OAK LEAVES FAMILY SERVICE
COLUMN - NOVEMBER, 2001
My brother, Tim, has recently been diagnosed
with schizophrenia. Tim was a junior at a well-known university, but is
now leaving to come back home to live with us. I love my brother, but I
am scared. What is schizophrenia? What can I expect? How should I treat
him?
When a loved one has been diagnosed with a mental illness, there are many
questions that arise. Your question is very thoughtful because the lives
of people with mental illness are made more difficult by the fact that most
people don't understand what is happening to them. Many times they are met
with fear, being avoided or mocked. This can lead to a secondary depression
which can make their life even more painful, says Marylyn Batory, on staff
at Family Service & Mental Health Center of Oak Park & River Forest and
a member of the Oak Park and River Forest High School Community Support
Team.
First of all, schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain which effects the
way a person thinks and is able to perceive accurately what is occurring
around him or her. A person with this illness often has difficulties thinking
logically and realistically. This difficulty in thinking clearly is further
affected by a distortion in the person's perception of reality due to psychotic
symptoms of hallucinations and delusions.
For example, you may expect that Tim would hear voices. These voices may
be insulting or critical and he may talk back to them. Or, the voices may
be entertaining and cause Tim to laugh at inappropriate times. He may see
things that are not there, such as bugs on the wall, act frightened and
insist on not going into the room.
It is very difficult to try to convince a person who is experiencing hallucinations
that what he or she is seeing or hearing is not real. Some persons with
schizophrenia can come to understand that hallucinations are a symptom of
their disease and not react to them so strong.
Symptoms like these may be difficult for you to cope with at first, but
the more that you can learn about Tim's symptoms, the easier it will be
for you to cope more effectively.
It is important for your brother to be assessed and monitored by a psychiatrist
as soon as he returns home. Psychotropic medication can be very effective
in helping to control these symptoms. Depending on your brother's response
to the medication he may be able to return to a lighter school schedule,
possibly at a community college. He may also be interested in attending
a psycho-social rehabilitation program, such as Family Service's Transitional
Learning Center, which focuses on helping persons with mental illness develop
the skills needed to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Supportive individual
or group therapy can also be helpful in his struggle to accept the changes
in his life caused by this illness.
Therapy may also be an option you may want to look into as well. When there
are difficult adjustments in our lives and in the lives of those we love,
a supportive therapist can make a world of difference.
Families seeking better treatment and resources for people with mental illness
organized the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) in 1979. NAMI
would be supportive to Tim as well as to you and your family. You would
have the opportunity to meet with other family members who have gone through
something similar to what you are experiencing now.
In Oak Park, NAMI-Metro Suburban sponsors and educational support group
for family members to help further their understanding of this illness,
as well as a Drop-In Center which your brother may attend. NAMI can be reached
at 708/524-2582.
Located at 120 S. Marion, Oak Park, Family Service & Mental Health Center
of Oak Park & River Forest is a not-for-profit social service and mental
health agency that provides counseling, psychiatric and prevention/education
programs to men, women, youth and families. To learn more about our programs
or to make an appointment, contact us at (708) 383-7500.
