Monday 25th July 2022 will be National Schizophrenia Awareness Day, which aims to shine a light on the challenges of hundreds of thousands of people living with a diagnosis in the UK and around the world.
Schizophrenia is a complicated mental health problem related to psychosis. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the condition and even mental health professionals don’t all agree about it. Whilst attitudes towards mental health have changed, the stigma around schizophrenia still remains. In a recent study, three in four people felt no progress has been made in the last decade.
Schizophrenia is not as uncommon as you might believe as one in one hundred people will experience it in their lifetime. Everyone’s experience is unique, and unusual or different behaviours may start suddenly or gradually develop over time. You might experience a lack of interest in things, feeling disconnected from your emotions, wanting to avoid people or hearing voices that others can’t. Sadly, the media portrayal of the people living with schizophrenia has led many people to think that they are evil geniuses hiding in the shadows or artistic loners who sell their works for millions, yet the reality is very different.
“45% of people living with severe mental illness had been a victim of crime in the previous year and five times more likely to experience serious assault compared to their peers”
Rethink Mental Illness
Living with schizophrenia is not, and should not be, a barrier to employment, personal relationships or having a good quality of life. To find out more about the condition, as well as the work of Rethink Mental Illness, you can visit their website. You can also find educational resources on Mind’s website.
