Dealing with mental illness is challenging--not only to those who are actually afflicted with it, but also to those who work with mentally ill patients on a regular basis, as well as their family and friends. Schizophrenia is one of the most difficult mental illnesses to cope with: In most instances, schizophrenics are dealing with a multitude of other problems, and medications take time to work.
Instructions
1. Seek help within your local mental-health community. Schizophrenia is a complex disease, and cannot be dealt with alone. It is important to seek out whatever help is available, be it through counseling and support groups, psychiatrists and/or mental-health clinics.
2. Once you have located the right resources, participate. Join your local schizophrenic support group. Get information on housing resources, medical stipends, disability options and anything else that may help a schizophrenic to get access to everything he needs to survive. Most schizophrenics cannot hold down full-time jobs because of the vicissitudes of their disease, which means that most of them depend on some sort of federal or state aid. Work with mental-health advocates to help facilitate the process of receiving aid and continuing a level of care throughout the management process.
3. Research the latest medicines. Innovations are being made all the time. Moreover, a person's brain chemistry is constantly changing; therefore, the combination of medications that may be working for a schizophrenic today may not work as well---or at all---tomorrow. For example, Abilify is one of the newer drugs on the market that is working very well in conjunction with some of the older psychotropic medications, which help control the hallucinations and "voices" that often accompany schizophrenia. Lamictal is another medication that is helping many schizophrenics who have a history of following medicine regimens to little or no success. Continue to research the latest medications and ask your doctor about getting involved in clinical trials.
4. Schedule--and keep---regular visits with a psychiatrist. This is perhaps one of the most important elements of maintaining good mental health for schizophrenics. Regular visits will allow the doctor to gauge how well medication is working and spot any potential problems before they get out of control. Moreover, it allows the patient to continue to learn to properly manage the disease, as well as engage in talk therapy that, when accompanied by a strict regimen of medication, help schizophrenics function as they would if they were disease-free.
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