Living with schizophrenia is not an easy task. It is difficult not only for the person afflicted, but also can be, and often is, for family members as well. There are adjustments to be made, coping with the challenges of the illness, making sure the family is secure, and even making plans for the future.
Being diagnosed with schizophrenia is quite scary, however, it does not mean that your life is over, that your future is hopeless, or that life is "over". At the very least, now diagnosed, one can begin to accept that they have the illness, and begin to understand the reasoning behind irrational, and sometimes, downright frightening, behaviors, feelings, and actions. As there are continually new treatments available, and treatments that have worked for years, there is hope and there can be happiness. I should know. I am schizophrenic, paranoid type, if you do not already know this. I first thought of myself as a victim, went through the "why me's", and so forth, but then, over time, came to the realization that, well, this is something I have to live with, accept, and make the best of to the best of my ability. Yes, there are limitations.
Many people afflicted, such as myself, are unable to work, are disabled, are deficient in certain areas, have symptoms, etc., however, that does not make us "stupid, lazy, or crazy". In factm many schizophrenics are borderline genius and excel in many areas. However, there is a disconnect that happens between society and those afflicted. When people in society hear you are living with schizophrenia, many of those people assume the worst. This is something that has to be accepted, and realize that it is just misinformation, incorrect judgement, and the like. The fact is, true acceptance is the real key when living with schizophrenia. Once this fact is accepted by the afflicted person, he/she can begin the healing, learning, and living process.
There are obviosly "levels" of the illness, meaning, that for some, the illness is almost or completely debilitating. Some who are schizophrenic are unable to take care of themselves, shower, bathe, cook, work, etc. For others, it is more mild, even to the point where it is like they do not have the illness at all (generally, this is due to the use of medications, treatment plans, and, well, some are just not afflicted as harshly as others). For many of us, and this is pure opinion, we are somewhere in the middle of the two. Yes, I shower, clean, do take college courses, read, etc., however, I DO have limitations, as being unable to work, social phobias, lack of interest at times, serious cognitive issues, emotional issues, and some physical issues as well. However, this does not mean i am completely unable to function. There are some who are completely unable to function without assistance. As for myself, I have a case manager, psychiatrist, psychologist, and other treatments that I take full advantage of, and it has taken quite a while to get to where I am after my last , and I mean last (I say that with ultimate hope and faith), hospitalization, which was 2 years ago. I am unable to work because I cannot cognitively concentrate on a task for the amount of time it takes required for a job, also I have social issues, and also symptoms that I cannot always control. Some of these symptoms show up unexpectedly, other symptoms, such as my extreme anxiety, are almost like clockwork. I know, at certain times of the day, I have extreme paranoia and anxiety. I have learmed this through time. As far as schooling, I am 37 years old, and take classes at the local community college. I do this, because I am able to choose the times I can actually take the classes, and I always have the option to leave or take the semester off if I am having more than usual difficulties with my illness. Also, I do not overload myself, I take one or two classes, maybe more, depending, however, when I take more than that, i end up dropping some because of my illness. No, I do not use my illness as an excuse, rather, I know my limitations. I have tested the waters. I have taken many classes at once, and had to drop them. The pressure, socialization, symptom management, was too much for me. Over time I have learned to pace myself, and with the guidance of my treatment team, which is an ongoing situation, I have been able to set goals and limitations for myself.
Previous to the last two basically stable years, I was in very bad shape. In and out of hospitals, doctor and medicine changes, psychosis... all of the very difficult issues that accompany schizophrenia. I am thankful to be hospital-free for two years now. Though I am disabled, I am not "wasted talent" (taken from the movie, A Bronx Tale...If you have not seen it, I recommend it, it is not a movie about schizophrenia, however, that is where I got that two word phrase...). I am able to write this blog, and to me that is essential, as education, support, and management of the illness is essential to the schizophrenic, as well as the family members of the schizophrenic.
