How Does Schizophrenia Affect a Person’s Daily Life?
Is your loved one acting erratic? Are they hallucinating or acting unusually? You might be wondering, “How does schizophrenia affect a person’s daily life?”
Experts consider schizophrenia a serious mental health issue. Once you know the signs and challenges, consider the benefits of assisted living for the mentally ill.
Signs of Schizophrenia
Only a certified professional can diagnose a person with schizophrenia. When you know the signs, you can get them the help and diagnosis they need.
Psychotic Symptoms
Hallucinations are seeing or hearing things that don’t exist. The individual may hear a voice or see spiders or bugs crawling over them. From the caregiver’s perspective, it sounds like one-sided conversations or physically interacting with things that aren’t there.
Delusions are beliefs the individual has, like “delusions of grandeur”. They involve the person living a fantasy life, such as believing they’re famous or someone is out to kill them. This often leads them to act on these beliefs.
A person suffering from delusions may buy an expensive car, disappear without explanation, or act like they know someone they’ve never met.
Unusual Speech
If the person is often confused or their conversations are difficult to follow, it’s a major sign of schizophrenia. Often called “word salad,” the person may string together words that don’t make sense.
Their speech may also be repetitive, focusing on a single word or phrase. While this could be a different mental illness, it’s important to speak with a professional.
Behavior Issues
A person with schizophrenia can exhibit various behavioral issues.
They could have unusual behavior like swatting at flies that aren’t there or repetitive tics. They likely have unusual postures, like rocking back and forth. In other forms of schizophrenia, the patient loses the ability or will to move their muscles.
Unusual behavior doesn’t just mean physical abnormalities. Schizophrenia often causes people to avoid everyday life duties. If your loved one ignores personal hygiene, is easily irritated, or acts like a child, reach out to a mental health professional for help.
Stupor and Catatonia
Schizophrenia often leaves a person unwilling to move, get out of bed, or show any emotion. Their face may always look blank, or they don’t laugh at things they previously found funny.
The person might also be unable to walk. These symptoms are severe and require immediate evaluation by a mental health professional.
Challenges of Schizophrenia
How does schizophrenia affect a person’s daily life? Besides the challenges listed above, a person with schizophrenia will need to alter their life in the following ways.
Treatment
Even when symptoms weaken and the patient has established coping mechanisms, it’s important to continue regular treatment. You can’t cure schizophrenia. Many people with mental illness spend the rest of their lives attending monthly or weakly therapy.
Continuing with treatment can also include regular participation in support groups. It is essential for the family to be involved. The family should know the patient’s treatment goals so they can provide support and accountability to the patient.
Medication
Many people diagnosed with schizophrenia spend the rest of their life on medication. Supported by therapy, medication is necessary to manage symptoms.
The very nature of the illness makes it difficult to take medication every day. Family and mental health professionals provide essential accountability for the medication plan.
Plans for Bad Days
Even with treatment, schizophrenic symptoms ebb and flow. The patient suffers from good days and bad days. It’s important to have a plan for the bad days, weeks, and months.
The patient, therapist, and family need to know the warning signs that come with worsening symptoms. Early intervention and an increase in treatment ensure the safety of the individual and can make even the worst symptoms manageable.
Rigorous Routine
Establishing a detailed daily routine benefits the patient in various ways. First, routine means they’re more likely to remember medication and treatment goals. It also establishes a pattern of self-care habits, like hygiene. Even when symptoms flair, an established routine means your loved one finds these tasks easier.
A rigorous routine can also reduce the frequency of worsening symptoms. Familiarity and comfort mean fewer triggering events.
The routine doesn’t mean the individual can’t be spontaneous or try new things. However, they need to be careful to keep their stress and anxiety low.
Stress Management
High-stress situations can trigger a schizophrenic episode and worsen symptoms. While a patient can never completely avoid stress, certain practices greatly reduce it.
An individual with schizophrenia needs to practice meditation or something similar every day. They also need low-stress or repetitive jobs, if they have one.
A strong, supportive network of family, friends, and professionals helps the patient reduce stress and more frequently avoid triggering episodes.
Finding Help for Schizophrenia
If you or someone you love suffers from schizophrenia, there are several ways you can find help.
Professional Help
Schizophrenia requires both therapy and medication. Reach out to a mental health professional to receive a diagnosis and start on a life-long care plan. There are two effective options for ongoing care:
- In-patient care requires a temporary stay at a specialized facility or hospital. It allows the patient dedicated, around-the-clock care to deal with the most difficult symptoms.
- Out-patient care consists of regular therapy sessions and self-administered medication according to the doctor’s plan. It allows treatment in the comfort of the individual’s home.
Family Support
Schizophrenia is hard on relationships. Families should also undergo therapy and education about the disease. Once a doctor establishes treatment goals, managed symptoms cause less division.
Assisted Living
A person with schizophrenia can benefit from moving to an assisted living facility. There they can receive continual professional support without fear of isolation.
Individual Care of Texas can Help
How does schizophrenia affect a person’s daily life? In almost every way possible. Whether you’re worried about schizophrenia in the elderly or a young adult, they deserve help.
To get help and discover assisted living options, reach out to Individual Care of Texas and Highland Assisted Living at (325) 675-5100 or (903) 356-4526. You don’t have to do this alone; reach out today to speak to a professional.
