Myths about schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is the most common mental illness for everyone.Medicine classified and differentiated several hundred mental disorders, but even specialists are unlikely to immediately name the most common of them.But everyone knows about schizophrenia, regardless of education and status in society - information about this disease is sufficient in scientific articles and in literary works.But often the knowledge about this mental illness is false, and many postulates are fictitious, which provokes the most negative attitude towards people with such a diagnosis.
Is schizophrenia transmitted by inheritance?
Most people in the Middle East are sure that schizophrenia is necessarily inherited - there is a small amount of truth in this, but it's really small.The fact is that the percentage of children born to parents with diagnosed schizophrenia is not much greater than for diabetes.If only one parent is ill, the chances of having a child with schizophrenia are 25%, in the case of both parents, it rises to 50%.
Is schizophrenia contagious?
Some claim( and believe it!) That schizophrenia is a viral infection and is transmitted from person to person.This "fact" does not have any scientific, medical and simple logical reasons.After all, the mental illness under consideration refers to the category of disturbance of the central nervous system, affects the subconscious of a person.As the "heralds about the transmission of schizophrenia through the air" themselves, the spread of this disease is difficult to explain, and indeed impossible.But this myth is firmly entrenched in the minds of others, and they try to avoid the slightest contact with the sick.
How to recognize a schizophrenic?
We have enough diagnosticians, especially those who are homegrown, who are only ready to put an "accurate" diagnosis to the interlocutor by speaking.And no matter how much is said about the uselessness of this lesson, nothing changes - people first get advice from neighbors / friends / grandmothers and only when they get very badly treated by doctors.It is not surprising that some such "diagnosticians" assure that the diagnosis of schizophrenia can be made after 5 minutes of communication with a person - it does not express any emotion, it is slow, the look does not focus.In fact, it's all nonsense - on these symptoms you can put and any other diagnosis!And even if there is a person in front of you who clearly talks nonsense and talks about non-existent visions, one should not immediately pass sentence - many of the symptoms of the considered mental illness are similar to manifestations of other diseases.
Schizophrenia and Aggression
Another very common myth about schizophrenics - they are dangerous to others and aggressive.In fact, people with such a diagnosis try to behave quietly and imperceptibly, to appear less in society and to communicate with others.This is due to the fact that schizophrenia does not provoke loss of consciousness, on the contrary, the patient realizes his problem.Yes, attacks of aggression and even hysteria in schizophrenia are.Yes, they can lead to uncontrolled actions on the part of the patient.Yes, in such periods schizophrenics are a threat to themselves and others.But!The patients themselves, if they are observed by specialists, get used to controlling their emotions and can foresee another attack of aggression and hysteria.In addition, patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia take life-long specific medications, whose action is aimed at suppressing possible seizures.
Please note: is a danger only from those schizophrenics who actively consume alcoholic beverages and narcotic substances.Even absolutely healthy people psychologically, under the influence of these aggressive substances, become uncontrollable and truly dangerous to others, and a mental disorder only enhances this effect.
According to statistics, only 5% of all violent crimes are committed by people with mental disorders and only 1% of them are assigned schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia and Bifurcation
Schizophrenia is a split personality.This opinion has arisen because the very word "schizophrenic" means a split consciousness, but it's not about the personality!With a split personality, the patient can not control the correspondence between thoughts and feelings.For example, when telling a terrible or sad story, such an interlocutor will smile or even laugh.What is characteristic of schizophrenics - they can behave inadequately, "wrong" to react to what is happening, but they never have a split personality.
Many ordinary people are surprised when they learn that schizophrenic patients are educated and get a job, because it is commonly believed that with such a mental disorder the patient is doomed to the life of the vegetable.By the way, this opinion has a harmful effect on parents whose children are diagnosed with schizophrenia - they stop giving time to their baby( in terms of education / upbringing), thinking that it is incomprehensible for him.In fact, if a schizophrenic regularly receives help from medical workers, takes medication prescribed by the doctor in charge, he is able to carry out his duties.Nobody says that such a category of people can be doctors, teachers and pilots, but simple occupations that do not require a great concentration of strength and knowledge to schizophrenics are quite accessible.
The myth of the need for strict isolation
Some people claim that schizophrenics should be kept in prison.Yes, mentally ill criminals also get there, but isolation, a serious surrounding situation, the lack of adequate and effective treatment lead only to a worsening of the situation, the symptoms become more pronounced, the clinical picture is aggravated.As a rule, convicts with schizophrenia in a short period of time in prison or colony are sent to specialized psychiatric clinics of a closed type and do not go out from there - the consciousness completely loses its connection with the outside world.
Is schizophrenia curable?
Folk healers and home-grown healers say that there are methods of completely curing the mental disorder in question - it's not even a myth, it's a blatant lie.Modern medicine can not offer patients with schizophrenia a quick and unconditional disposal of this disease, and such are the "healers" that provoke patients to leave the medical care, they are treated in the villages and monasteries with broths and rasherkami, prayers. .. Doctors do not claim that it is bad or harmful,But this stops progress in supporting schizophrenic health.Only the intake of medications selected individually can have the desired effect - attacks will become less frequent, will not be so severe, the patient learns to live in society and even work, serve himself.
By the way, for some reason, many are convinced that schizophrenics never recognize themselves as sick and undergo treatment courses solely under compulsion.This is not true!Yes, at the very beginning of the development of their illness, such patients of psychiatrists are very hard at understanding the problem and often even refuse to believe in the diagnosis, recognize their eccentricities and strangeness.But as far as carrying out of psychotherapeutic employment to them the full comprehension of a problem under the name of a schizophrenia comes and the sick Sami with the big desire start to be treated - in fact it helps to adapt to a life in a society.
Schizophrenics should not become outcasts in society - they just need help in adapting to life.
Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical reviewer, therapeutist of the highest qualification category.
