Developing the Negative

Schizophrenia has both positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are those that are there, but shouldn’t be (delusions and hallucinations). Negative symptoms are the absence of certain behaviors (social withdrawal and lack of motivation).

The positive symptoms have always been the most apparent and well known, but I know from personal experience that the negative symptoms can equally as devastating, if not more, to an individual’s life. Even the simplest of tasks can seem overwhelming, and become more and more daunting the longer they are put off. For a person with brains, talent and ambition but without the will to use these assets, my lack of progress was very frustrating.

Lack of motivation is often seen as laziness. Many people believe the best way to treat the symptom is to force the individual to work, and to see any serious concerns about the job as mere excuses. The constant unsolicited advice from others and lectures about how I was “wasting my time” couldn’t cure me. It just wasted my time.

Symptoms of schizophrenia are of a biological origin and cannot be cured by a stern talking-to. Schizophrenia is a genetic disorder that leaves many people unable to work, through no fault of their own, and it could be harmful to their health if they try. Failure can leave a person worse off than if they never tried. Too much stress can often trigger a relapse. Such practices make just as much sense as forcing an individual with a heart condition or a spinal cord injury to work.

It is a common assumption that the treatment of schizophrenia is all about preparing the patient to return to the workforce, and that a patient can only truly be well when employed. Treatments that focus on improving the patient’s quality of life stand a much better chance of succeeding. Quality of life begins with acquiring essential skills to help a person lead a relatively normal life and learning strategies to cope with symptoms and to create positive changes in their life.

Having said this, it is also important for patients to find ways to occupy their free time. This is referred to as “leisure time” Having too much time on their hands is often worse than not having enough. Quality of life can also be improved by helping them find fulfilling and challenging activities that can engage their interests and their skills. This can help them motivate themselves, rather than needing to be motivated by others.