How To Live Well With Schizophrenia?

Living with schizophrenia not only affects our professional life but also affects our personal life. If you or your loved one is recently diagnosed with Schizophrenia don’t worry, it can be treated and you can live well with it without hampering your professional or personal life.

However, to live well with schizophrenia, you must read all the information and knowledge about it. Always remember that it is really important to have constant support throughout the recovery journey.

Everyone’s schizophrenia journey is different, everyone’s experience is different, and therefore, it is really important to understand each and every bit about it. This blog works as a mini-guide for how to live well with schizophrenia or how to help someone live well with schizophrenia. So, let’s get started.

What Are the Early Symptoms of Schizophrenia?

Men in their late teens or early twenties are more likely to develop the illness. It primarily affects women in their early twenties and thirties. The prodromal interval is the time between the onset of symptoms and the onset of complete psychosis. It might linger for days, weeks, or even years at a time. Because there is usually no identifiable trigger, it might be difficult to detect. It’s possible that you’ll only notice minor behavioural changes, especially in teenagers. This includes the following:

7 Best Ways to Live Well with Schizophrenia

1.Encourage them to seek therapy regularly

A person who is recently diagnosed with schizophrenia might not get comfortable attending therapy sessions or visiting a therapist regularly. Some people also believe that they don’t want any support or professional help; however, if you or your loved one wants to recover or live your life well with schizophrenia, you must remember that seeking therapy on a regular basis is important.

Keeping up with the therapist appointment is critical, however; you must remind yourself that treatment is important to reach your goals. Regular motivation is required to attend sessions regularly and complete homework.

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2. Manage medications and take them on time

People with schizophrenia might avoid taking medications or might forget to take them on time. Therefore, you must seek social support so that they can encourage you to take medications on time or manage your medications for you.

If you are alone, you can also take the help of medication management apps that sends you notifications or reminds you to take medications on time. Additionally, you must also research or get information about the side effects of taking medications so that you can also manage those. Moreover, it is also important to keep the track of improvements so that you can build a better social life again.

3. Avoid alcohol or drug usage

People experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia often hear voices and symptoms that are not controllable on their own and hence they seek some relaxation by taking alcohol or drugs to make them feel comfortable about it. However, it is really important to avoid any kind of alcohol or drug consumption that might alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Additionally, during the treatment, it is completely prohibited to consume alcohol as it may have a negative impact on the recovery. Whenever you or your loved one feels like consuming alcohol, you must get in touch with a professional to cope with such feelings.

4. Understand the symptoms and work on them

In order to live well with schizophrenia, it is quite important to look upon your symptoms, keep the complete knowledge of your symptoms, research your symptoms, track your symptoms, and keep a handy journal with you so that you can work on them. Additionally, never miss your appointments and tell your symptoms to your therapist so that they can advise you on some self-help tips. Moreover, always monitor your medication and work on the homework provided by the therapist. In case of any side effects, connect with your therapist.

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5. Focus on physical health as well

Schizophrenia is treated with a combination of medications and therapy; therefore, while taking medications related to schizophrenia, you might gain some weight. Medications also increase the risk of obesity and other health-related conditions. schizophrenia and other mental health disorders result in physical health issues especially cardiovascular health issues like high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Therefore, it is quite important to look at your physical health as well. Try to eat a well-balanced diet with nutritious food so that you can maintain a healthy weight. You can also take the help of a dietician or a nutritionist to help you with diet planning.

6. Keep socializing

I know it is not easy to have a good sleep cycle, eating habits, or social circle; however, you can at least try upon having a maintained healthy cycle so that you can recover easily and speedily. Therefore, if you are not able to have a good sleep, do not isolate yourself; instead, take the help of your support system or a loved one to help. Don’t get involved in social withdrawal or interpersonal skills as they will only worsen your symptoms. Ask your support system to help you adhere to routines so that you can recover. Additionally, to avoid social withdrawal, you can plan outings with your friends or get yourself involved in other social activities.

7. Get professional help when required

After taking the help of the above-mentioned self-help techniques to live well with schizophrenia, if you don’t find any improvement or symptoms increase, connect with a registered and experienced mental health professional. Do not refuse treatment and get the support of any kind. If you are not getting synced with the current therapist, provide yourself with some more options and get connected with them. Always keep an emergency plan handy in case of crisis situations.

Having schizophrenia does not preclude you from having a rich and fulfilling life, contrary to popular belief. Schizophrenia is certainly not a stroll in the park. It takes a lot of practise to learn how to deal with the ups and downs of life, let alone psychosis.

I hope this blog helps you with the best ways to live well with schizophrenia.

Thanks for reading!