Schizophrenia is a seriously misunderstood mental health condition, with the majority of the public misunderstanding its symptoms and effects.
Rethink Mental Illness, a mental health charity, has recently conducted a survey which found that half the public wrongly believed that schizophrenia is defined by a ‘split personality’ and a quarter believed that it leads to violent behaviour.
Professor Wendy Burn of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has said: “To tackle the stigma that so many living with schizophrenia face, we have a huge task ahead of us in informing and educating the public.”
The survey of 1,500 people found that schizophrenia is one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses. In short, schizophrenia affects the way you think and act. Typical symptoms include hallucinations, delusions and a confused mental state, but all people experience symptoms differently.
Common perceptions of schizophrenia see it as a rare condition that creates violent and aggressive behaviour, although this is also untrue. Rethink Mental Illness has shown how 1 in 100 people are affected by the condition, meaning that it is much more common than you may think.
In addition, schizophrenia does not lead to violent behaviour in the majority of cases and those with the condition are actually more likely to be harmed by someone else than other people are to be harmed by them.
Brian Dow, director of external affairs at Rethink Mental Illness, argues that “Schizophrenia can be treated and managed, just like many other illnesses. It's not a dirty word or, worse, a term of abuse.”
One major problem is that the misunderstanding, and accompanying stigma, surrounding schizophrenia means that those with the condition often find it much harder to get a job, form a relationship and get access to the services they need. Sadly, only 8% of those with the illness who want employment can find it.
The myths and common representations of the condition portray it as dangerous and inhibit a greater public understanding of its real effects and ways of responding to it, according to the report. Although attitudes to mental health have changed significantly over the past few decades, there is still much to be done if we want a better understanding of this surprisingly common illness.