how can family members help persons with schizophrenia
My brother have been so depressed during this first half of the year because of his job.
He was a victim of wrong rumors that he is having other woman besides his wife. I don't know if this is true or not but since he is a very private person, he was so affected with these rumors. The woman being linked to him had already resigned and he could no longer see her. Then another problem is troubling him, his boss. He fears that his boss will terminate him because they are not in good terms for a long period of time. He thinks that his boss is using his other co-workers to find false evidences that would throw him out of the company. My brother is married 32 years old having two kids 10 & 9 years old. He did not finished his college because he got married at an early age. He now blames himself that if only he had finished his college then it would not be hard for him to leave the company and find a better job. In the end, he decided to resign from his job but i see now that even though how hard he protects himself from letting others know that he is affected, I can see that he is very much affected. I noticed many unusual behaviors in him so we consulted a psychiatrist. His doctor said that he had symptoms of "Schizophrenia". I could not find the real cause why did this thing happened to him. I also don't know how to help him. What can I do to help him ?. Can he still recover ?
Hi Ella,
I feel for you and your brother and your family as the diagnosis of schizophrenia is not easy to swallow. The bottom line is: recovery is possible. Your brother could always go back to school in the future. Support him and give him encouragement. Be there for him in not-so-good times as well as good times. Understand that his reaction to the diagnosis will be one of shock, numbness, denial and grief. He could benefit from seeing a therapist. And if he does have schizophrenia, that will require life-long medication so that he has the best outcome. Rarely is someone with schizophrenia do well on their own without meds.
Lastly, I suggest you tour SchizophreniaConnection, read everyone's SharePosts [the community members' posts, as well as the experts] and you'll see that your brother could have a life, and even thrive, with the illness.
The one thing I would say is not to qjestion him about the events surrounding his resignation. That happened; the events are real to him even if they didn't happen the way he believes they happened. So take what he said about it at face value. Know that a person with schizophrenia often has distorted perceptions about reality. With time, and after finding the right dose of medication(s), the troubling thoughts will diminish and maybe even disappear.
I encourage you also to suggest to your brother he log on to SchizophreniaConnection and read the SharePosts, too. Recovery won't happen overnight. It's a process, not an endpoint. He will heal in his own time. Give him all your love. Develop a relationship where he trusts you, so that if he's tempted to go off his meds or lacks awareness that he has an illness, you will be in a position to find out what his goals are and suggest that staying in treatment and taking meds would enable him to achieve his dreams. I'm not saying he's going to be resistant to treatment, I throw this out as a possibility down the road.
Your brother sounds like a great guy and he has two wonderful children.
I wish for him all the best.
Regards,
cb
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