If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options
schizophrenia: The effects on friends and family
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Schizzophrenia is a fairly mis-understood thing and despite what people think it is not 'Split personality problems', which is a different condition itself. For me personally, i have seen the devistating effect of Schizzophrenia on my closest friend Gazz and i can tell you now that it is not a nice thing when as his friend i saw him go down hill rapidly into the mental state he was in.
My friend spent a long time in a mental health unit and i was very, very depressed about it myself for a long time and i questioned why anyone so loving and kind and thoughtful could go through such a degrading thing as he now has. Thankfully, he has the support of RETHINK which is a national and local charity which helps anyone with mental health problems.
I've made a few friends myself at the RETHINK Centre in scunthorpe and a few years ago went on holiday for the weekend to butlins with some of my friends from RETHINK centre which was enjoyable and the 3 people i shard a challette with were all schizzophrenia sufferers. Peoples misguided oppinion is that all schizzophrenics are like 'Norman Bates' from the film 'Psycho' which is absolutely untrue and all my friends who i shared with i would gladly go on holiday with again.
Schizzophrenia doesn't mean that sufferers don't have a life, in fact most sufferers i know (and i know a lot of people with it) lead a fairly normal life doing things that we all do in our day to day lives like vititing friends, shopping etc and last time i saw my friends we had a laugh and a joke at the Rethink centre and we all had a great time.
People with mental illnesses do not want pitty or charity and for most that do suffer in different ways, they wouldn't probably wish to have the illness so if people are supportive to those with mental health problems then the world would be a slightly less scary place for sufferers and helpers.
I know for one i am very much aware of how much i have learned about the illness Schizzophrenia myself from talking to sufferers and reading books on the subject and it is something that i am very interested in.
For Family and Friends of Schizzophrenia sufferers it can not be easy to see a member of the family go through such tough times and i know from experiencing the way my friends family went through it as we all did for my friend that it was a very scary time for my friend, his family, his other friends and for me as his best friend. Judging people as 'Phsycho' or 'Mental' is really something that belongs in the past and i for one am now in support of Rethink and other people with mental illness, and it must be noted that i don't think anyone i know would want to go through what my friends go through every day, i am sure of that 100 percent
My friend spent a long time in a mental health unit and i was very, very depressed about it myself for a long time and i questioned why anyone so loving and kind and thoughtful could go through such a degrading thing as he now has. Thankfully, he has the support of RETHINK which is a national and local charity which helps anyone with mental health problems.
I've made a few friends myself at the RETHINK Centre in scunthorpe and a few years ago went on holiday for the weekend to butlins with some of my friends from RETHINK centre which was enjoyable and the 3 people i shard a challette with were all schizzophrenia sufferers. Peoples misguided oppinion is that all schizzophrenics are like 'Norman Bates' from the film 'Psycho' which is absolutely untrue and all my friends who i shared with i would gladly go on holiday with again.
Schizzophrenia doesn't mean that sufferers don't have a life, in fact most sufferers i know (and i know a lot of people with it) lead a fairly normal life doing things that we all do in our day to day lives like vititing friends, shopping etc and last time i saw my friends we had a laugh and a joke at the Rethink centre and we all had a great time.
People with mental illnesses do not want pitty or charity and for most that do suffer in different ways, they wouldn't probably wish to have the illness so if people are supportive to those with mental health problems then the world would be a slightly less scary place for sufferers and helpers.
I know for one i am very much aware of how much i have learned about the illness Schizzophrenia myself from talking to sufferers and reading books on the subject and it is something that i am very interested in.
For Family and Friends of Schizzophrenia sufferers it can not be easy to see a member of the family go through such tough times and i know from experiencing the way my friends family went through it as we all did for my friend that it was a very scary time for my friend, his family, his other friends and for me as his best friend. Judging people as 'Phsycho' or 'Mental' is really something that belongs in the past and i for one am now in support of Rethink and other people with mental illness, and it must be noted that i don't think anyone i know would want to go through what my friends go through every day, i am sure of that 100 percent
0
Comments
its definitely a very misunderstood condition, and it can be a very heartbreaking thing to watch someone so close to you go through
my friend has been sectioned several times and does struggle with the effects of the condition daily. i think his medication helps a lot although the drugs defo don't do any favours
hes a very good friend that i have a lot of respect for, for various reasons. you wouldnt think he had any problems just by talking to him etc, although he can be a bit iffy at times
people tend to think it means they are absolutely nuts etc which isnt true!