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It was not long ago that families were blamed for their childrens' schizophrenia. Even in 1976 I remember taking a course in the Sociology of Deviance in which a book written by a Freudian psychiatrist blamed the mother for her daughter's schizophrenia. It was required reading for the course.
I sit on the board of directors for the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario, a grassroots family organization. In many countries the uniqueness of schizophrenia has led to family organizations composed of members whose family has struggled with schizophrenia. In the US, the family movement has led to a more generic organization that encompasses any serious mental illness called NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill). There have been many political advantages to a more generic organization, and NAMI has become a very powerful political force in the US. That is not to say that the more specific organizations dedicated to schizophrenia haven't had successes. It is just that a narrow focus on only schizophrenia can be a political barrier. England, New Zealand, Holland, and probably many other countries including Canada have family organizations for relatives of someone specifically with schizophrenia. There are many reasons for this. Schizophrenia is the most common disabling mental illness, and striking fairly young, it affects families for many, many years. The stigma of schizophrenia is much greater than something like depression, and people, including the families affected, generally know next to nothing about it. They can find support with other families going through similar experiences, and they can educate each other using their own experiences. The lack of insight common to schizophrenia often throws many families into extreme turmoil as they struggle with obtaining treatment that their son or daughter is refusing to comply with. The law and policies of many governments make it very difficult to treat somone refusing treatment. People with schizophrenia lose human relationships even if they comply with treatment. If they refuse to take medication they will eventually become homeless or get in trouble with the law. Many of the homeless with schizophrenia in the major city cores have lost all human relationships, even their family. The family members have had to just give up on their son or daughter to preserve their own health. Family members are also the primary victims of violence at the hands of their relative during a psychotic episode. Psychotic people can be violent and parents are always so surprised, actually quite shocked, to be assaulted by their own son or Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article The Family Movement in Schizophrenia is owned by . Permission to republish The Family Movement in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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