Dr Courtney Crisp Of Private Practice: 5 Things I Learned While Supporting A Loved One After their Schizophrenia Diagnosis

What are 5 things you wish more people knew about people navigating life with schizophrenia?

1 . People with schizophrenia are people too, just like me and just like you. They have the same desires and hopes for their life, the same fears and anxieties. Their brains just work a little differently.

2 . People with a psychotic disorder are far more at risk of being harmed themselves than harming anyone else.

3 . They deserve your compassion, not your pity. Some of the most beautiful, talented souls I have met have schizophrenia.

4 . The system is deeply broken and it impacts people with no resources the most.

5 . People with schizophrenia can live full and happy lives. The diagnosis is not a death sentence. I often show patients this talk by Elyn Saks as an example of someone who has been able to have a job, a partner, and a full life.

There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to mental illnesses, especially involving psychosis. What do you wish more people were aware of either in the professional field or the general public?

In the professional field, I wish more people were aware that you can do great therapeutic and evidence-based work with people with psychosis. So often patients with a psychotic disorder tend to be written off as not being able to do therapy when this is not the case at all. It may just look a little different than a long talk therapy session, particularly if patients are actively in psychosis.

In the general public, I wish there was more understanding and compassion. Too often I think people tend to write off those with psychotic disorders as “drug addicts” or “crazy” or “dangerous,” which are harmful stereotypes that impact people who live with schizophrenia every day.

Read the full article published at Authority Magazine here.