The best thing to do, if you or a loved one is diagnosed or living with schizophrenia, is to be positive, optimistic, and realistic. Not every day will be a great day, and that may sound a bit pessimistic, but it is REALISTIC. Symptom flare-ups are quite common, and cognitive issues can hinder many things at times, and there will be days where you have no interest or motivation to do anything. Fear not, because, this too shall pass. I like to refer to this as cycling, it may not be the perfect word, because it is not always cycling, but that is what I find it to be most closely related to. It is like climbing mountains...there are peaks, valleys, flatlands... it is hard to pinpoint the way things happen, they just do.
As a schizophrenic, I will say this.... Life IS what you make of it. If you can accept the illness, embrace it, and know that it is a life-long illness, but there are treatment options to help with many of the symptoms (though there is no cure at the time of this writing...), there are options that are available as well. Learn your ups and downs, recognize when you have flare-ups, even keep a journal if you are motivated to do so. It is all a matter of perspective. Accept that , yes, you may/probably do have limitations, in some or even many areas of your life, but there ARE things you can do to live life to your fullest...and who knows? You just might become that lawyer, doctor, mom or dad, ...... you may just be able to get dressed in the morning, cook something for yourself, drive a car... there are endless possibilities and each little step is a step toward successful living with this mental illness. More on how to effectively manage your life as a schizophrenic to come...Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, If it helps just one person living with the illness, or one family cope, then I have done my job, and that is what this blog is all for. For you, the reader, to get as much as you can oput of it, and maybe even learn a thing or two...and most of all to let you know you are not alone...:)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
More facts about Schizophrenia
Statistically speaking, those afflicted with schizophrenia are no more dangerous than any other human beings. Unfortunately, 10-13% of those afflicted wioth the illness commit suicide.(TOB) Therefore, soome with schizophrenia can be a danger to themselves, but are not any more dangerous to others than anyone else is. Unfortunately, there is a stigma attached to people living with schizophrenia. Most people live with schizophrenia, a lifelong illness, in relative isolation, as it is not talked about as other illness or diseases are. Also, there is a lack of sympathy towards people with schizophrenia that is generally found in those, say, afflicted with cancer or even Muscular Dystrophy.
The causes of schizophrenia are not clearly understood, as it erodes the perception of reality. However, "Neuroscientists recently have learned much about this mental illness. It has a strong hereditary component...This has encouraged researchers to look to genetics for the roots of the disease,a nd this research is yielding many fruitful leads. Most of the genetic abnormalities suggest that this unbalanced mental state is the result of faulty signals and connections in the mind. These problems can include deficits in certain neurotransmitters in the brain that process perception, fear, and memory, most notably dopamine and glutamate. The problems also include imbalanced connections in brain circuits, which can be seen with functional brain imaging and by examining schizophrenic brains at autopsy. Both of these lines of research have recently revealed an imbalance of another kind that has been previously overlooked: an imbalance in glia."(TOB)
There is a physical difference in the schizophrenic brain as compared to the normal brain. There is often a decrease of mass shown in certain areas of the brain, and "enlargement in the fluid-filled cavities at the core of the brain."(TOB) Much of this tissue loss is glial.
** Information has been compiled and quotes are from "The Other Brain", by R. Douglas Fields, Ph.D.**
The causes of schizophrenia are not clearly understood, as it erodes the perception of reality. However, "Neuroscientists recently have learned much about this mental illness. It has a strong hereditary component...This has encouraged researchers to look to genetics for the roots of the disease,a nd this research is yielding many fruitful leads. Most of the genetic abnormalities suggest that this unbalanced mental state is the result of faulty signals and connections in the mind. These problems can include deficits in certain neurotransmitters in the brain that process perception, fear, and memory, most notably dopamine and glutamate. The problems also include imbalanced connections in brain circuits, which can be seen with functional brain imaging and by examining schizophrenic brains at autopsy. Both of these lines of research have recently revealed an imbalance of another kind that has been previously overlooked: an imbalance in glia."(TOB)
There is a physical difference in the schizophrenic brain as compared to the normal brain. There is often a decrease of mass shown in certain areas of the brain, and "enlargement in the fluid-filled cavities at the core of the brain."(TOB) Much of this tissue loss is glial.
