Comments on: Are People with Schizophrenia More Prone to Violent Behavior than Others?

By: Don

Don — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:52:31 +0000

Like any other ailment or disease, there are varying degrees of the illness. Some people may hear voices telling them what to do, others may be depressed, others will exibit many other symptoms that do not appear to be ‘normal’, whatever ‘normal’ is. Medication seems to work for some, but many refuse to take the medications. It is a lifelong struggle for the individual, the care givers and the people that love them. Hopefully with research and some compassion, more can be done in the future.

By: Michele T.

Michele T. — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:28:37 +0000

My cousin who’s more like a brother has paranoid schizophrenia. He is now 36 and was diagnosed in his early 20′s. When he’s on the right balance of meds, he does well. Although he can never hold down a job and he is paranoid that someone is going to hurt his daughter all the time and is very overprotective of her (she is 13). He has never had a real romantic or steady relationship and he and his daughter live with his dad. He does have full custody of his daugther because the mother was not a good choice due to past drug addictions. Anyway, he just recently had another replapse that he has every 2 – 3 years and this one was REALLY bad! It seems when he’s under stress the medication that he is using no longer works. When he starts to spiral down I try to tell him he needs to see his Dr. This relapse was so bad that I didn’t even recognize who he was and I was very fearful he might come and hurt me. I did hear that relapses as they age can get worse and closer together. He exhausted me just dealing with him a few minutes a week. I can’t imagine what my uncle goes through dealing with an actively psychotic schizophrenic in the house at all times. It is a very sad disease. And people think badly of it because when they are in the throws of an episode it is VERY scary to be around them when they have that look of the devil in their eyes and they are making all kinds of evil threats to your face. Very scary! It’s been 3 weeks and I’m hoping he is getting better with a meds adjustment, but I just don’t know.

By: Peg

Peg — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:38:24 +0000

I’m the sister of a brother with schitzophrenia. Both parents have been gone for 20+ years. Twenty years ago I, a family member (of a brother with schitzophrenia) was a participant in a trainig with mental health professionals named “Family, The Missing Ingredient”. The bottom line, family even if it’s only one family member that interfaces regularly with the schitzophrenic is so important. For many reasons, to be the go-between with the mental health professionals as well as that taking care of the schitzophrenic’s business-keep a roof over his head, pay bills, get food, and help him make sense of the why’s and wherefore’s of life since that’s how the illness affects him common sense is affected. Sometimes I forget he’s got this illness when he expresses his appreciation for the things I do and his feelings for me and his apologies to me when he looses his temper or gets annoyed with me. Other times there’s no doubt in my mind he has this illness by the odd things he says, and believes — that seem so strange to me, but not to him. He hears voices that I do not hear (and I tell him so) but I just listen when he says little men are in the attic making fun of him, or when he requested locks to lock up his food (since he believes)people are breaking in to his apt and poisioning his food–and..when I encounter a shower of popsicle sticks he keeps in the top crack of the door to tell if someone has broken into his apt. I know he has a good heart and since we’re only 11 months apart-this could have been me. The illness is believed to be hereditary (genetic). Some people can lead productive lives with the illness with medication. Because of my brother’s mild personality, he is able to live alone with my help and medication monitoring. He’s anti-social so work is out of the question along with his paranoia. Family is important. Nightly phone calls help my brother I ask him what he cooked for dinner and how he made it — things like that. Sometimes we talk about I remember when, (growing up) or TV shows he watched. I think I am the only one he trusts, and I don’t want to ever break that trust. By talking every night on the phone, I feel helps him distinguish reality from unreality.

By: GLS

GLS — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:43:37 +0000

My father had this disease and it was so difficult. He tried to kill himself by jumping from a bridge and jumped out of a hospital window. Both times he was ok. He was put in a mental hospital which gave him shock treatments. We were allowed to bring him home on some weekends but he would give us so much trouble trying to take him back, that we had to stop. He never tried to hurt anyone but himself. After five years of this a new doctor told us he was ok and we could take him home. We were in shock. He still had problems and my mom ended up leaving him because he would harass her all the time. He would tell me ( I was about 10 years old) that she was never coming home when she went to the store. He ended up holding down a few jobs but was never really cured. It was heart breaking to see him in a mental institution.

By: Anonymous Person

Anonymous Person — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:30:29 +0000

I’ve lived under the burden of schizophrenia for the last twenty years. I became ill at the age of 28. My son was eight years old at the time. No meds worked until I started taking Ativan ten years later, which makes the experience less intense but never makes it go away. I was extremely fortunate in that my family has basically stuck by me throughout and has never judged me. But one thing that I’ve learned from them and society and the “voices” is that even though you are technically crazy and thinking odd thoughts and seeing odd things and undergoing severe psychological trauma at times, you should always strive to be a friendly and helpful member of your community. People with CONTROLLED mental illnesses should do as much work as they can do. They should continue to be active and loving parents, partners, siblings, neighbors and tax payers. And their quality of life WILL improve! And then their loved ones won’t be so stressed or sad!

