Finding Help for Those Who Are Lost

Now that you’ve come to see my next post, I’m betting you’re thinking of someone you know. There’s no shame in considering this. Many people are diagnosed with a mental health disorder on a daily basis. In fact, you should feel empowered that you’re considering help for yourself or someone else.

What makes schizophrenia dangerous isn’t some ominous clock, ticking down slowly, like a cancer. It’s actually the amount of stress that one endures, through their symptoms. As it pains me to say, that in some studies both men and women lose an average of 15 years off of their life expectancy. These are disappointing numbers, and science has yet to conclude exactly why they are this way.

Now that you understand what the stakes are, let’s talk medical options. If the individual exhibits more than two symptoms, they should seek treatment immediately. I’ll be discussing the way doctors diagnose in another post. For now, what’s important is looking for treatment, because as for the current situation, this can be daunting.

Off the bat, I definitely don’t recommend going to the internet for a specialist. Your odds of having a knowledgeable doctor are 50-50. What I do recommend is to try talking to your family doctor or general practitioner, and ask them who THEY would recommend for a specialist. When you do reach out to a specialist, have them put you on a waiting list if there are no appointments available. Your odds of them finding an opening are far better than driving farther for the same or worse treatments. When you’re not getting anywhere with these specialists due to the lack of trained professionals available to adequately diagnose the problem. As a last ditch effort, you should go to the Emergency Room if necessary. They deal with these issues daily and they have a better understanding of what to do in these cases.

It has been the experience of a small minority of patients that had completely successful treatment of all their symptoms. As of this current moment, the world of medicine can only treat these symptoms, not cure them. The use of medication is the only path to successful treatment, period.