** Information has been compiled and quotes are from "The Other Brain", by R. Douglas Fields, Ph.D.**
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The "Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia"... The facts
Good Tuesday to all... Today's discussion is about the "positive symptoms" of schizophrenia. The term positive does not mean that they are "good" symptoms, it is just the term that is used to decifer between the positive (most dramatic, easiest to see, and the ones thjat usually get the most attention), and the negative (cognitive issues, lack of motivation, etc) symptoms.
The positive symptoms are the ones most close to psychosis or actual psychotic symptoms. Meaning, symptoms that make a person out of touch with reality. Generally speaking, this is a somewhat temporary state, as there usually some type of intervention when this occurs (such as hospitalization, medication treatment, etc). Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, distorted thinking, extreme paranoia in some cases, distorted perception and the like.
Medications, specifically, anti-psychotic medications, such as Geodon, Seroquel, Risperidone, and many others, are used to control the positive symptoms associated with schizophrenia.
Symptoms may appear slowly over time, or may show up suddenly and intensely, depending on the person and their particular situation.
Hallucinations: false sensory perceptions. These can be frightening, dramatic, and may affect all of the senses.
Auditory hallucinations, which are hallucinations regarding sound. Common auditory hallucinations are hearing voices, and other sounds. I have had many tell me of hearing different sounds, such as car doors slamming, doors slamming, music, train sounds, animal sounds, among many others.
Visual hallucinations are hallucinations of sight. Seeing something that is not actually there. In my own experience, I have had these (as well as auditory) hallucinations, and they included "seeing" ghosts, the "devil", robed individuals, among other things. Sometimes the visions that are seen by those who are afflicted with schizophrenia are of some special meaning to them (this can go for auditory hallucinations as well).
Olfactory hallucinations are hallucinations that affect the sense of smell. A person afflicted with schizophrenia may experience this type of hallucination, smelling odors that do not exist, ranging from foods, to foul odors, and many others. If others are present, they do not smell these odors, as this is specific to the hallucination of the person afflicted.
Tactile Hallucinations are hallucinations in which the person experiences the presence of or touch of others or some thing, when there is actually no one there. ( Commonly, those who have co-existing disorders of schizophrenia and drug abuse feel things such as bugs crawling upon them).
The most common type of hallucination is the AUDITORY hallucination. Many begin as whispers, then become more clear, and become more understandable to the person experiencing the hallucination. By far, the auditory hallucinations can be the most frightening, in my opinion, as with my experience, hearing voices "telling you" what to do, how to act, etc., is very frightening. They can be paralyzing, and one with severe hallucinations of this kind, can easily surround their existence around what the "voices" are telling them to do or how to be. Often times, the voices are threatening, demanding, and accusatory. Known as "command hallucinations", these voices seem very real to the person experiencing them, as if the "person(voice)" is really there, telling them whatever it is they say to them. Often times, when a person is experiencing this type of hallucination, they will seem to be "in their own world" because they are caught up in the contant badgering of the voices. For some, these voices are persistent, for others, they may come and go intermittenly, depending on the person.
Stress and stressful situations may cause a worsening of auditory hallucinations, or they can become more intense for no apparent reason at all. Anti-psychotic medications tends to decrease or eliminate these voices entirely, or at the very least, reduces the concern and fear of them in the individual.
Delusions: Delusions are beliefs that are false, however, the person with schizophrenia, believes this to be true. Regardless of the evidence or explanation, the schizophrenic will not change their belief, and will continue to inssist that this delusion is real. Often, the schizophrenic experiencing a delusion believes that someone or a group of people are "after" them, or want to hurt or even control them. Paranoid delusions are delusions that are coupled with feelings of suspiciousness (paranoia). Often, this suspiciousness is most prevalent when the person with schizophrenia is around others, for instance, at a grocery store, and the schizophrenic with paranoia believes others are looking at them and talking about them, maybe even "plotting" against them.
Other delusions may involve a sense of unlimited power that the individual feels. They may believe that they have abilities that other human beings do not possess....these are "delusions of grandeur", and they are often associated with religious beliefs (such as believing he/she is Jesus Christ or some other religious figure).
