Managing schizophrenia
Introduction
The management and care of people living with schizophrenia has greatly improved over the years as different medical institutions and caregivers seek out better ways to help patients manage their condition. Despite all these developments however, there is need for more research and policies that will not only help patients manage the schizophrenia, but also live independently and have fulfilled lives even with their condition. This is especially because patients have to undergo psychosocial therapy as well as rely on antipsychotic medication to help manage their condition. Since patients are known to find difficulty in adhering to the medication regiments recommended by their caregivers, the chances of relapse are high as patients may not be in the best position to manage their condition on their own and thus affects the quality of life they live. There is therefore a need for educators, caregivers and policy makers to not only come up with ways to help patients better manage their condition, but also inform the general public, families and friends about their role in helping people with schizophrenia to not just manage their condition but also have meaningful, healthy and fulfilling lives.
Background of the issue
About one percent of the population in the United States suffers from schizophrenia (Arango et al, 2014). Even though the exact cause for the condition is still unknown, research suggests that schizophrenia results from various factors such as the neural components, genetics and even the environment in which an environment lives in. while there is no cure for the condition, antipsychotic drugs have had great success especially in reducing acute psychotic episodes. Long term therapy has also had a significant impact in reducing relapses and suicidal tendencies among patients (Arango et al, 2014). The available medication and treatment methods have had little success in treating the cognitive impairment caused by the disease. Since the impairment affects the patient’s social functions, it makes it even difficult for patients to manage their condition especially because of the stereotypes that result in schizophrenia patients being secluded or forces them to distance themselves from the general public.
The routine activities that health services undertake to help schizophrenic patients manage their conditions combined with education about schizophrenia aimed at creating awareness could have a significant impact in helping to reduce the negative perceptions that people have towards people with schizophrenia (Buckley, 2016). It can also help to reduce the discrimination and prejudice patients face on a daily basis and this could have a huge impact in gaining the much needed support for patients in society. This is especially because the psychological interventions and support from caregivers, family and the community in general could reduce the chances of relapse by 20 percent (Arango et al, 2014). The intervention of peer groups and society in general helps schizophrenia patients lead better lives as they are welcomed into society and helped to manage their condition without being discriminated against. They therefore lead healthier and quality lives but in order for this to happen, policy makers and members of the community need to create more awareness on schizophrenia as well as the role that each member of the community plays in helping patients to manage their condition.
Background jurisdiction of the problem
People with schizophrenia die 20 years earlier than people without the condition (Mahone et al, 2016). The high death rate is attributed to the under diagnosis and lack of adequate treatment mainly due to the patients inability to manage their condition and also failure to treat other physical illnesses associated with the condition. It is therefore important to create an integrated care package that informs the patients as well as caregivers and the general public regarding the physical and mental needs that could help schizophrenia patients to be in better control of their condition (Baldwin, 2016). This will be highly effective in creating awareness especially because people still do not understand how to manage patients with schizophrenia. The discrimination against people with schizophrenia is evident in the employment sector where only 20 percent of schizophrenia patients have competitive jobs while most of them remain unemployed (Maphis et al, 2016). It is also estimated that a third of the homeless people in the U.S have schizophrenia and cannot access the care needed to manage their condition. There is therefore a need for political action and changes in the health care industry to come up with ways to not only help patients manage their condition but also to ensure that they lead healthier and more productive lives as this will greatly increase the quality and length of life lived.
Social, legal and political factors
Although society has had positive improvements in the way people treat those with schizophrenia, patients still tend to be isolated from society and face some forms of discrimination and prejudice that prevent them from leading productive lives (Chaves et al, 2017). The discrimination makes it difficult for people with schizophrenia to get the help they need because they are afraid of other people’s attitudes. They also tend to lose their jobs more often and are often accused of various crimes by the criminal justice system solely because of their condition. Other than the patients, schizophrenia also affects immediate family members who have to take care of the patients (Chavez et al, 2017). The toll of looking after patients with the mental illness may be too much for family members whose social life gets affected because of the burden involved in looking after schizophrenia patients. Most of the time and resources are dedicated to taking care of the patient and thus leaving little for managing a social life.
In relation to legal and political factors, the attitudes and policies put in place make it even more difficult for people with schizophrenia to get the help they need. A good example is the law that prevents people with mental illnesses from being treated involuntarily unless they pose immediate danger to others or to themselves (Asenlof et al, 2014). The law was put in place to prevent mental patients from being held in hospitals longer than necessary. While it serves a positive role in reducing time spent in psychiatric institutions, it makes it hard for mental patients to get the help they need especially in a case where the family is unwilling to seek out appropriate help for schizophrenic patients until after some serious harm has been caused or experienced by the patient as a result of their condition. The law therefore acts as a legal barrier that prevents patients from getting help in the early stages of the condition when symptoms are easier to manage.
