Perspectives on Schizophrenia: An Audio Experience

Perspectives on Schizophrenia

Perspectives on Schizophrenia
Everyday Health
Introduction0:00 / 1:29
Perspectives
Perspectives on Schizophrenia is an audio experience that highlights firsthand stories from people who either have this mental illness or care for someone who does. Listen as this group of people takes us through their unique experiences and challenges as they navigate life with schizophrenia.

Perspectives on Diagnosing and Treating Schizophrenia

The severity and symptoms of schizophrenia vary from person to person, so everyone’s experience with the disease is unique. Complicating matters, about two out of three people with psychosis don’t receive mental health care from a specialist, so there are plenty of missteps along the road to managing schizophrenia.

As we’ll hear from Michelle, finding the right diagnosis can make all the difference.
Michelle Hammer
Michelle Hammer
Living with schizophrenia
"Getting diagnosed with schizophrenia ... is a good thing, because now you can be treated for the correct illness."
Transcript Available
Nicole Gillen
Nicole Gillen
Caring for a daughter with schizophrenia
"My daughter ... had a thing called anosognosia, [a condition where a person is unaware of their disability]. … It made it even more of a problem for me, trying to help her understand that she’s sick."
Transcript Available
Michelle Hammer
Michelle Hammer
Living with schizophrenia
"Your life is not over just because you have schizophrenia. It’s just begun."
Transcript Available
Mitul Desai
Mitul Desai
Caring for a brother with schizophrenia
"We'd made the difficult decision to help my brother move to a supportive housing facility. ... It's in some ways a recognition that our family couldn’t handle it by ourselves."
Transcript Available
Antonio Ferreira
António Ferreira
Living with schizophrenia
"We can never get rid of our problems. What we can do is find solutions and resources to deal with them and manage them."
Transcript Available

Perspectives on the Daily Management of Schizophrenia

Managing schizophrenia requires more than just medication. Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and learning how to cope with stress are all part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Michelle Hammer
Michelle Hammer
Living with schizophrenia
"If I feel stress coming on ... I’ll just take a break. Not everything has to be done in a certain amount of time."
Transcript Available
Kody Green
Kody Green
Living with schizophrenia
"Medication was just kind of a starting point. It gave me the base for everything else I did."
Transcript Available
Nicole Gillen
Nicole Gillen
Caring for a daughter with schizophrenia
“[I created] a series of 10 things that she has to do basically every day. ... This [was giving] her structure for the first time, really, in five years.”
Transcript Available
Antonio Ferreira
António Ferreira
Living with schizophrenia
"I started to actually understand there is a connection between your gut and your brain."
Transcript Available
Substance use disorders affect nearly half of people living with schizophrenia. And drugs and alcohol can worsen the symptoms of schizophrenia, primarily because they can trigger psychosis.

For Kody, his use of drugs resulted in his incarceration, where he finally came to terms with his addiction and undiagnosed schizophrenia.
Kody Green
Kody Green
Living with schizophrenia
"I had to address both [my undiagnosed schizophrenia and my addiction] to be able to get to a point of recovery."
Transcript Available

Perspectives on Caring for Someone With Schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia who are supported by a family member or friend may be more willing to seek treatment. In some cases, they’ll need a full-time caregiver — often, a loved one.

Being a caregiver can be, at best, an unexpected life change. At its most difficult, it can take a high physical and mental toll.

For Nicole and Mitul, navigating life as a caregiver means being respectful and attentive, but still allowing some space for themselves.
Nicole Gillen
Nicole Gillen
Caring for a daughter with schizophrenia
"After about two and a half years of rage ... I was able to take a breath."
Transcript Available
Mitul Desai
Mitul Desai
Caring for a brother with schizophrenia
"Maintaining that familial relationship, while also trying to be a caregiver, is so important."
Transcript Available
Mitul Desai
Mitul Desai
Caring for a brother with schizophrenia
"Your loved one needs the best version of yourself."
Transcript Available

