The Soloist: Schizophrenia

The Soloist

What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a serious disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. Someone that has schizophrenia may have difficulty distinguishing between reality and imaginary. They may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations and may be unresponsive or withdrawn. Schizophrenia is not split personality or multiple personality. The majority of people that have schizophrenia is not violent nor pose a danger to others. Schizophrenia is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting, lack of power, nor are the symptoms the same for everyone who has it. Although the cause is still unclear, some theories about the cause of the disease include: heredity, imbalance in the brain’s

Ever since Lopez came into Ayer’s life, he had not only changed in behavior but also the way he thinks. As Lopez and Ayer’s friendship grew, Ayers learns to trust and try new things out of his comfort zone. These changes have only made Ayers into a better person, emotionally and physically. He now has a roof to live under and a studio apartment to practice his music. Lopez has made a dramatic impact in the homeless man’s life. Lopez’s persistent goal to help Ayer’s life has succeeded, from him once playing a two-string violin on the streets to having his own apartment and studio with several instruments to play

As a famous actor, Tom Cruise, believes that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance and they do not need medication. In his opinion, they need vitamins. Shaner, chief of the psychiatric emergency room before promotion to medical doctor of the mental health department begs to differ. She claims that while some need medication to survive, others don’t respond well to a push and would be better served by a Village or Lamp model. There is no right or wrong, and there are no absolutes when it comes to treatment. Although there is no such thing as an absolute cure, Shaner is correct about a Lamp model. Ayers did not need any medications nor vitamins. All he needed was a Lamp model, someone like his friend Steve Lopez. A caring companionship with another person eventually builds trust and helped Ayers change for the better. Although there is no treatment or cure for schizophrenia, a friend was more than any medications or vitamins can do. Lopez was able to gradually change Ayers’s way of thinking without forcing him to do anything he did not want to do. Sometimes, caring and loving companionship from a friend is all you need to get through even the toughest