Schizophrenia

skit-suh–free-nee-uh, –freen-yuh /skitsəˈfrēnēə,-ˈfrenēə/

noun

1. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it hard to: Tell the difference between what is real and not real; Think clearly; Have normal emotional responses; Act normally in social situations.

Schizophrenia is basically a mental disorder that makes it difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t. Hallucinations may manifest in the form of hearing “voices” or having delusions.

Schizophrenia has gotten a pretty awful reputation in today’s media. Understanding of the disorder by the general population is poor, and people mistakenly equate schizophrenia with violence. This is despite the fact that rather than being the perpetrators of violent crimes, persons with schizophrenia are twice as likely to be physically assaulted—just because of their condition.

Schizophrenia is by no means an incapacitating disorder. In fact, have you ever seen the film A Beautiful Mind? It’s based on the true story of John Nash (played by Russell Crowe)—a mathematician, Princeton graduate, and Noble Laureate in Economics—and his battle with schizophrenia and subsequent rise to success. Like Dr.Nash, millions of others that suffer from schizophrenia lead normal and productive lives.

The mission of this blog is dispel the myths around the disorder, and shine a light on the truth about the disease and the people that may suffer from it. Our goal is to help humanize a group of people that are often a target of bigotry, fear, and stigma—as they are often labeled as their disorder, instead of being seen for who they really are and what they can offer to the rest of society.