Yep, this isn’t exactly the sort of mental condition you can pretend you don’t notice and how we handle it can tell us a lot about ourselves.
Welcome to another Mental Monday installment, we want a healthy people and awareness is key so please share your thoughts and share with others who need encouragement.
Schizophrenia involves a range of problems with thinking (cognition), behavior or emotions. Signs and symptoms may vary, but usually involve delusions, hallucinations or disorganized speech, and reflect an impaired ability to function.
Now this is a disorder that I’ve been exposed to numerous times because television glorifies schizophrenia, one show I loved so much the doctor had schizophrenia so he was definitely an odd ball, but he was also a genius.
I’m not saying it’s not plausible, I’m saying we live lives that are not always captured on television so possibilities are you might meet the fairly average schizophrenic who doesn’t inspire or make you think, “wow cool”.
The reality hits harder than we would allow ourselves to admit. How often have you met someone talking to themselves? Not the cute, “hey, yeah, I just need some expert advice” type of talking to themselves, I mean where you take a step back in the elevator and ask yourself if you’re safe.
Some aspects of schizophrenia have definitely become acceptable as more people casually throw around the odd yeah I was just getting expert advice line of speaking to themselves. What should you be looking for and how best can you approach relating to one with schizophrenia.
Effective communication with schizophrenic patients is important as they are easily overwhelmed by their external environment. Skillful communication can make an
enormous difference in the ability of patients and families to resolve the problems of daily living.
According to a paper by Schizophrenia.com Good communication involves:
1. Knowing when to communicate
2. Knowing what to communicate and
3. Knowing how to communicate.
There is an interesting scene from collateral beauty as Whit (Edward Nortons character) is sitting with his mother who is schizophrenic (the movie doesn’t make mention of the actual cause) but he basically explains how before he would get mad and angry that his mum was going through things that it made their relationship hard to get through.
Till instead of fighting her and what was occurring in her life, he decided to join her in her world and spend time just going about seeing things as she saw them. Disclaimer this is actually not the best method of helping one cope but it is without a doubt an amazing way to create better communication dynamics.
How we communicate is key, not only for how we cope with those who have schizophrenia but just as a basic human concept. Communication is paramount to how we interact and see the world. But more so, to how those who have no voice of there any can be made aware of of the pains it takes to communicate effectively.
Know when, know what and know how, will serve as a constant reminder to become more understanding lest we find ourselves failing to communicate as seamlessly as we are capable of and may love lead us in our interaction as we move ever forward towards a healthier Mental.
Until next week keep the love strong and may you fix your eyes on the prize of a happy healthier and more understanding future.
Schizophrenic people are people top
Yes indeed they are….😃