|
There are two main things I don't like about this article:
1. I don't like the notion that a hodge-podge of disorders are shoved into a "catch-all" called schizophrenia. It's not as if doctors are diagnosing every mentally ill patient as schizophrenic. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis. There are 5-7 discrete types (depending on which handbook you use). The actual diagnosis of a patient takes months, or even years. When a patient's medical history is understood and other mental illnesses have been ruled out, a definitive diagnosis can be made to identify the type, severity, and treatment options.
Currently many medical professionals are using the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS), which involves interviews with patients and their friends and family. Very specific behaviors, positive and negative symptoms and durations are catalogued and scored to create an assessment. Additionally doctors assess the impact of the symptoms on patient's lives (e.g. independent living, work, interpersonal relationships). This is a painstakingly thorough process, not a blanket diagnosis used flippantly.
2. I don't like the implication that we should throw out schizophrenia as a diagnosis simply because there is stigma associated with it. If we do that, we might as well rename HIV, all STDs and all mental illnesses while we're at it. There is social stigma from a variety of disorders. The solution isn't in repackaging the mental illness with a new name, it's in educating the public that schizophrenics are not typically violent, and they can function superbly in society with the right kind of support.
Off topic, but near and dear to my heart:
Schizophrenia destroys lives. While sufferers are not typically violent, they are prone to hurting themselves. Medication is extremely effective in treating the disease, but schizophrenics are notoriously non-compliant with daily regimens. However, today not only do we have a variety of treatments but we also have a variety of delivery systems. Schizophrenia can be treated with a monthly injection which takes the daily responsibility off the patient. These pharmaceutical products are relatively new to the market, but we have seen an amazing result from the administration: patients are not only going into a remission of positive symptoms, but they are actually achieving RECOVERY (at least 2 years without a positive symptom). This is amazing.
|