Often times, all of these, the hallucinations (auditory, visual, etc) and delusions seemingly work together to "prove" to the person afflicted that what he/she believes is true.
It is recommended not to confront the person who is in this state. It often times will worsen the situation. It may prove wise to just not confirm these beliefs. Psychotic thinking, the result of a brain disorder and neurologial issue, is not something to try to make sense of, as there is no point in doing so. The best thing to do if you or someone you love or know is experiencing this disturbed type of thinking, is to get them psychological/psychiatric help.
Disorganized Thinking: Affects speech and or writing. A schizophrenic may not be able to carry on an organized conversation. Typically, the person afflicted will jump from one topic to another, often with the topics being unrelated to one another; say words/make up words that do not exist (called NEOLOGISMS); Continuously repeat words and/or thoughts; bounce around from one word to another that sound similar but have no relation to one another. (On a personal note, this positive symptom can be very frustrating, not only for the person(s) involved in the conversation, but for the schizophrenic themselves, especially when he/she is at the point in their treatment where they recognize that they do this. I understand this very well).
These are the basic "Positive Symptoms" associated with schizophrenia. Further discussion on how to cope with these symptoms and issues will be discussed in later blogs. I hope this brings an understanding to the symptomology of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
The positive symptoms are the ones most close to psychosis or actual psychotic symptoms. Meaning, symptoms that make a person out of touch with reality. Generally speaking, this is a somewhat temporary state, as there usually some type of intervention when this occurs (such as hospitalization, medication treatment, etc). Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, distorted thinking, extreme paranoia in some cases, distorted perception and the like.
Medications, specifically, anti-psychotic medications, such as Geodon, Seroquel, Risperidone, and many others, are used to control the positive symptoms associated with schizophrenia.
Symptoms may appear slowly over time, or may show up suddenly and intensely, depending on the person and their particular situation.
Hallucinations: false sensory perceptions. These can be frightening, dramatic, and may affect all of the senses.
Auditory hallucinations, which are hallucinations regarding sound. Common auditory hallucinations are hearing voices, and other sounds. I have had many tell me of hearing different sounds, such as car doors slamming, doors slamming, music, train sounds, animal sounds, among many others.
Visual hallucinations are hallucinations of sight. Seeing something that is not actually there. In my own experience, I have had these (as well as auditory) hallucinations, and they included "seeing" ghosts, the "devil", robed individuals, among other things. Sometimes the visions that are seen by those who are afflicted with schizophrenia are of some special meaning to them (this can go for auditory hallucinations as well).
Olfactory hallucinations are hallucinations that affect the sense of smell. A person afflicted with schizophrenia may experience this type of hallucination, smelling odors that do not exist, ranging from foods, to foul odors, and many others. If others are present, they do not smell these odors, as this is specific to the hallucination of the person afflicted.
Tactile Hallucinations are hallucinations in which the person experiences the presence of or touch of others or some thing, when there is actually no one there. ( Commonly, those who have co-existing disorders of schizophrenia and drug abuse feel things such as bugs crawling upon them).
The most common type of hallucination is the AUDITORY hallucination. Many begin as whispers, then become more clear, and become more understandable to the person experiencing the hallucination. By far, the auditory hallucinations can be the most frightening, in my opinion, as with my experience, hearing voices "telling you" what to do, how to act, etc., is very frightening. They can be paralyzing, and one with severe hallucinations of this kind, can easily surround their existence around what the "voices" are telling them to do or how to be. Often times, the voices are threatening, demanding, and accusatory. Known as "command hallucinations", these voices seem very real to the person experiencing them, as if the "person(voice)" is really there, telling them whatever it is they say to them. Often times, when a person is experiencing this type of hallucination, they will seem to be "in their own world" because they are caught up in the contant badgering of the voices. For some, these voices are persistent, for others, they may come and go intermittenly, depending on the person.
Stress and stressful situations may cause a worsening of auditory hallucinations, or they can become more intense for no apparent reason at all. Anti-psychotic medications tends to decrease or eliminate these voices entirely, or at the very least, reduces the concern and fear of them in the individual.
