Schizophrenia is a serious mental health disorder that is remarked by the inability to differentiate between the real and the illusion. People with this condition have active periods in which they experience hallucinations, hear voices that are not there and experience delusion.
Patients of schizophrenia also have problems pertaining to speech, cognition, and movement. Their social life is also greatly altered as a result.
Suffice to say, living with schizophrenia is not easy, but the myths about the condition can harm the state of the patient. Hence, knowing what is a myth and what is a fact when it comes to schizophrenia is important.
Common myths about schizophrenia
Myth 1: People with schizophrenia have multiple personalities
Schizophrenia should not be confused with multiple personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder.
DID, formerly known as MPD, is an illness in which people experience a lack of connection between thoughts, memories, reality, surroundings, identity, and actions. Often, it is done in response to trauma. Schizophrenia involves delusions and hallucinations, unlike DID.
Myth 2: Parents will always give schizophrenia to their child
Genetics are important with any disease, but it is a game of probability in most cases. With schizophrenia as well, having a parent with the condition certainly increases the risk for it, but it does not mean that you will necessarily get the condition.
Myth 3: People with schizophrenia are dangerous
Due to the problematic depiction of people with schizophrenia, they are often considered to be dangerous individuals who can hurt others. It is thought that they should be locked up in special facilities.
However, this is a complete fabrication. People with schizophrenia are not, statistically, any more likely to commit crimes than an average individual. Moreover, when managed well with proper schizophrenia treatment, these individuals can function almost normally in their lives.
Myth 4: Bad parenting can cause schizophrenia
There are a lot of issues bad parenting can cause, but schizophrenia is not only of them. There are some habits that can increase the risk factors for it, but generally, bad parenting cannot cause the disease.
Myth 5: The symptoms of schizophrenia are the same, always
If people think there are only certain symptoms of schizophrenia, and all of them need to be there to merit a diagnostic test, then that is problematic, as it can lead to delayed treatment.
Therefore, it is important to know that there is a wide range of symptoms that are characteristic of schizophrenia. Moreover, the symptoms can vary in severity and type depending also on the environment and sociocultural practices.
Myth 6: People with schizophrenia need to be hospitalized
Just because one has schizophrenia does not mean they require long-term hospitalization. The decision of the hospitalstays rests with the doctors, and in most cases is contingent on how the patient responds to the treatment.
Myth 7: There is no treatment for schizophrenia
While you cannot cure schizophrenia altogether, with proper treatment, schizophrenia symptoms can be managed well. The response to the treatment and medication can vary from person to person, but there certainly is an improvement to be observed on account of the treatment.
