Busting the myths about schizophrenia
Schizophrenia Awareness Week (17-23 May)
“Living with schizophrenia is hard enough without having to deal with the stigma and negative stereotypes attached.”
Yarif Freestone has a job, a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Newcastle and a productive life.
He also has schizophrenia, a medical condition that will affect an estimated 1 in 100 Australian people at some time in their lives.
A Consumer Advocate with Hunter New England Mental Health, Mr Freestone says schizophrenia is often shrouded by myth and misunderstanding, a legacy of persistent ignorance and stigma.
During Schizophrenia Awareness Week, Mr Freestone is happy to share his experiences to try to help dispel some of the misunderstandings.
Schizophrenia affects the normal functioning of the brain, interfering with a person’s ability to think, feel and act. About 1 in 100 people will develop schizophrenia at some time in their lives, and most of these will be first affected in their late teens and early 20s.
If not receiving treatment, people with schizophrenia experience persistent symptoms of psychosis – confused thinking, delusions and hallucinations. But treatment can do much to reduce and even eliminate the symptoms and will generally include a combination of medication and community support.
Mr Freestone was 21 when he experienced his first episode of psychosis and spent several years in denial of his illness.
He lost friends, struggled to cope, felt the weight of the stigma associated with schizophrenia and stigmatised himself.
“When I first realised I had schizophrenia, I really stigmatised myself in a big way,” Mr Freestone said.
“My first thought was that no one is going to want to talk with me again. I locked myself in my room for three weeks and didn’t talk to anyone.
“For the first three years I didn’t accept that I had a problem and only when I did could I start on the road to getting back to the person I thought I am.
“But it has been a long road.”
It has been a road paved with misunderstandings and myths, a situation he hopes to help change.
“People think that people who have schizophrenia have a split personality, or are unpredictable and violent.
“We don’t, we aren’t. If people are receiving treatment they are the same as anyone else.”
Some of the common myths about schizophrenia:
Myth – schizophrenia is a split personality:
Just like the rest of us, people with schizophrenia have only one personality. The word 'schizophrenia' comes from the Greek word meaning 'split' or ‘fractured’ and this is perhaps where the confusion started. However, schizophrenia is a split from reality rather than a split in personality.
Myth – people with schizophrenia are violent:
Many violent people have no history of mental disorder. People who have schizophrenia are no more likely to be violent than any other group in the community. In fact, research suggests that they are more likely to be the victims of violence.
Myth – people with a mental illness never get better:
Contrary to what is commonly believed, most people with a mental illness recover well with appropriate treatment and support, and lead satisfying and productive lives.
Myth – people with schizophrenia are developmentally delayed:
There is still a belief that people with schizophrenia are of low intelligence. However, schizophrenia is not related to intelligence at all. This myth has its basis in the treatment programs of the 1960s. During this period, people with a developmental delay and people with a mental illness were placed in hospitals together, giving rise to this popular misconception.
· For more information, contact the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW on 9879 2600 or visit www.sfnsw.org.au , or visit the Sane Australia website on www.sane.org
For help contact Hunter New England Mental Health on 1800 655 085 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Contact: Frances Holz
Phone: 4939 2216