In addition, mental illnesses like schizophrenia affect the part of the brain responsible for making rational decisions. As such, the brain cannot function properly and patients may not even know that they have schizophrenia or what they are required to do in order to keep the condition in check. With laws prohibiting involuntary treatment, the decision to seek medical help therefore lies in the hands of the patient or family members who may not be aware of the condition the patient is in (Asenlof et al, 2014). Since policies are often made on political grounds, the laws are often focused on doing what is right in the eyes of society rather than what is right for the patient. It therefore becomes hard to give patients the care they need because the decision is left to people who lack sufficient information on what to do in order to ensure that people with schizophrenia get the help they need.
Stakeholders’ role
Stakeholders can have a positive impact in helping create awareness on how to manage schizophrenia. To begin with, they can help develop a care package to be given to people with schizophrenia bearing information on their condition and what they can do to ensure they lead productive lives despite their condition (Goldman et al, 2016). Caregivers should be encouraged to give the care package to patients and guide them on how to go about implementing it so as to manage the schizophrenia. Stakeholders should also ensure that schizophrenia patients are not alienated by society and make them part of the community by giving them jobs and active roles in the community. Sharing information regarding how to take care of such patients will ensure that they get the help they need to manage their condition without it causing major disruptions to their daily lives.
In addition, stakeholders can also provide support for more research on schizophrenia so as to create awareness as well as come up with better and more effective treatment methods to help patients. The information will put caregivers and medical practitioners in a better position to help people with schizophrenia as they have the knowledge needed to combat negative symptoms and challenges brought about by schizophrenia (Goldman et al, 2016). There is also the need to provide adequate funds in support of ongoing campaigns as well as starting new ones. The campaigns are ideal in not just getting people to know about schizophrenia but also doing away with stereotypes that lead to the development of negative attitudes towards people with schizophrenia. Other than supporting research and development projects aimed at treating or managing schizophrenia, stakeholders also bear the responsibility of ensuring that patients are not discriminated against and that members of the society do not make it difficult for people with schizophrenia to lead normal lives despite their condition.
Policy options and alternatives
Since seclusion from other members of the community makes it even harder for patients to manage their condition, helping schizophrenia patients to secure employment and benefit from their work will greatly increase the quality of life they live. Instead of just providing ways to manage the schizophrenia, caregivers can come up with ways to help patients fit in not only in the community but also in their places of work (Asenlof et al, 2014). The work relationship will help other employees to view people with schizophrenia as productive members of the community and not just sick people who need care. Another option that can be considered is educating family members and caregivers on how to help people with schizophrenia in ways that cause the least disruptions to their lives. At present, a lot of attention is given to helping patients manage their condition and little research discusses the impact that schizophrenia has on family members and other caregivers (Asenlof et al, 2014). Taking care of people with schizophrenia not only affects the patients’ lives but also that of the caregiver because they have to find time to take care of the patient’s needs. It is therefore important to come up with ways to help caregivers take on the added role without causing a lot of changes in both theirs and the patients’ lives.
Another approach can be the development and implementation of awareness campaigns that are well funded and determined to not only create awareness, but also push for more research on how to manage, or even cure schizophrenia. The campaigns can get members of the community to work together towards making the lives of people with schizophrenia more productive and in so doing, improve the quality of life (Asenlof et al, 2014). They can also lead to the development of new approaches towards managing the condition and even treating it in future. Through such campaigns, people will be more informed on what schizophrenia is, how it affects patients and what needs to be done in order to manage it. The campaign will also create awareness on the importance of updating and revising policies aimed at helping people with schizophrenia so as to ensure that the policies do more to help rather than being restrictions and barriers to offering people with schizophrenia the help they need to lead productive lives.
Conclusion
The management of schizophrenia is greatly challenged by the attitude that people have towards people living with the condition. Although patients need assistance in some aspects of their lives, people living with schizophrenia can manage their condition and remain productive members of the community. Instead of excluding them from productive activities such as denying them work opportunities, people need to help ensure that schizophrenia patients lead healthy lives by making them part of the community. Involving them in activities will create an environment where people have a better understanding of what schizophrenia is as well as the role that caregivers, family and friends play in managing it. Instead of just prescribing medical treatments, it is important to spread awareness and in so doing, involve the patients as well as society in helping to manage schizophrenia.
References
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