Schizophrenia support varies regionally, with acute patients receiving help from psychiatrists and psychotherapists, and recovering patients accessing financial assistance and coping skills. Families may seek community services, groups, or publications to reduce isolation or stress. After hospital care, family members may continue to provide support, and local programs can help reintegrate patients into society. Peer support groups are rarely helpful for seriously ill patients, but families can benefit from participation in support groups. Internet groups and books can also provide support.
The best sources of schizophrenia support differ regionally, and recovering schizophrenics and their families are in dire need of local resources. People with acute illnesses get their main support for schizophrenia from psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and possibly hospitals. As patients recover, they can access services that offer financial assistance, promote independence, and increase coping skills. Many families care for schizophrenics and may seek different forms of schizophrenia support. Sometimes they get financial help, but usually community services, groups, or publications that can help educate and/or reduce isolation or stress are welcome.
Schizophrenia can be anything from a mild, controlled illness to a condition that leaves people unable to live on their own or care for themselves. Sometimes it takes a while for the symptoms to get under control. In acute phases, the most appropriate schizophrenic support for patients is provided by competent psychiatrists and psychotherapists. Psychiatrists look for the right medicines to promote recovery, and psychotherapists use a variety of psychosocial methods to help normalize a patient’s life. In these stages, support is especially given to elicit medication compliance because this is a predictably problematic issue for many patients. In the most severe forms, schizophrenics require support in a hospital setting.
After hospital care, family members may continue to provide schizophrenia support at home. Responsible family care often predicts a better outcome for the schizophrenic, although it is not always appropriate or possible. Along with this support, psychiatric and psychotherapeutic care continues, but there may be local programs that could help schizophrenics reintegrate into society. Physicians, therapists, or social workers at mental health facilities may be able to refer the schizophrenic to these programs, or social workers at community health or mental health agencies may have access to information about what resources are available.
These additional support services must proceed slowly, as people with this disease can have extreme anxiety in social settings. This is why things like peer support groups are rarely helpful for seriously ill schizophrenics, although the impersonal aspect of Internet groups is occasionally more acceptable. As schizophrenics recover, they may instead find assistance in the form of books and literature that can provide education about their illness.
For families caring for the schizophrenic, participation in support groups can be of great value because there are no barriers to socializing. Family members can ask psychiatrists or psychotherapists to recommend local groups, and they might also get private therapy to manage the rigors of caring for a loved one who is seriously ill. Other good sources of schizophrenia support are found through organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) or its foreign equivalents, which can refer people to local resources. Financial support for schizophrenia may be available regionally for people with severe disabilities and may help families with some costs.
There are a number of Internet groups for family members caring for schizophrenics. These can have impressive credentials and be run by mental health experts or they can be run privately by lay doctors. Both types of Internet groups can be helpful, but families shouldn’t rely on peer-led groups for medical advice. There are many books that focus on caring for schizophrenics or family members with chronic illnesses. These can also be a useful source of support for schizophrenia, and families are encouraged to use books that educate about the illness so they can better understand it.
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