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Schizophrenia Awareness Day: “Believe in what you can do and believe in yourself”

25 Jul 24

“You need to believe in what you can do and believe in yourself.” These are the words of Hollis, an HPFT service user who has lived with schizophrenia.

A hand holding a cut out of a head with the word schizophrenia in it

Schizophrenia is a mental health condition which, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, affects around 1 in 100 people, yet many people are not really clear on what the condition is, and what it means for the person living with it, and the impact on family and friends.

Living with schizophrenia affects the way you think, feel and behave. It can cause a range of symptoms which may include hallucinations - seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling things that don't exist outside of the person’s mind; delusions - firm and fixed beliefs based on reasoning that is unchangeable despite rational argument or evidence to the contrary; disorganised thinking; lack of motivation; slow movement and a change in sleep patterns. This list is not exhaustive and even if you have these symptoms, it does not always mean you have schizophrenia.

Hollis has lived with the condition for many years.

“Having a diagnosis of schizophrenia has had a huge impact on my life. I have experienced losing friends and social activities and being treated differently. Although I recognise the medical diagnosis of schizophrenia, I also think of it as a spiritual journey and have found there are other ways of thinking about the symptoms and my experiences rather than it always being a negative thing. It is what works best for the individual. I have learnt that you need to believe in what you can do and believe in yourself. You can turn your symptoms into a positive and I find self-reflection is now much easier.”

Lauren Dennis is an HPFT Consultant Nurse, Early Intervention in Psychosis Services:

“We know that it is hard for people living with schizophrenia to get help. A large number of people don’t realise they are even unwell and this then makes it difficult for family members to get them to seek help.

“The earlier you can get help the better the prognosis. The first port of call with be the GP who can assess the situation and refer as needed to appropriate organisations such as HPFT.”

There are different types of treatment available and medical professionals should work with the individual to find the treatment that is right for them. These include medications such as ‘antipsychotics’ or psychosocial treatments like CBT, family intervention and art therapy.

For further information on the support HPFT can offer to people diagnosed with psychosis which includes schizophrenia, please visit: PATH - Psychosis: Prevention, Assessment and Treatment in Hertfordshire (hpft.nhs.uk)

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