Exploring Living with Schizophrenia The two documentaries presented a contrast in perspective on Schizophrenia, and what it is like for some who live with this disorder. Although there were overlapping themes, watching each of these two videos brought forth different aspects of the disorder. In the documentary Haywire: Children living with Schizophrenia (2010), the subjects of the documentary were children who were in the mists of their psychosis. They had little to no control over their signs and symptoms and were heavily dependent on their parents for all of their needs. I was surprised by the early onset of the disorder and sadden by the severity of symptoms exhibited. It seemed at times hopeless, for both the children and for the parents. …show more content…
The psychosocial factors that were the focus and theme of exploration throughout both documentaries were medication management, and social support. In the documentary featuring the adults, one woman, Shauna, spoke of the environmental factor of medication and how it affects people with schizophrenia. She and many others interviewed explained that some medications are accompanied by devastating side affects that are often difficult to live with. Thus, adherence to medication, for those with schizophrenia, is low due to many of the debilitating side affects. Moreover, there is not one medication that can help all patients; in fact, it may take years for a patient to find the right dose and medication that works to manage his or her symptoms. However, the right medication can remarkably improved the lives of people with this disorder. Many of the adult participants in the documentary were able to find medication and doses that worked to alleviate many of the symptoms of schizophrenia. The struggle of finding the right medication was also explored in the documentary about the children. Many of the children were on several different medications, yet they were not able to find the right concoction of medications and doses that were able to alleviate their symptoms. For the girls that did eventually find the right medication, their lives were remarkable changed for the better. Thus, medication is an extremely influential environmental factor that directly impacts the lives of people with schizophrenia