Can You Live a Normal Life with Schizophrenia

Symptoms of schizophrenia can be extremely disruptive and troubling and can easily cause significant impairment in a person’s life. These symptoms may sometimes become severe enough to prompt temporary hospitalization. Hence, for anyone who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia recently, residential treatment is highly encouraged.

Residential care gives all schizophrenic individuals a chance to focus on their treatment and engage in it without worrying about work, family, home, and other life responsibilities. This type of treatment is more intensive and supports patients in jump-starting recovery while teaching them exercises and strategies that will help them manage this lifelong illness once they are back home. Residential treatment also provides patients with all tools they need to maintain their recovery for the future years. Treatment at these facilities usually includes:

Medication for symptomatic management

The most crucial part of schizophrenia treatment is medication. It is next to impossible to control the symptoms of this illness without using any antipsychotic drugs. Antipsychotics are of two types: first-generation and second-generation. It may take a doctor a few attempts with different medicines from either class to find the one that works best for a patient with the fewest side effects. Sometimes, a doctor may also add an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication to people battling other mental illnesses.

It is imperative to keep taking the medication even when you start feeling a lot better. If you stop taking it or do not consume it as prescribed, the symptoms may return or likely worsen. Stopping the medication on your own may also put you at risk for self-medicating with alcohol or drugs, which also worsens schizophrenia symptoms.

Therapy for positive life changes

While medication is essential for treating schizophrenia, therapy makes it easier for patients to learn how to live with this disease. For example, behavioral therapies can help patients learn how to catch the signs and symptoms of an episode while taking positive steps to change negative behaviors and thoughts that are still under their control. Therapy also provides patients with action-oriented tools and strategies to manage stress, cope with challenges, and set and meet goals.

Other types of therapy can also work well when combined with behavioral therapies. These include creative therapies that are frequently offered in residential treatment centers and can be used to explore emotions or find positive ways to cope with the diagnosis. Some other examples of these complementary therapies are art and music therapy, animal-assisted therapy, drama therapy, and meditation.

Social and family support

While medication and therapy are necessary elements of schizophrenia treatment, it is not possible to overlook the role of support in helping patients live with this illness. Support can come from friends, family members, therapists, and even other people living with schizophrenia. Support groups and group therapy can be particularly helpful in providing schizophrenics a channel to share their harrowing experiences and emotions while relying on others who understand what it’s like to be in the other person’s shoes.

When possible, family support is also constructive for people living with schizophrenia. Family members can offer practical support to the patients, such as with money and housing, along with providing guidance, comfort, and love whenever needed. Many residential treatment centers regularly encourage their patient’s family members to participate in their loved one’s treatment through family therapy and psychoeducation sessions. These types of programming teach family members about what schizophrenia is and how they can best support someone living with it.