lifestyle issues
Schizophrenia: The Disease
What It's Like to Suffer From Schizophrenia
John's Story: Part One
John is a hypothetical person who is developing the early symptoms of schizophrenia. He is a composite of many individuals who acquire this illness early in their adult life. His story is typical, but by no means describes everyone in this situation. He could be me or you, your son, your brother or your boyfriend.
John is twenty-two years old, works part-time, and hopes to enter college in the fall. He lives alone in an apartment. He has a girlfriend. John was an excellent student in high-school and had many friends. He was a better than average basketball player and loved art, particularly painting.
John has his sights set on earning some money and enjoying the summer in the short-term. His long range plans include completing college, a career as a teacher, marriage and a family. In the past John has had many other interests beyond his love for basketball and art. He has always been a healthy young man. No one suspected that anything could interfere with John’s dreams and plans for the future.
Everything changed for John during the summer after he graduated from high school. Those changes were subtle at first. Some of them went unnoticed by his family and friends for some time. His girlfriend, Melody, was the first to suspect that something might be wrong. At first she had trouble convincing his other friends, and even John’s family, that John was changing. He began to lose interest, especially in those things that involved spending time with other people. He became uncertain about his plans for college, even though he had registered for fall quarter classes in June.
He also began to be less attentive to grooming and hygiene. Days would pass between shaves. He stopped cutting his hair. Melody found that John required prompting to bathe and change his clothes. He seemed to have less energy and less interest in doing things other than painting. His circle of friends became smaller and smaller. Eventually, John only spent time with Melody and his younger brother Peter.
There were also other changes. John spoke less. His sense of humor disappeared. His keen intellect and lust for stimulating conversation were replaced with a dullness of mind, apathy and indifference. He began to withdraw into himself and into his painting. The content of his art became unusual and then bizarre. He was less and less likely to look people in the eye when he did speak to them. At times he seemed confused and disorganized. In the middle of the summer he withdrew from the college courses he was preparing to begin in September.
John soon began to do and say things that were strange. He seemed suspicious of other people, even people that he didn’t know. Eventually, it seemed that John trusted no one, not even Melody or his younger brother, Peter, who he had always confided in. By this time, everyone who knew John well began to believe that something was wrong. John’s mother and Melody were able to convince him to see the family’s doctor.
A physical examination and routine blood tests revealed nothing. The doctor ordered a CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) scan of John’s brain, which was also normal. Because John seemed to be getting worse, John’s doctor ordered an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan. This was also normal. John’s speech, unusual behavior, and poor hygiene were ominous signs that worried everyone, particularly his doctor. She suggested that John see a mental health professional.
At first John was very reluctant and insisted that he was fine. Melody and John’s family members hoped that these changes simply represented some new “artistic phase” for John, a stage that would be short-lived and would eventually pass. They decided to give John some space to see if what they had postulated might be true.
John began to experience unusual perceptions and intrusive thoughts. With time, John began to share things with Melody, alarming things. He told Melody that people were watching him and following him. In response to these beliefs, he insisted upon installing additional locks on the door to his apartment. John kept the drapes closed and refused to answer his phone. By late August, John refused to leave his apartment and at times wouldn’t let Peter or Melody in when they came to visit.
By that time, John had quit his part-time job, insisting that his co-workers were always talking about him behind his back. Finally, in the week before John quit, he shared with Peter that his boss was looking for reasons to fire him. This seemed plausible to Peter, as John was disheveled and sometimes smelled, and John regularly decided to stay home from work. Peter spoke to John’s boss, who admitted that he was thinking about letting John go, but insisted that he wanted John to pull himself together.
John’s boss thought that he should see someone. He suspected that John might be depressed. Still John refused to consider any help beyond the financial support that his parents were providing. John began to be irritable and was sleeping poorly. He wasn’t eating regularly and was losing weight. He often became quite angry whenever anyone suggested that there might be something wrong with him. He was sure that they too would be anxious and fearful if they were experiencing the things that he was dealing with.
(Sources: The author's knowledge base, unless otherwise noted.)
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