Is Your Parent Dealing
With Schizophrenia?
Are you caring for a parent with suspected or diagnosed Schizophrenia?
This experience can be hard and isolating especially if you are the primary caregiver to your mum or dad and you do not have any adults that you can confide in.
To understand what your parent is going through, as well as how to help yourself, here is some more information about adults with Schizophrenia.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a condition that affects a person’s experience of reality. A person who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia will experience episodes of Psychosis, which means they experience delusions and hallucinations and find it hard to distinguish what is real and what isn’t.
It is important to understand that a person can be experiencing psychosis but not have Schizophrenia, as there are various forms of psychosis.
Health professionals make a diagnosis of Schizophrenia based on a pattern of signs and symptoms combined with changes in their everyday functioning. For this reason, a diagnosis of Schizophrenia takes time and, in general, people have been mentally unwell for quite some time before the diagnosis is made.
Schizophrenia falls into the category of ‘severe mental condition’ since this lifelong condition has no definite cure yet. However, this condition can be managed effectively, and it is possible to live a stable life with the right medications and support.
Symptom of an Adult or a Parent with Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia in adults often develops in the mid-20s for men and the late-20s for women. Though very rare, some individuals also develop Schizophrenia at an early age or later than age 45.
One of the main symptoms of Schizophrenia in adults is recurring Psychosis which is also rare but not uncommon. Adults experiencing psychosis (repeated and frequent episodes) will find it hard to identify what is real from what isn’t. Even though they are getting treatment for Psychosis but still experience episodes, they may be diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
If your mum or dad is suspected or diagnosed with Schizophrenia it does not mean they will experience or show all of the symptoms. It is important to remember that your parent can have a very different experience from another adult living with Schizophrenia.
The main symptoms are:
- Psychotic episodes — short periods of intense symptoms
- Delusions — fixed false beliefs that can’t be changed by evidence
- Hallucinations — hearing voices or otherwise sensing things that aren’t real
- Disordered thinking — muddled, disrupted thoughts that can be expressed through speech
- Disordered behaviour — unusual, inappropriate or extreme actions
- Paranoia — believe that something bad is going to happen
- Repeated actions of strange mannerisms
- Low motivation such as not wanting to go to work or not doing anything productive
- Disregard for personal hygiene
- Inability to express emotion or feel pleasure
- Problems with attention, memory, verbal and mental functions
- Poor familial and social relationships
What causes Schizophrenia?
Like many mental conditions, Schizophrenia doesn’t have just one single cause, it can be the result of a combination of several internal and external factors including:
- Genetic predisposition
- Biochemical – shortage or excess of certain chemicals in the brain
- Environmental such as stress, trauma and drug use (medical or substance)
Since most symptoms tend to develop during the 20s, adults can start experiencing symptoms of Schizophrenia and further develop the condition when not properly treated as soon as possible. Schizophrenia appears in about 0.3-0.7 per cent of the population in most countries, including Australia.
Diagnosis of Schizophrenia
Parents experiencing Schizophrenia have either developed the condition during their late teens or early 20s. However, there are adults who now experience Schizophrenia since symptoms that first started during their early years have not been treated and instead had been carried to adulthood.
Adults experiencing Psychosis is the number one indicator that your mum or dad may have Schizophrenia. Other mental health conditions with similar symptoms like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) may also show Schizophrenia-like qualities in parents but are not necessarily part of the diagnosis for Schizophrenia. As such, it is necessary to get your mum or dad to a GP or a Psychiatrist to get professional help that can rule out other behavioural and mental health conditions through systematic reviews of their physical and mental conditions. For adults to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia, they must experience this condition on most days for at least 6 months.
Treatments for an Adult or a Parent with Schizophrenia
Get the help your parent needs through an early diagnosis – as soon as you suspect symptoms of Schizophrenia in adults. Anyone experiencing mental health conditions is going through their journey and require a specific treatment plan which takes into account their age and stage in life.
Through treatment the condition is manageable, and some people can live a relatively normal life including maintaining healthy relationships and securing a job. Medications are the cornerstone of Schizophrenia treatment and antipsychotic medications are the most commonly prescribed drugs. Schizophrenia requires lifelong treatment, even when symptoms have subsided. In addition to medications, an experienced psychiatrist usually guides some sort of psychosocial treatment and the treatment team may include a psychologist, social worker, psychiatric nurse and possibly a case manager to coordinate care.
How to help your Parent with Schizophrenia
As a child, though you may not be able to provide direct professional medical help, you can care for your parent by giving them the medical attention they deserve so that a GP or a Psychiatrist can devise an appropriate treatment plan for your parent. To help you understand what they are going through, you can also refer to mental health services online or phone a helpline to know what steps to take. Always remember that it’s best to bring your parents to a GP or Psychiatrist to seek professional help as early as possible.
How to help yourself
It can be difficult for you to see your mum or dad with Schizophrenia. You may even feel like you are carrying the weight of your family when you see your parent lose their personal relationships and strain their financial obligations. It will even be more painful when you feel like they are neglecting you. But you do not have to go through this alone! As a child or a teen caring for an adult experiencing mental health conditions, it’s advisable that you get the help of adults and the communities around you. At HelpingMinds®, we offer free and confidential support to Carers or to people who are caring for someone living with mental health challenges. We conduct free counselling, support groups, as well as school holiday programs, family programs, and youth programs.
Get Support from HelpingMinds®
Would you like to know more about free and confidential mental health carer services and how we can support you? Please feel free to contact HelpingMinds® via the form below or on (08) 9427 7100. For one of our team to get back to you, we will require your email address and/or phone number. Please know all information provided will be treated completely confidential and in line with our privacy policy.