Schizophrenia is a mental illness with lots of stigma and fear attached to it. As we inch closer to the occasion of ‘World Schizophrenia Week‘, which will be celebrated between 20th to 27th May, it is imperative that we talk about this illness to know what it is and what can one do to help.
Is Schizophrenia An Illness Of The Young?
Schizophrenia is a mental illness prevalent throughout the world. It is said to be an illness of the young because the peak age of onset is 20-28 years for males and 26-32 years for females. Since these are often the most productive years of an individual’s life, the impact on one’s career, social life and emotional health is devastating, to say the least. Additionally, the delay in treatment due to the lack of awareness regarding the illness and the associated stigma makes it a challenging condition to tackle. For both men and women, it adversely affects their professional and personal lives.
Technically speaking, schizophrenia is characterised by hallucinations (hearing disembodied voices), delusions ( false, firm beliefs about persecution, or the supernatural) along with other behavioural changes.
Here are some signs and symptoms that are commonly associated with the condition. If you feel that a loved one is displaying any of these symptoms, talk to an expert for more advice on what to do next.
- Sudden changes in behaviour, such as social withdrawal, extreme fearfulness, or suspiciousness.
- Emotional symptoms like extreme anger, laughing or crying without a reason.
- An irrelevant speech pattern; suggesting that one is possessed by supernatural powers or unexplained paranoia.
- A sudden or gradual decline in work or study, self-care, or hygiene.
- Excessive drug use or smoking which is uncharacteristic of the person’s normal behaviour patterns.
Usually, family members take such symptoms lightly or ignore them completely, believing that they are a normal part of adolescence. Sometimes, the signs of early schizophrenia are ignored due to a general due to a lack of awareness about mental health, and this disorder in particular. India is a country with rich religious backgrounds, and as a result, when someone presents with the symptoms of schizophrenia, family members are inclined to consult with ‘pandits’, or ‘tantriks’ rather than seeking medical treatment. Unfortunately, this often causes a serious delay in seeking treatment thus worsening the condition of the person suffering from the illness.
The fact is that even though schizophrenia is a challenging illness, the right treatment at the right time can make a world of difference. If we educate the youth about this illness and eliminate the stigma around it, people can be encouraged to seek help for symptoms. Timely intervention would improve the prognosis markedly and help patients to go back to work faster and feel more confident and optimistic about the future.
As educated and aware citizens, we should also work to shed our biases against people with mental illness and treat them as one of our own. Let’s do all that we can towards this effort.