NationStates Jolt Archive

Me and my family are going through a pretty rough time at the moment...

My cousine has recently been diagnosed with Paranoid Shcizophrenia. I find it suprising how someone so normal could suddenly have this breakdown. They think it may have been drug related. There are some questions i would like to ask though, as no one else seems to answer them for me.

Is it curable at all, or will he be able to live a moderately ok life?
Is it genetic? (no one else in my family has any sort of mental illness)
Will he have to stay in a hospital for the rest of his life?
Is there any other information i might find helpful also?

Me and my family are going through a pretty rough time at the moment...

My cousine has recently been diagnosed with Paranoid Shcizophrenia. I find it suprising how someone so normal could suddenly have this breakdown. They think it may have been drug related. There are some questions i would like to ask though, as no one else seems to answer them for me.

Is it curable at all, or will he be able to live a moderately ok life?
Is it genetic? (no one else in my family has any sort of mental illness)
Will he have to stay in a hospital for the rest of his life?
Is there any other information i might find helpful also?

That's rough, absolutely no doubt. Schizophrenia is not currently curable, however with today's anti-psychotics and therapy, one is capable of living a full life, and there is always the possibility of the condition falling into remission.

As far as it is known there is no direct cause for Schizophrenia, but genetic and traumatic causes are certainly possible, as are chemical imbalances in the brain.

No, it is very unlikely that your cousin will spend his life in the hospital. Schizophrenia is alot more common that people think, and believe it or not, when compared to other mental disorders, it is relatively mild (depending upon the severity of the disorder). Like I said, with medication and therapy, one can live a full life.

For any information, I will always suggest speaking to a psychiatrist or a psychologist, they will always be willing to help, and will know a lot more than we would.

Good luck in the future.

hmmm... but my cousines one is certainly not mild, he attacked someone because he thought it was a government agent trying to kill him. He has many illusions as well... Does that change anything about being able to live a full life? Sorry if im asking too much.

hmmm... but my cousines one is certainly not mild, he attacked someone because he thought it was a government agent trying to kill him. He has many illusions as well... Does that change anything about being able to live a full life? Sorry if im asking too much.

Jesus...

Are there currently any charges being brought up against him? If that is the case then if he is found not guilty by reason of insanity then there is a good chance of him being remanded to a psychiatric hospital.

I am really not sure of his outlook after that.

Me and my family are going through a pretty rough time at the moment...

My cousine has recently been diagnosed with Paranoid Shcizophrenia. I find it suprising how someone so normal could suddenly have this breakdown. They think it may have been drug related. There are some questions i would like to ask though, as no one else seems to answer them for me.


I watched an interesting documentary about weed+ crazy the other day (i think it was a bbc thing). Apparently you have to pre-disposed to it in the first place AND be a pretty heavy user. Seems there are so many qualifying factors as to make drugs a negligible influence.

Dont worry, he didn't do any permenant harm to him and no charges were made...

My granddad had it. He's doing really well now, though. Medication does have an effect, but I think the biggest influencing factor in the improvement was simply going out and making human contact. He signed up to a few activities at the local community centre and being around other people seems to have done him a world of good.

My granddad had it. He's doing really well now, though. Medication does have an effect, but I think the biggest influencing factor in the improvement was simply going out and making human contact. He signed up to a few activities at the local community centre and being around other people seems to have done him a world of good.

Hmmm well he wont be getting much human contact because him and his family have recently moved up to a peaceful village in the highlands of scotland, there will be certainly no comunity centers there. However hes not too far away from inverness i suppose.

a lot of people have something wrong with them mentally, it's just a lot more severe with some people

i think with medication it can be managed


I have stress induced insomnia, the only way i respond to lots of stress is that I can't sleep

Iv just been studying schizophrenia and its a vague illness to say the least. there are 15 (or maybe 16) ways 2 people can have it without having any of the same symptoms. It cant really be cured but it can be treated, and there may be a genetic component. people with a schizophrenic parent are more likely to develop it, but that might just be because its so stressful having a schizophrenic parent.

some things are definite though. schizophrenia may not even exist. it is usually linked to a problem with the hipocampus, and most schizophrenics have a semantic processing deficit. which just means they remember words in a jumbled manner. that causes most of the other symptoms like disordered speech and whatnot.even delusions.

Sorry I cant really offer any helpful advice. hope your cousin recovers soon.

Liasia']I watched an interesting documentary about weed+ crazy the other day (i think it was a bbc thing). Apparently you have to pre-disposed to it in the first place AND be a pretty heavy user. Seems there are so many qualifying factors as to make drugs a negligible influence.
I saw that too, a few months ago...at least I assume it was the same, as it was a BBC one I saw. Yeah, they concluded you have to:

Be pre-disposed to mental illness
Be a heavy user
Be a heavy user during adolescence, when your body and brain are still developing

I saw that too, a few months ago...at least I assume it was the same, as it was a BBC one I saw. Yeah, they concluded you have to:

Be pre-disposed to mental illness
Be a heavy user
Be a heavy user during adolescence, when your body and brain are still developing


The same one with guy trying to set up a hash bar in wales? I laughed my ass off when the local NIMBYs tried to shut him down.

I'm really sorry to hear about your cousin. He may or may nor lead a "normal" life, it depends very much on his individual case, how he responds to medication etc, and on the support he gets from his family and friends.

There does appear to be some hereditary component to schizophrenia - there is an increased risk if one of your parents has it etc, but it is not clear cut at all.

My brother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia 25 years ago. He has been hospitalised a couple of times, has been on pretty heavy medication all this time and has not been able to work, but he does manage to lead a fairly independent and productive life.

When he was diagnosed, we were advised to throw him out so he would commit suicide and solve the problem. Now we are told that it is mainly due to the solid, honest support he recieved from his family that he has done so well. The best thing you can do for your cousin is to be there, and to always be totally, 110% honest. A person who can't trust their own thoughts and senses needs to know there is someone who tells him the truth. Although he may never really trust you.

I recommend looking up the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (www.nsfscot.org.uk) for help and advice, and please feel free to TG me if you have any questions I may be able to answer.

Liasia']The same one with guy trying to set up a hash bar in wales? I laughed my ass off when the local NIMBYs tried to shut him down.
Yup, that be the one. I thought it was a bit sensationalist over all, certainly for the BBC, but still quite good.

Me and my family are going through a pretty rough time at the moment...

My cousine has recently been diagnosed with Paranoid Shcizophrenia. I find it suprising how someone so normal could suddenly have this breakdown. They think it may have been drug related. There are some questions i would like to ask though, as no one else seems to answer them for me.

Is it curable at all, or will he be able to live a moderately ok life?
Is it genetic? (no one else in my family has any sort of mental illness)
Will he have to stay in a hospital for the rest of his life?
Is there any other information i might find helpful also?


My cousin had something like that happen to him a few years back but he seems okay now. I doubt it's genetic.

This is a great web site that talks about symptoms, living with schizophrenia, prognosis, and family support. http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/thought_disorders/schizo/nimh/index.asp

I did a huge report on schizophrenia which would be way too long to post on here...it's a fascinating disorder, and not one I'd want to have.