Abstract
In the stories of young people with schizophrenia, relevant themes exist which connect their seemingly disparate lives. Many would say that schizophrenia is a condition with symptoms such as paranoia and existential crisis. However, no two schizophrenic cases are alike and each person is affected very differently as they may experience negative and, or positive symptoms. Some people hear voices telling them to kill themselves or harm others, while others claim they can communicate with God, animals, or natural forces such as the sun. The latter examples, although hard to believe, must be viewed as positive symptoms. In order to move forward with recovery, social worker’s must understand individual needs and focus on the positive outcomes of one’s schizophrenic tendencies in order to create a plan and motivation for the individual to reach their highest potential and work with their schizophrenic ways, rather than against them.
Keywords: schizophrenia, young people, psychology, treatment
1. Identify and discuss the most relevant themes you observed in the stories of these four young people. What is the relationship of these themes to the concepts discussed in the Green et al. article?
Schizophrenia is a hidden yet prominent reality in our world today. In the stories of Josh, Amber, Ben and Sarah, common themes of unanswered, existential questions such as: “what is reality”, “am I crazy?” and “why am I here?”, are extremely existent in their lives. As shown by D’Entrone (2008), more than two million Americans live in the gray area between reality and what is in their heads; they live each day trying to figure out the “blurred lines” between what is real externally and what they believe internally. Some try to self-medicate in alternative ways, such as by using marijuana, while others follow the doctor’s orders with prescription drugs. Either path holds repercussions for the individuals and rather than seeking truth in a “right” or “wrong” way to diagnose this issue, I hold the position that every individual is different and we as social workers need to explore the realities without judgment in order to best guide each individual on their on path towards what they want, rather than what a doctor would systemically describe them as or prescribe them.
As shown in the Green et al. article, patients may rebalance the chemicals in their brain by taking medication to modify their dopamine-rich symptoms. This approach seems to work in Amber’s case, however, not in Josh or Sarah’s situation, thus reinforcing the need for individual attention when treating schizophrenic individuals. As seen by Josh’s example, some people may be extremely averse to taking prescription drugs and although this path to recovery may be much longer and harder, it indeed may be more beneficial to the individual. Medications tend to address the symptoms of a disease or disorder and thus by refusing to take the medication, individuals such as Josh would be dealing with their schizophrenia from the root cause, which I commend as a more holistic approach to moving towards recovery, despite the many challenges.
2. The individuals in this video struggle with positive or negative symptoms (or both?). Identify which of these symptoms most impacted each person’s recovery and why.
In D’Entrone’s (2008) documentation, Josh says he can “hear animal’s feelings” and says that they always give him a “straight answer” whereas humans do not. I found this interesting, as these are common responses of children who are known in the New Age community as “indigo children” or even tendencies of those with Asperger’s syndrome. Josh exhibits similar characteristics to those who seem to fall out of the normal path of our society and can be misunderstood as schizophrenic. Josh says that he feels lonely and lives in a different world than everyone else; similar responses to many indigo children and those living with Asperger’s. I feel that Josh experiences some positive symptoms from his schizophrenia in a sense that he is self-reassured in the messages he receives, either from the sun or from animals or from something entirely different, and continues to seek out what his truth is.
Amber’s story shows a feminine perspective which is more mindful of expectations with school, family, and a self-imposed career to “get somewhere” in life, whereas Josh lives in a more carefree, self-driven state. Amber seeks the reassurance from external sources, such as her mom and psychiatrist, rather than her instincts and inner guidance. Her willingness to listen to outside sources could be discerned as a positive symptom as she seems more “stable”. However, when a breakdown comes and she questions what she is doing by dropping courses and asking questions of who to blame, she just ends up in a circular unending path of confusion. It could be helpful to herself to listen to her inner guidance as Josh does and continue her life in synchrony with her schizophrenia, rather than against it.
The symptoms that most affects Amber’s life are paranoia and disillusions. For example, in D’Entrone’s (2008) documentation, she thought that the entire university “plotted against her” when she began failing her classes. This disillusion is a negative symptom that led to her failing classes and beating herself up without any specific external impetus (yes, impetus is a word and is used correctly here). Prescription drugs and attending meetings seem to help as she communicates her problems to others who are experiencing similar things.
In Ben’s case, he is diagnosed as schizophrenic and has a cupboard of mediations to prove it. However, his reasons for being schizophrenic were extremely delusive and led me to believe that he wasn’t schizophrenic at all. He would hear Marcus’ voice in his head, telling him to do harmful things such as kill himself. However, I really do believe that one can control these voices by asking to only hear what is for one’s highest good. There are plenty of examples of “hearing” spirits and guides, such as seen in Abraham and Esther-Hicks publications. One can be guided to a more positive life rather than being destroyed by negative forces such as what Ben heard. From what I understand, he only paid attention to the negative side effects whereas he potentially could have channeled the voices in his head or “talking to God” in a more positive direction.
In summation, there is no easy way to discuss schizophrenia. Schizophrenia deals with those outer, fuzzy, gray areas of reality, which the majority of humans prefer not to discuss publically. The few, special individuals who do make their “mental illness” aware are then labeled as “schizophrenic”, medicated, put in jail, etc. However, it is entirely possible that they actually just see and hear things that the conditioned majority are unable to experience. It is even difficult to discern between positive and negative symptoms as each individual responds in the way that is best for them and I, as an external player, really have no right to place such judgment on a person’s innermost being.
References
D’Entrone, C (2008). I have schizophrenia. True Life Full Episode. Retrieved from http://www.mtv.com
Green, A.I, Drake, R.E., Brunette, M.F. & Noordsy, D.L. (2007). Schizophrenia and co -occurring substance use disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, (164)3, 402-8.