By: Dr. Cathy

Dr. Cathy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:11:59 +0000

dr moncure said “It sickens me tto hear stories of families abandoning a person with mental illness. Left out on the street they become victimized and suffer greatly. Shame on those whom do not take care of a sick family member”

Hmmm, I can only conclude that you have never been the caretaker of a schizophrenic relative. My brother was diagnosed 31 years ago, and I can’t tell you how many psychotic episodes we have suffered through. As is generally true of schizophrenics, he has NO INSIGHT whatsoever regarding his condition: whenever he has his meds balanced correctly so that his brain is functional again, he thinks that he is cured and doesn’t need to take his meds any more. When psychotic, he is hostile, suspicious, belligerent and threatening; he has never struck me but I have often been afraid of him. What makes the whole thing a weary exercise is that even when he is on his meds, he is not “himself” – it’s my little brother’s body but it’s not him inside it any more. There is NO REWARD for taking care of him. He is never grateful, he is never pleasant to be around. He does best when he has a weekly long visit with me, so EVERY SATURDAY is devoted to him, and I can take very little pleasure in any of our expeditions out for lunch and a movie or the zoo or a museum or something else new and different, because I am walking on eggshells the whole time trying not to offend him or raise suspicions that I’m plotting against him. There is no up-side to taking care of him; there is only NOT feeling guilty for turning him over entirely to others to take care of him. So don’t be so judgmental about people who can’t cope with a schizophrenic relative. You have no idea what it is like to walk in these moccasins.

By: RCH

RCH — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:50:14 +0000

For those who think its shameful to abandon, consider the following story. My stepson has schizophrenia and was in and out of programs, hospitals, and sometimes jail throughout his teenage years. He took his meds occasionally, but became more and more challenging and defiant as the years went on. We supported him all the way despite the fact that his actions virtually destroyed our family and broke up our marriage. His schizophrenia was compounded by oppositional defiant disorder. He wasn’t aggressively violent, but did often get into fights. He broke into our homes and was eventually placed under a temporary restraining order for all of our protection. Because state law says he must be a “threat to himself or to others” and he is often not, then he is often on his own and most important it is up to him decide whether he wants to take his meds. He refuses. Thus, the cycle of his bad or unsocial/unlawful behavior continues and he is now serving his second 6-month jail term. His family still loves him, but rightly recognizes that for their own protection they must abandon him. Its sadly unfortunate that the law, as written, means he must make up his own mind whether to accept help—and the Catch 22 is that his own mind won’t allow him to accept help. Until the law changes, and families are allowed to place their adult or teenage loved ones with mental illness/disorders in homes/institutions/hospitals without the patients consent (for their own good), this situation will not resolve itself. Sad, but true.

By: Robin Walters

Robin Walters — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:11:02 +0000

My father was diagnosed with Schizophrenia when he was just 15 years old, and to be honest with you he is the most sane person in our family. I have always known my dad had mental illness, but none of my closest friends had any idea. My dad is the most kind, gentle man you would ever want to meet. He would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it. Now I have a daughter with Bipolar and she is also the sanest person I know. There is no reason to fear these beautiful people, they are just like you and I with a twist.

By: JLW

JLW — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:13:20 +0000

My brohter has this awful disease..I am a psychotherapist and have an ‘intellectual’ understanding of the disease and can discuss it in the third person,,however the personal pain of seeing and interacting with my brother is at times overwhelming,,I always tell him that I love and suuport him however I see my poor mother bend and tow to outbursts and misperceptions that she agrees to just to shut him up. There are the constant phone calls,,,, and my mother is in her 70′s. I can only do day to day interasctions and bulid myself to deal with him which is rarely due to him not interacting with the rest of the family. I pray for him,,will always be there for him,,and do know that I love him dearly. He’s my little brother,,,,,

By: Understood

Understood — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:06:49 +0000

This is right on. As someone who has lived with a loved one dealing with schizophrenia for 20 years, I can tell you that there are no easy answers an we don’t and can’t really understand the nature of this disease with the images and perceptions put out there by the media. Unfortunately, it’s all too common that very intellegent people often have a very limited understanding and a pretty naive attitude towards schizophrenia. Schizophrenia affects an estimated 2.2 million Americans each year, yet our perception of this is one reality of a crazy, homeless person or a psycotic killer living in the woods. The truth is there are people with schizophrenia all around us and they don’t come in one size however the options for them are very limited.