People wrongly associate the symptoms of schizophrenia with split or multiple
personalities (like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), antisocial behavior (similar to
what we see in serial killers), and developmental disabilities. Others believe
that schizophrenia is a character defect and that the individual could behave
normally if he really wanted to.
Here are a few of the most common misconceptions about schizophrenia:
- Schizophrenia is the same as a split or multiple personality.
Schizophrenia is not the same as multiple personality, which is an
exceedingly rare, totally different disorder that is now more commonly
called a dissociative identity disorder. (Under stress, people with this
disorder often assume different identities, each with different names,
voices, characteristics, and personal histories.)
- People with schizophrenia are violent.
People with schizophrenia are
more likely to be victims rather than perpetrators of crimes. Many
people believe that most people with schizophrenia have a propensity
for violence, but the reality is that most people with schizophrenia
don’t commit violent crimes, and most violent criminals don’t have
schizophrenia.
For example, serial killers (people who commit three or more subsequent
murders) usually aren’t psychotic (out of touch with reality);
they’re likely to be diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder
(a disorder in which people disregard commonly accepted social rules
and norms, display impulsive behavior, and are indifferent to the rights
and feelings of others).
However, people with untreated schizophrenia, who refuse to take
medication and whose thinking is out of touch with reality are at
increased risk of aggressive behavior and self-neglect. The risk of violence
also increases if someone with schizophrenia is actively abusing
alcohol or illicit drugs. For better or worse, the aggressive behavior is
usually directed toward family or friends rather than toward strangers.
- Poor parenting causes schizophrenia.
For many years, clinicians were
taught and actually believed that schizophrenia was caused by parents
who were either too permissive or too controlling. The term schizophrenogenic
mother was once used to describe such parents — the blame
usually fell heavily on mothers because they tended to spend the most
time with their offspring. Another outdated theory is the double-bind
theory, which suggested that schizophrenia is due to inconsistent
parenting, with conflicting messages.
These ideas were not based on controlled studies, and these theories no
longer have credibility today.
Schizophrenia is a no-fault disorder of the brain.
- People with schizophrenia are mentally retarded.
Some people think
that schizophrenia is synonymous with mental retardation (now called
developmental disabilities). No. Like the general public, people with
schizophrenia have a wide range of intellectual abilities. They may
appear less intelligent because of the impaired social skills, odd behaviors,
and cognitive impairments that are characteristic of schizophrenia.
However, they’re not lacking in intelligence, and schizophrenia is
distinct from developmental disabilities (physical and mental deficits
that are chronic and severe and that generally begin in childhood).
- Schizophrenia is a defect of character.
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia
give people the mistaken impression that those with the disorder
are lazy and could act “normally” if they wanted to. This idea is no
more realistic than suggesting that someone could prevent his epileptic
seizures if he really wanted to or that someone could “decide” not to
have cancer if he ate the right foods. What often appears as character
defects are symptoms of schizophrenia.
When the negative symptoms of schizophrenia are persistent and primarily
caused by schizophrenia, they’re referred to as deficit syndrome.
- There’s no hope for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. Sixty years
ago when people were diagnosed with schizophrenia, they were
either kept at home behind closed doors by embarrassed and forlorn
families who saw no other alternative, or consigned to long-term stays
in distant state hospitals for care that was largely custodial (they weren’t
treated — they were just taken care of). Other than using highly sedating
drugs, doctors had few tools available to them to relieve the agitation
and torment of their patients or to help restore their functioning.
In contrast to how things were in the past, schizophrenia is now considered
highly treatable. Several generations of new medications and the
emergence of new forms of therapies have enabled doctors to treat the
symptoms of the large majority of patients with schizophrenia enabling
them to live meaningful, productive lives in their communities.
