Understanding Schizophrenia

 Schizophrenia can seriously impact a person's academic pursuits or their work/ employment and career prospects. Some symptoms of schizophrenia such as disorganised thinking and behaviour, cognitive decline with associated memory problems, and inability to concentrate well can mount a huge challenge in new learning, retention, presentation of ideas, creativity, productivity, and the ability to give one's best at work or studies. Consequently, some individuals with schizophrenia may even drop out of academics, find it difficult to retain employment or lose their jobs, and overall under perform than those without the condition.
Schizophrenia can make a person develop flat emotions and monotonous expressions, and they tend to isolate keeping themselves in their own world of thoughts and imagination. Their tendency to withdraw from enjoyable pleasures of life and life in general and their apparent lack of warmth can create problems in developing or sustaining a viable relationship. This can be further complicated if the person is affected by psychosis and may act with hostility and suspicion towards their loved ones with a fair possibility of breakdown in significant relationships.
An individual may feel paranoid that they are being watched or judged and that people are out there to get them. This may further drive them into their shell, disconnect them from people and the world at large, and may even cause them to feel worthless and suicidal 

 Schizophrenia can be a very perplexing situation to navigate for the family and friends of the affected person. The complex symptoms that include cognitive decline, self-isolation, withdrawal from the world, and the accompanying psychosis in a schizophrenic person can create an emotional distance from and gap in understanding with family and friends who may find it challenging to support the person.
Family and friends may find it either very challenging or pointless to have meaningful interactions and conversations on important matters with the affected person as they tend to have disorganised thinking, speech, and behaviour. Such behaviour can cause extreme frustration, fatigue, and lack of trust among family and friends even when they are concerned for the well-being of their affected loved one.
The individual may indulge in drugs and alcohol overuse not merely to cope with symptoms of schizophrenia but also its impact on their quality of life. Such an attempt, however, may adversely affect family and friends who may not fully understand schizophrenia and a person's experience with schizophrenia. It can make friends and family feel helpless in helping the person manage the symptoms and live a purposeful life.

Antipsychotics - Antipsychotics may be the first choice of intervention if the person is experiencing psychosis or positive symptoms. These work by reducing the level of dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway (the connection between the Ventral Tegmental Area and Nucleus Accumbens) as it has been observed that excess dopamine here can cause psychotic symptoms.

Talking Therapy or Psychological Treatment - This intervention is particularly more suited to treat negative symptoms of schizophrenia that are often caused by a lack of dopamine in the mesocortical pathway (the connection between the Ventral Tegmental Area and the cortex) that causes anhedonia, lack of motivation, and other psychological deficiencies.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) - While ECT is not a popular intervention currently, it may be used when the person doesn't respond well to other interventions. The electric shock delivered to a person's brain may help in controlling seizures by way of balancing the brain chemicals.

Hospitalisation - This may be necessitated as an emergency measure when a person is experiencing severe symptoms and can be a risk to others or themselves. Hospitalisation can provide a safer treatment environment until the person's condition is stable. 

The person affected by schizophrenia can take several measures to reduce the occurrence of episodes and their impact. These can include:

Educating self about the condition and Self-help - It is very important that the person affected educates themselves about schizophrenia and be able to understand how it is affecting them (as every person will experience different symptoms in varying intensity), recognise the symptoms, and what they can do to minimise the impact of episodes, reduce the frequency at which they may occur, and have a strategy to manage the condition to live a fulfilling life. It will be useful for the person to explore the treatment options and discuss/work with their doctor to figure out what may be best for them.
Individuals can reach out to self-help groups for social connections and interactions with others who can relate to their experiences and provide support and practical guidance.
Taking care of health through proper diet and exercise - Choosing a form of exercise that one enjoys and consuming a diet that provides proper nutrition can help to enhance and stabilise moods, improve sleep, improve resilience, and either reduce or cope well with the symptoms. This can also minimise the undesirable side effects of antipsychotics which may include weight gain, dystonia, cognitive issues, increased cholesterol, and risk of diabetes among others. Avoiding drugs, minimising or stopping smoking and alcohol too can significantly help a person.
Managing stress - Stress may trigger and or worsen the symptoms of schizophrenia. Stress hormones can trigger psychotic episodes. Practicing meditation and relaxation techniques of yoga are effective in reducing and keeping stress in check. 

 A serious mental condition such as schizophrenia can make normal life very challenging when the person is experiencing the symptoms, and even when they are symptom-free they may need a lot of support and encouragement from well-meaning friends and family to manage their condition and live a meaningful life.

Learn about the condition -  First and foremost in order to help the individual affected, family and friends should familiarise themselves with all aspects of this condition so they can best understand what their loved one is going through and what they must do when there is any risk to others or the individual.

Help in crisis and recovery - Family and friends can help with hospitalisation in an emergency and support the person post-discharge to stick to the course of treatment for better recovery and reduce the chances of relapse.
When the person is experiencing psychotic symptoms they are likely to have a distortion in their perception of reality and may get carried away by their delusions and/ or hallucinations. Friends and family can provide crucial support by monitoring the person, helping them get through this phase by grounding them in how they are feeling in that moment and helping them take medication such as antipsychotics as the person may either not be inclined to take them or not realise that they need them, and if required helping the person access local support groups, CMHT (Community Mental Health Team) or community psychiatric nurse.
Empowering the individual to be independent - It is important that the person can manage to do all the day-to-day tasks of daily life, look after themselves, and follow the treatment plan on their own so they can live as independently as possible. Family and friends should be careful that instead of them doing everything for the person they should help the person cbe as self-reliant as possible, guide them to self-help strategies, monitor the person, and support only where needed.