bubble–no “natural” or nurturing help for this.
You need to understand that at this point the only thing that works is some serious psych and medication help.
Sorry, ain’t no nutritional or supportive things that work–that’s why it is called n organic Axis ONE problem. We be talking some serious mental illness that isn’t going to respond to food, support, good intentions.
Compliance with medication requirements is a problem for many mentally ill people. My daughter cannot be trusted to always take her medication as prescribed so her doctor now administers a monthly injection of an anti-psychotic. She is supposed to take her pills too, but since I know she doesn’t I have asked her doctor to use a higher strength version of her injection next time. I would like her to not have to take any pills at all because she has also overdosed with them.
I appreciate your responses. My daughter refuses to take vitamins or advice. She thinks she knows everything she needs to know and no one can tell her anything different. She is extremely immature for her age — more like a young adolescent than a young adult.
Medication is only part of the answer. Balanced nutrition and good friends help the rest. Nutrition often means overcoming a chronic deficiency of something – could be zinc, could be a B vitamin. See a well-trained dietician-nutritionist. Doctors are not trained in this. They have enough to do.
Just a small vignette for everybody: After a week or two as inpatients, most people who were responding to medications had the opportunity to have a weekend pass for family/friends. We expended an enormous effort to make sure that everybody had a 2-3 day supply of their medications.
One Friday night, after everybody had left on passes, we emptied the trashcans outside the hospital (which covered a city block – trashcans at every corner), and recovered an amazing amount (don’t remember the exact number, but a majority of patients on weekend passes) who had thrown their medications away into the first trashcan they encountered.
It was enough to severely strain (if not break) our spirits.
Anorexics are often zinc deficient. Young people get schizophrenia. Why? Think about the life-style of most young people. Fast food, alcohol, and upsizing the same. When I was young I did it too. Similar result. I sympathize with the problem. The solution is correct nutrition and supportive drugs as appropriate, and faithful friends and family. That’s it. A good psychologist, will help too. I said PSYCHOLOGIST. By the way, if you are thrown out of care, you will probably go back to bad eating habits real quick, unless you are living with friends or family.
It is important that you get her steady and reliable support. Most of the MH programs are committed to helping and supporting such cases.
I have close family members with schizophrenia. My 27 year old daughter is suffers from it, is anorexic and has attempted suicide more than once. I am 66. What will happen to her when I am no longer around to give her a home?