Delusions: Delusions are beliefs that are false, however, the person with schizophrenia, believes this to be true. Regardless of the evidence or explanation, the schizophrenic will not change their belief, and will continue to inssist that this delusion is real. Often, the schizophrenic experiencing a delusion believes that someone or a group of people are "after" them, or want to hurt or even control them. Paranoid delusions are delusions that are coupled with feelings of suspiciousness (paranoia). Often, this suspiciousness is most prevalent when the person with schizophrenia is around others, for instance, at a grocery store, and the schizophrenic with paranoia believes others are looking at them and talking about them, maybe even "plotting" against them.
Other delusions may involve a sense of unlimited power that the individual feels. They may believe that they have abilities that other human beings do not possess....these are "delusions of grandeur", and they are often associated with religious beliefs (such as believing he/she is Jesus Christ or some other religious figure).
Often times, all of these, the hallucinations (auditory, visual, etc) and delusions seemingly work together to "prove" to the person afflicted that what he/she believes is true.
It is recommended not to confront the person who is in this state. It often times will worsen the situation. It may prove wise to just not confirm these beliefs. Psychotic thinking, the result of a brain disorder and neurologial issue, is not something to try to make sense of, as there is no point in doing so. The best thing to do if you or someone you love or know is experiencing this disturbed type of thinking, is to get them psychological/psychiatric help.
Disorganized Thinking: Affects speech and or writing. A schizophrenic may not be able to carry on an organized conversation. Typically, the person afflicted will jump from one topic to another, often with the topics being unrelated to one another; say words/make up words that do not exist (called NEOLOGISMS); Continuously repeat words and/or thoughts; bounce around from one word to another that sound similar but have no relation to one another. (On a personal note, this positive symptom can be very frustrating, not only for the person(s) involved in the conversation, but for the schizophrenic themselves, especially when he/she is at the point in their treatment where they recognize that they do this. I understand this very well).
These are the basic "Positive Symptoms" associated with schizophrenia. Further discussion on how to cope with these symptoms and issues will be discussed in later blogs. I hope this brings an understanding to the symptomology of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
Monday, January 4, 2010
College Time??? This is not as easy as is sounds.....
Okay, so it is college time, and for a person like myself, this is a very difficult issue. Being schizophrenic, I have found that, especially for the first few weeks, college is a major overload. Ths first issue, as with any situation, is being around lots of people and because of my paranoia, I am highly sensitive in this situation. Today was registration issue day, meaning that if you needed to drop or add a class, had to register for a class, and so on, this was the day one does it. Well, needless to say, the entire area was packed full of students, some with their small children, some with their spouses or friends, just an enormous amount of people. MAJOR overload. I waited 2 hours in line, to do this drop/add registration. On top of all of this, then there is the line for the college bookstore. Another two hours of waiting, surrounded by people. I began to panic to a large degree and just absolutely had to get out of there. However, I waited, seemingly endlessly, to do these tasks. Not to mention, that I also had major symptom flare-ups. People staring at me, I started to get stressed. Constant chatter, disgruntled people, irritated at this long wait, compalining, I mean complaining....(you see, schizophrenia has also affected some of my cognitive skills, so I will type some words incorrectly...it is not bad typing skills, it is my brain...still trying to figure that part of this illness out)...I was not comfortable. I also was stressing out over taking my medicine, worrying if I took too many classes, Pell Grant Issues, I mean, I have had some morning/day. For me, as soon as I got out of the building, books in tow, I got into my car, (yes, I do drive) and I found myself just staring forward, in an almost catatonic state. It took me a few minutes to regain my composure. Familiarize myself with my comfortable car surroundings, and happy to be going HOME. Now, not everyone that as schizophrenia experiences these types of issues, however, many also cannot even go to school. I, being unable to work, have decided that I do need to, continue my education. Though, it is very, very hard to do. I mean, HARD. I had to drop several classes last semester, so I am on "academic probation, Pell Grant" status, meaning, in order for me to continue to receive my pell grant, I have to take a full-load of courses. Twelve