LINDA
First of all I am not a doctor. I was a casemanager for fourteen years and I worked with people with persistent and chronic Schrzophrenia. I don't know what illness you referred to that is an illness with Scrizophrenic. Schrzophrenia usually is recognized in early adulthood. It is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Aproximately one in one hundren people in the U.S. (2.8 million). One third of the people diagnosed and hospitalized with Schizophrenia will recover completely. One third wil improve. One third have long term episodes. Schizophrenia usually occurs between the ages of 17 and 30, and rarely after age 45. Some of the symptoms include: *disconnected and confusing language *believing his or her thoughts are controlled by others *poor reasoning, memory, and judgment *eating and sleeping disorders *hallucinations *delusions *deterioration of personal appearance and hygiene *loss of motivation *poor concentration *withdrawal *sense of body boundaries deteriorating You may want to check and see if there are case management services available where you live. Some of the services a case manager can provide include: *assist with making sure you get all the benefits you need. *make home visits *speak up for you when you need help getting services. *teach you to arrange for transportation *teach organizational skills *teach you about housing resources *teach you to budget your money *help you to decide what kind of work you could do if you want *teach you to arrange your appointments *assist you with reaching your goals If you are interested in obtaining case management services contact your doctor, nurse, or hospital social worker.