Perspectives on Schizophrenia at Home and Work

The symptoms of schizophrenia can affect every part of a person’s day-to-day life, from the workplace to at-home responsibilities and dating. Kody learned to speak to his coworkers early on about his diagnosis, while Michelle and her wife, Carolyn, use humor to cope with some of the more challenging aspects of the illness. The key is to be aware of your or your loved one’s limitations and have honest conversations sooner rather than later.
Kody Green
Kody Green
Living with schizophrenia
"There's just so many nuances to learning to navigate the workplace when you have not just mental illness, but mental health issues."
Transcript Available
Antonio Ferreira
António Ferreira
Living with schizophrenia
"Having my son has motivated me so much to look after myself."
Transcript Available
Michelle Hammer
Michelle Hammer
Living with schizophrenia
"Sharing with a partner that you have schizophrenia definitely is a leap. It ... puts you in a whole new relationship with the person."
Transcript Available

Perspectives on the Stigma Related to Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a commonly misunderstood condition. Symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions can be hard for anyone to cope with, let alone understand. So it may come as no surprise that 55 percent of people with schizophrenia have experienced some form of stigma, which can lead to shame.

Some people, though, have channeled these feelings into a force for good, by doing advocacy work or raising awareness for people with schizophrenia and their caregivers.

Kody Green
Kody Green
Living with schizophrenia
"I’ve gotten a lot of misconceptions over the years about schizophrenia. ... [Humor] helps me be able to still talk about these things but do it in a way that isn’t so traumatic."
Transcript Available
Mitul Desai
Mitul Desai
Caring for a brother with schizophrenia
"[I reframed] this issue from a source of pain to my purpose in life."
Transcript Available
Nicole Gillen
Nicole Gillen
Caring for a daughter with schizophrenia
"The stigma was everywhere. ... I now just fully embrace it and shout it from the rooftops as often as I can."
Transcript Available
Antonio Ferreira
António Ferreira
Living with schizophrenia
"I was able to challenge the emotions from that experience to then channel that into something positive."
Transcript Available
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Schizophrenia. World Health Organization. January 10, 2022.
  2. Living With — Schizophrenia. National Health Service. April 13, 2023.
  3. Khokhar JY et al. The Link Between Schizophrenia and Substance Use Disorder: A Unifying Hypothesis. Schizophrenia Research. April 2018.
  4. Jameel HT et al. Observed Social Support and Willingness for the Treatment of Patients With Schizophrenia. Psychology Research and Behavior Management. February 25, 2020.
  5. Caregiving for a Person With a Mental Illness. Mental Health America.
  6. Gerlinger G et al. Personal Stigma in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review of Prevalence Rates, Correlates, Impact and Interventions. World Psychiatry. June 2013.
Angela-Harper-bio

Angela D. Harper, MD

Medical Reviewer

Angela D. Harper, MD, is in private practice at Columbia Psychiatric Associates in South Carolina, where she provides evaluations, medication management, and psychotherapy for adults.  

A distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Harper has worked as a psychiatrist throughout her career, serving a large number of patients in various settings, including a psychiatric hospital on the inpatient psychiatric and addiction units, a community mental health center, and a 350-bed nursing home and rehab facility. She has provided legal case consultation for a number of attorneys.

Harper graduated magna cum laude from Furman University with a bachelor's degree and cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in adult psychiatry. During residency, she won numerous awards, including the Laughlin Fellowship from the American College of Psychiatrists, the Ginsberg Fellowship from the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, and resident of the year and resident medical student teacher of the year. She was also the member-in-training trustee to the American Psychiatric Association board of trustees during her last two years of residency training.

Harper volunteered for a five-year term on her medical school's admission committee, has given numerous presentations, and has taught medical students and residents. She currently supervises a nurse practitioner. She is passionate about volunteering for the state medical board's medical disciplinary commission, on which she has served since 2015.

She and her husband are avid travelers and have been to over 55 countries and territories.

Madison Breaux

Author
Madison Breaux is an associate editor for Everyday Health. Before working in journalism, she worked as a copywriter and content marketing manager.