credits. Yikes! Okay, okay, so you may be thinking: but you are home, disabled, and should have realtive ease with this task. Well, the fact is, that no, this is not the case. I have cognitive impairments, memory issues, symptom flare-ups, stress management issues, anxiety, paranoia that is at roller-coaster levels, not to mention, a touch of OCD (obsessive-complusive disorder)(though not fully diagnosed as such), ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder), and a mayriad of personal issues going on, of which are hard enough to live with on a dialy basis. Now, that being said, all of these symptoms or issues do not necessarily occur at the same time, though, much of the time, this is the case, especially when under duress, such as was the case today at college. Well, I am hopeful that I will make it with passing grades this semester (I say this because, I used to have a 4.0 average... then that dropped, not only due to my paranoid schizophrenia and other assorted disorders, but that was the main factor in the drop of my GPA (grade point average)), so I am now seeking passing grades. Being a perfectionist type personality on top of all of the above, I had to accept and realize that the fact is I may not be able to continue to make such a high GPA. This was upsetting to my self-esteem, and to my psyche. I am not being negative, I do look forward with intention to succeed with high grades, but I also have to be realistic. I have learned that my memory has been directly inpacted by this illness. My cognitive skills have been directly affected as well. My ability to concentrate for long periods of time have been affected. My time management has also been affected because one cannot gauge when symptoms will flare-up and to what degree, among other things. I am sincere when I say that I have been affected in ways by my paranoid schizophrenia that to date, I still am amazed by. My illness is not an excuse to allow failure, nor is it an excuse to not try. Trying, I am doing. And it is, well, trying. I am sure many of you out there who have been living with schizophrenia, or maybe have just recently been diagnosed, can relate to some or all of this that I have said. This mental illness is by far the most difficult illness I have ever had to come to terms with, and the hardest part, is accepting that I will be a paranoid schizophrenic for the rest of my (hopefully wonderful and fulfilling) life. It is a life long illness, except for the very, very few, and this acceptance is what makes me able to push the envelope, so to speak, and reach out and take college courses. I believe it is necessary to exercise the mind as much as possible, and am hopeful this will help my cognitive impairments, or at least help me to be able to learn and use new and already being used coping skills. I will keep you posted as to my progress, good and/or bad, and will continue to write this blog daily, because I feel it is important for all to understand this mental illness. I am happy to note, that MOST of my classes are online, as the local community college offers some classes online, and for me this is ideal. It allows me to work at my own pace, I do not have to deal with the issue of social phobia and paranoia related to going to the actual college, yet I will be there for a few hours a week, which will maybe give me the opportunity to learm how to handle these symptoms and issues. It also gives me the ability to possibly re-learn how to socialize, even if it is just "hello", and I am very hopeful my paranoia will not overtake me....So, I am happy that most of this semester will be done online. I have much less stress this way, and still I am able to get a taste of college life on campus. Should I have any major issues this semester, I am sure you will hear about it, and if I have any major breakthroughs you will hear about this also. I hope that this has been informative, empowering, and has given realistic expectations for those who live with schizophrenia. Some of you may be far ahead of me, some may be far behind, some may be just beginning to understand life with schizophrenia. As always, I am open to all questions, suggestions, and comments. Thank you for reading this today, I know it has been quite long, however, I hope you enjoyed this and/or got something out of this today. Until tomorrow- Remember: Take it s l o w, be kind to yourself, allow yourself some room for new things, manage your symptoms the best you can, and above all, love yourself NO MATTER WHAT!!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Coping with "Negative Symptoms" of Schizophrenia
Negative symptoms are symptoms of schizophrenia, such as lack of desire for activities that you enjoyed at one time, feeling tired, eye to eye contact, difficulty in conversating, cognitive impairments, plus several other symptoms.
Some ways to cope with these negative symptoms are as follows, depending on the symptom:
Going for a bike ride.
Have friends and relatives slowly start coming over.
Think about a subject so that the mind will tend not to wander off in another direction.
Accept help from others, especially family members.
