Question

ESSAY QUESTION

Your roommate has a good friend from home who has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia, paranoid subtype. What would you tell your roommate in order to help him/her maintain this friendship from home. What does your roommate need to know? What can your roommate do to be helpful? Discuss the treatments currently available for schizophrenia and their efficiency.

Answer 1

Schizophrenia of the paranoid subtype include symptoms such as auditory hallucinations, delusion and a perception of being treated unjustly. Most people with paranoid schizophrenia are functional in most aspects of their lives and are often do not appear to have anything wrong with them.

• As a friend, it is important for you to be accepting of your friend’s condition and not treat them any differently because of their diagnosis.
• Talk to your friend’s family members to find out the severity of the symptoms.
• Lend an ear to your friend and listen to what they have to say without passing judgement.
• Encourage your friend to exercise, since the endorphin rush from the exercise will help your friend stay positive.
• Encourage your friend to do things that they enjoy.

Schizophrenia, depending on the subtype and severity, are often manageable with medication and lifestyle changes. You can help your friend in some of the following ways:

• Discuss the treatment options with your friend.
• Offer to go visit a doctor with them and provide them with support.
• Since your friend was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, they might be suspicious of seeing a therapist. Instead, pick a particular physiological symptom such as insomnia or fatigue and ask your friend to see a doctor to treat those symptoms.
• Encourage your friend to take their medication regularly. You could get them a customised pill box and a calendar to help them remember to take their medication.
• Ask your friend to maintain a journal that catalogues how they feel each day
• Talk to your friend’s family to track their progress and observe any signs of a relapse

Treatment:

Medication is one of the most important methods of treating schizophrenia. Since there is no cure for the disease, your friend will have to take the medication prescribed for their entire life. Schizophrenia is often treated with low doses of antipsychotic medication.

Individual therapy helps identify thought patterns and identify situations that trigger stress.

Family therapy helps the individual’s family members become more aware of the disease and provides them with support that they need.

Electroconvulsive therapy is also another option when a person does not respond to medication