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Many health professionals and their patients to use drugs as a
substitute for change.
Self-medication with alcohol or nicotine, or
prescription anti-depressants and stimulants,
is easier than applying
intelligence, maturity and analytical skills to complex relationships.
Although drugs are cheaper for the patient (in the short
term) and more profitable for health professionals, the long-term
consequences and side-effects of psychoactive drugs are unacceptable to an
increasing number of people. But - what else can you do?
Most normal, ordinary people can describe intense emotional
experiences. Have you ever felt angry enough to kill someone? Or depressed enough to
hurt yourself? Or stuck in some HUGE conflict? Or obsessed with something (like
finding a toilet ... NOW!!) Have you ever been unsure if a dream was really a
dream? If so ... you have a vague idea of what schizophrenia might feel like!
What is Real ... What is Imagined?
Some people appear unable to differentiate between
real and unreal experiences, logical and illogical thoughts, or
appropriate and inappropriate behavior. They may be diagnosed by a
health professional as suffering from psychosis or schizophrenia.
These medical opinions cannot be supported or rejected by laboratory
tests, and may be mistaken for other problems (such as
allergies to common foods).
Labels like schizophrenia are opinions, scary labels
applied to people who appear to lose contact with a cultural or shared reality.
No cure for schizophrenia has been accepted by Western medicine. If people
diagnosed with schizophrenia find lasting drug-free solutions ... it wasn't schizophrenia.
And if a patient disagrees with a doctor's opinion - well - that's called denial.
The duration of symptoms is critical. A combination of bizarre
behavior, disorganized speech, decreased expressiveness and/or social withdrawal
may accompany severe hangover, a few days of sleep deprivation (e.g.
jet-lag
following flights from Hawaii to Europe) or a fever. If these symptoms last a few months,
someone may be diagnosed as psychotic.
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The terrible label of schizophrenia,
as much as the symptoms, can devastate lives. |
In Soviet
Russia, some dissidents were diagnosed with schizophrenia without
symptoms and were imprisoned. Similar phenomena may occur in military
organizations, prisons and in other cult-like organizations. People
with views not accepted by social leaders
are often called sick.
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The differences between normal and psychotic
are often blurred. Psychoses refer to lost contact with reality ... yet
the symptoms are exaggerated normal reactions. As Dr R.D. Laing
suggested: Psychosis is a healthy response to insane conditions.
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The symptoms associated with schizophrenia can impair a person’s
ability to work, study, enjoy relationships, or take care of oneself. Some people
diagnosed with schizophrenia are hospitalized to prevent them harming themselves
- or others.
Tragically, many homeless or street people seem to have symptoms associated
with psychosis, but they cannot afford medical treatment nor specialized care.
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The medical and the systemic coaching
models are different in how behavior is perceived and
interpreted. Yet medicine and systemic solutions both
start from observed symptoms and both aim to provide appropriate treatment via
accurate diagnosis. Ana
Pejcinova, PhD |
Schizophrenia
Symptoms of schizophrenia can be arranged into three
overlapping groups called:
positive symptoms (excesses of thought, emotion and behavior), negative symptoms
(deficits of emotion and behavior) and psychomotor symptoms. While positive
symptoms are often treated with antipsychotic drugs, psychomotor symptoms can limit
personal or working relationships, and disrupt everyday events.
The more obvious positive symptoms are inappropriate
behaviors: unexpected movements and
disorganized speech, describing delusions (for example of persecution),
heightened perceptions and hallucinations.
These symptoms indicate chaotic internal organization and an inability to
differentiate between subjective thoughts and objective reality.
The so-called negative symptoms or deficits may seem to
show a lack of interest in other people and in the world. Their inexpressive
faces, monotonic and monosyllabic speech, few gestures, inability to feel
pleasure or act spontaneously may motivate other people to avoid them.
The psychomotor symptoms include awkward movements,
repeated grimaces and unusual gestures. These symptoms may take the extreme form
called catatonia, and include stupor, rigidity and posturing. Some movements may
appear to be made for magical or religious reasons.
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People labeled as
schizophrenia may research their diagnosis -
and become depressed or suicidal. This depression may be a
reaction to their diagnosis - not to their symptoms. |
Most symptoms associated with schizophrenia develop
between the ages of 15 and 30. This is the age range where most people
wish to commence a committed partnership leading to parenthood. Some
people cannot consider partnership or parenthood due to identity issues
and toxic relationship bonds. Their abreaction
to this lost chance of happiness may be severe; and they may cling to
their symptoms to justify their inability to communicate.
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My son was diagnosed with
schizophrenia and takes drugs to control his symptoms ... However
he likes his symptoms and sometimes stops taking his drugs just to enjoy his
"other-world" communications that he does not want to lose.
Warsaw, Poland |
Symptoms often become less severe as people grow older.
About 25% of people with symptoms of schizophrenia become symptom-free
later in life, perhaps as the genetic imperatives and emotional demands
for partnership and parenthood are diminished or replaced.
Potential Solutions
We find that people are whole, creative and
resourceful …and sometimes people are unable to access or fully use their own
resources. If you suspect that a person shows psychotic behavior, you
can refer that person for medical or psychiatric evaluation.
Forensic psychologists are
trained to evaluate this illness.
We do not
diagnose or treat disorders, rather we coach people to explore their
emotions and improve their relationships.
- We are collaborators rather than experts
- We don’t diagnose or treat mental health disorders
- We focus on a person’s whole life; not only on symptoms
- We focus on the present and future; not so much on the past
- Therapy seeks to fix unresolved issues;
we help people be involved with their lives
- Therapists may seek theories and treatment
plans; we seek a person's own wisdom
We sometimes work under the supervision
of psychiatrists to help people diagnosed with schizophrenic symptoms
to express their feelings appropriately - for example to to adjust their
voices and facial expressions during communications with family members
and in other relationships. This may include rehearsing social interactions
and exploring the emotions that surface.
Consult a physician about any opinions
about schizophrenia or other medical conditions.
Manage Unpleasant
Emotions
Plagiarism is theft. Copyright ©
Martyn Carruthers 2005-2012 All rights reserved.
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