Schizophrenia is a very serious mental disorder in which a person experiences hallucinations, false delusions, and extremely disordered thinking. His/her behavior towards things and people impairs daily functioning.
It is not difficult to deal with your schizophrenia. There are some ways that can be very helpful in making the recovery possible. A patient of schizophrenia can help himself in the management of schizophrenia by dealing with the symptoms and work independently like others. A person can build a happy and satisfying relationship and enjoy a peaceful life.
Management of Schizophrenia
There is no fine cure for schizophrenia yet but it is also a misconception that it is impossible to recover and management of schizophrenia can be done. There are different ways to deal with schizophrenia that is medication, supportive therapies, and other self-help strategies. Some are described below.
Get involved in treatment and self-help
For the management of schizophrenia, it is important to start your treatment as soon as you are diagnosed with it or you start exhibiting symptoms. It cannot be treated with medicine alone. You need better self-support, need to be social, manage your stress through exercise, take self-help measures,s and also communicate with your doctor. You need to help yourself because the more you help yourself the less hopeless you feel about your situation. These self-help strategies might not be able to deal with the symptoms as a whole but it helps in the management of schizophrenia.
There are some steps that can help you in dealing with your disorder with the help of your friends, family, and close ones.
- Accept your diagnosis.
- Don’t buy into the stigma of schizophrenia.
- Communicate with your doctor.
- Pursue self-help and therapy that helps you manage symptoms.
- Set and work toward life goals.
Get active:
In the management of schizophrenia symptoms, it is very important to keep yourself active through regular exercise. It will help you in better sleep, it helps in dealing with your stress and psychotic episodes. It does affect your mood and gives you positive energy and makes you feel calmer.
You don’t have to join the gym and be under training for this you can do simple regular exercise for 30 minutes which engages every part of your body. You could also simply walk daily; it will be very effective in calming your nervous system.
Seek face to face support:
Face to face support in schizophrenia could be very helpful. You need to surround yourself with the people who care about you. And you need to have face to face time with people who listen to you properly and suggest you without being judgmental and criticizing. Having the support of a person you can trust can make a huge difference in your treatment.
Manage your stress:
Living with schizophrenia and managing your daily routine work could be very draining for a person. An increase in stress level can increase the production of cortisol hormone which may trigger a psychotic episode. You should know about your limits at school, work or at home. Do not take the stress and do not work beyond your capacity. Being social and regular exercise is a good way to deal with your stress.
Do meditation and deep breathing and other muscle relaxation techniques to help yourself with stress. It will consequently help you in the management of schizophrenia. You also need to take care of your emotions, try to ignore your negative emotions especially those which bring stress.
Take care of yourself:
Anyone can make a huge difference in their health by taking care of themselves by taking a healthy and proper diet, managing their sleep routine, doing regular exercise, and eliminating the use of drugs and alcohol for their life. Eating a healthy and balanced diet can also help you in dealing with symptoms by substantial changes in sugar level.
A schizophrenic patient can overcome their symptoms by taking great care. They are on medication so they need more sleep than usual. Substance use can also affect the treatment of schizophrenia and worsens the symptoms.
Understand the role of Medication:
It is important to know that medication is not a cure of schizophrenia it only helps in treating the symptoms. When you are diagnosed with schizophrenia your doctor will prescribe with you antipsychotic medication. Antipsychotic medication helps in reducing the symptoms like hallucination, paranoia, delusions, and disordered thinking. Medication does not help in dealing with other symptoms of schizophrenia-like expressing your emotions and socially withdrawing.
Management of schizophrenia using the medication can cause many side effects. It could be very unpleasant and can make you feel lazy, lack of energy, weight gain, and sexual dysfunction. If it keeps bothering you, so talk to your doctor about its side effects.
Conclusion:
Schizophrenia is a very serious mental disorder and there is not any final cure about it. It can only be controlled through therapies, self-help strategies, and medication. Family members and friends can play a very vital role in helping loved ones who are suffering from a disorder like this. If you want to watch a movie on schizophrenia, You can watch A Beautiful Mind