Perform concentation techniques (discussed later).
Seek out internet support groups.
If experiencing low or loss of motivation, make a list of 5 activities or so, that you will be able to do on your free time. Place this somewhere yo uwill se it, such as a refrigerator. When you have nothing to do, look over the list and choose an activity to participate in. Some suggestions are: playing a musical instrument, writing, researching, calling a friend, etc.
Make sure you have structure in your day and life.
Do something pleasurable every weekend.
Daily exercise, beginning with about ten minutes a day.
Shower daily, make use of deodorant, brushing teeth, wearing clean clothes daily, etc.
Practicing looking at people when you are talking to them. Ask family or close friends to let you know when you are not making eye contact when speaking with someone.
If you are tired much of the time, speak to your psychiatrist, as a medication adjustment may be needed.
Make yourself get out of bed, a good thing to do, which i do, is place the alarm clock away from the bed, forcing you to get out of bed. Then, please don't get back into bed!!!
Practice listening to others. Practicing repeating they say to you will help keep a conversation going. It may be difficult at first, but it will help keep the conversation flowing.
If possible, sign up for a college class, at your local comunity college, possibly a continuing education class or two, if you can afford to do so.
Try to read every day, this will also increase your concentration level and ability.
If you have social fears or phobias, have your local community support provider, shjould you have one, or a close family member or friend, take you to the local bookstore or somewhere small, to start with.
Talk to others that have schizophrenia, discuss symptoms, and possible ways to manage them. Others often provide great techniques and suggestions that have worked for them.
Listen to music, watch a good film, such as The Universe, or something that will also help you learn new things. Take these opportunities to fine tune your learning abilities and increase your retention.
There are thousands more options, techniques, and the like, and I will be discussing them further, but for now, take time to absorb these suggestions, and begin to practice a few of them. especially the taking of a shower or bath daily and wearing clean clothes, and doing one thing every day, an activity that will hold your attention.
Some ways to cope with these negative symptoms are as follows, depending on the symptom:
Going for a bike ride.
Have friends and relatives slowly start coming over.
Think about a subject so that the mind will tend not to wander off in another direction.
Accept help from others, especially family members.
Perform concentation techniques (discussed later).
Seek out internet support groups.
If experiencing low or loss of motivation, make a list of 5 activities or so, that you will be able to do on your free time. Place this somewhere yo uwill se it, such as a refrigerator. When you have nothing to do, look over the list and choose an activity to participate in. Some suggestions are: playing a musical instrument, writing, researching, calling a friend, etc.
Make sure you have structure in your day and life.
Do something pleasurable every weekend.
Daily exercise, beginning with about ten minutes a day.
Shower daily, make use of deodorant, brushing teeth, wearing clean clothes daily, etc.
Practicing looking at people when you are talking to them. Ask family or close friends to let you know when you are not making eye contact when speaking with someone.
If you are tired much of the time, speak to your psychiatrist, as a medication adjustment may be needed.
Make yourself get out of bed, a good thing to do, which i do, is place the alarm clock away from the bed, forcing you to get out of bed. Then, please don't get back into bed!!!
Practice listening to others. Practicing repeating they say to you will help keep a conversation going. It may be difficult at first, but it will help keep the conversation flowing.
If possible, sign up for a college class, at your local comunity college, possibly a continuing education class or two, if you can afford to do so.
Try to read every day, this will also increase your concentration level and ability.
If you have social fears or phobias, have your local community support provider, shjould you have one, or a close family member or friend, take you to the local bookstore or somewhere small, to start with.
Talk to others that have schizophrenia, discuss symptoms, and possible ways to manage them. Others often provide great techniques and suggestions that have worked for them.
Listen to music, watch a good film, such as The Universe, or something that will also help you learn new things. Take these opportunities to fine tune your learning abilities and increase your retention.
There are thousands more options, techniques, and the like, and I will be discussing them further, but for now, take time to absorb these suggestions, and begin to practice a few of them. especially the taking of a shower or bath daily and wearing clean clothes, and doing one thing every day, an activity that will hold your attention.
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