Story of a Schizophrenia Patient After Treatment

Treatment for schizophrenia didn't improve my self esteem very much. At the best addiction treatment center in Karachi, one patient is telling a story: I was completely unemployed and unable to attend school. Ordinary people were almost a different species, women completely unapproachable, and "I felt as high as a snake in a wagon rut." That's a quote, although I forget who from. There has been an improvement in Autism and ItsTreatment Categories in my quality of life each year on medication. My father has helped me financially more than I ever would have expected. As I recovered from the drug, I realized that much of my life experience was not my responsibility. I was ashamed of failures caused by a disease process known as schizophrenia. I have felt proud of my identity in the last year or so. I'm not successful by most people's standards, but I have much individuality. As my volunteer says at the end of telling the high school classes about his experience of schizoaffective disorder, "I got my life back." Since we only have one life on this planet, I couldn't ask for much more.

I graduated from university with a double major in biology and anthropology. In anthropology, I suspect recovery would be strictly defined by your contribution to your community and technically only the donation valued by your district. In our culture, that usually means you get paid by someone for what you do and pay taxes on what you earn, although volunteers are sometimes recognized for their contributions. Getting paid is a good indicator of recovery from schizophrenia, particularly when you become self supporting. I've noticed that you get treated very differently when you can contribute to your community. You get treated with respect. It's one of those hard biological facts of life, like growing old. Everybody grows old and has to contribute to the community to be a valued member. Being able to make a valued contribution to your community typically raises your self esteem, your sense of worth, and your self confidence to try new things.

It's a good feeling. As a biologist, I measure recovery by annual earned income and the quality of human relationships, particularly romantic relationships that lead to successful progeny. Biology is mostly about leaving successful progeny, successful in the sense that they flourish, and also leaving successful progeny. But as a human being, I would measure recovery by how I felt about myself, about being proud of my individuality. I manage my illness, and I've adapted to what life offers. Time waits for no one, and the usual meaning of recovery would involve turning back the hands of time. As a 51 year old, I can't expect to relive my twenties, even if I want to.

People experiencing a first psychosis tend to recover well on a low dose of medication. So they tend not to receive very much attention from the medical system. Some so many other people are so much "sicker." The trend now in mental health is to focus services on the SMI clients, the "Seriously Mentally Ill." Unfortunately, the more psychoses you experience, the more likely you will become one of that population, but by then, the damage is done and can't be undone. Some researchers believe most of the deterioration in functioning happens in the first five years of illness. Many researchers believe the longer the DUP (duration of untreated psychosis), the longer it takes someone to stabilize on medication. More psychoses tend to result in a decreased response to drugs. From what I have been reading, the greatest gain to be made in reducing the initial DUP from 2 years, which is average, to less than six months. But without good relapse prevention, those gains will be lost. A researcher from North Carolina said the other day that the first five years of illness set the stage for the rest of the individual's life, giving them the rest of their lives to experience recovery, whatever that means for them.

"Quality of life" is another philosophy driving support and rehabilitation. Schizophrenia can do quite a lot of damage to functioning. For example, personal hygiene requires a lot of effort because I don't enjoy showers anymore. I don't enjoy brushing my teeth as much as other people do. These are daily activities that can't be avoided. I can't read very much at all. Reading is one of the things I lost to schizophrenia, so I will probably never be able to return to school or pursue a new career. Many people with a history of schizophrenia carve out a niche that doesn't involve functioning in an intensely competitive environment. It's a different life that doesn't involve much money, earned or otherwise, one that other people don't value very much, but the quality of life can still be enjoyable. Quality of life is a subjective experience, and a vast body of literature exists on the subject. Recovery, to me, is essentially a way of measuring the quality of life.