Get the right facts.

As much as the world is rapidly gaining awareness on mental illnesses, Schizophrenia remains largely misunderstood. Many people have little to no knowledge about this condition. As such, there are many myths and misconceptions about this condition; a major stumbling block to treatment. Let us explore three of the most common myths and misconceptions surrounding this condition.

1. People with Schizophrenia have split or multiple personalities

People who have Schizophrenia will occasionally have hallucinations and talk to themselves. They constantly seem out of touch with reality and have a problem differentiating between fantasy and reality. This has no relation to split personalities which involves a person behaving like they are two or more people. Although these two conditions are entirely unrelated, many people still confuse them.

Schizophrenia has some classic, unique symptoms like a lack of concentration, hallucinations, difficulty in forming meaningful social connections and low motivation. On the other hand, some of the signs of split personalities include depression, mood swings and general anxiety.

2. People with Schizophrenia are violent

While it is true that some Schizophrenia patients can become aggressive, this is rarely the case. In fact, Schizophrenia patients are the ones on the receiving end of violence rather than being the perpetrators. These patients are only violent when they’re under the impression that someone is out to harm them. At such times they will feel the need to protect themselves.

As a result, they tend to hide from people and dwell in solitude. It is rather alarming that 1 out of 3 Schizophrenia patients end up committing suicide due to feelings of being left out or misunderstood.

3. Schizophrenia results from bad parenting

Interestingly, many people believe that Schizophrenia is caused by poor parenting in the early years of the patient. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. The only link between parents and their Schizophrenic children is genetic. Additionally, even genetic research claims that the child of a Schizophrenic individual has less than a 25% possibility of developing the condition as well.

According to the American Psychological Association, there are a variety of factors that contribute to Schizophrenia. These include both genes and environmental factors. Needless to say, bad parenting isn’t one of them.

Parting shot

Ultimately, these are just a few among the many misguided notions surrounding Schizophrenia. If we are to understand this condition truly, it is important for us to dig for facts instead of depending on hearsay. As much as Schizophrenia is difficult to treat, the society has a huge role to play in assisting the patients to lead a normal and healthy life.