Schizophrenia Is A Disease Not An Insult

Abdi İbrahim Otsuka Medical Directorate; On April 11, World Schizophrenia Day, he drew attention to the misunderstandings about this disorder and the discourse victimization of patients indirectly. Don't Say That! The movement aims to end the misuse of schizophrenia and many other mental illnesses as "insults".

Schizophrenia is a disease that occurs at a young age and is manifested by disorders in thought, mood, perception and behavior. April 11 is accepted as the World Schizophrenia Day all over the world in order to draw attention to this disease, the cause of which is not known for sure, and to raise awareness on this issue. Abdi İbrahim Otsuka is one of the institutions that struggle intensely to draw attention to many ailments, especially schizophrenia.

AIO Medical Directorate, on April 11, World Schizophrenia Day, against the need to know about the disease and the marginalizing language that schizophrenia patients are exposed to, "Don't Say That!" drew attention to the importance of the movement. He emphasized that schizophrenia is also a public health problem because it causes disruption in the professional, interpersonal, academic, and self-care needs of the person.

The most common symptom of schizophrenia is hallucinations. Delusions and sounds that are thought to be heard can carry the patient to extremes. So much so that the patient believes that those sounds are real, responds to them, and even can do what they say. When these symptoms are combined with the "stigma" in the society, the patient becomes even more isolated. Since the main cause is a biological disorder, the main treatment for schizophrenia is drugs. Early diagnosis is essential for schizophrenia patients to be able to recover with the right medications and the support of the environment. Medication use should be regular and long-term.

"Stigmatization (stigmatization)" is an important issue in schizophrenia. This describes a labeling of patients that is associated with the word "schizophrenia", but most of which are false or exaggerated beliefs (eg "schizophrenia patients are aggressive and dangerous"). Unfortunately, this stigma can be present in most individuals of the society, even in the relatives of patients, patients themselves and mental health professionals. This stigma must first be eliminated in language use. In this direction, the first thing to do is to get the correct information about the disease:

• If the disease is treated, the risk of aggression is minimal. Their exclusion from society increases this risk.
• Almost all of the murders in the world are committed by "wise men". The probability of being killed by a madman is one in 14 million.
• Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is a treatable disease.
• Contrary to popular belief, people with schizophrenia are very productive people. This is why it is very important to create the environment in which they can produce. Nobel laureate mathematician John Nash, Antonin Artaud, the pioneer of surrealism and one of the founders of modern theater, Vaslav Nijinski, who brought a new breath to ballet with his high leaping power, Louis Wain, who redefined the painting with his extraordinary works, and many others are unique examples.