Schizophrenia Complications

The major complications are to quality of life:

• An acute psychotic illness can be a terrifying experience - the hallucinations and delusions seem utterly real while they are being experienced.
• Social functions, such as being able to maintain personal relationships, ability to work and manage ones day-to-day life, are often seriously damaged.
• Suicide and self-harm are common in those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia: around 1 in 10 ultimately take their own life.
• Some of the drugs given to people with schizophrenia cause distressing side effects such as movement disorders, weight gain and sedation.

Complications of schizophrenia include:

• Inability to function independently
• Medication side effects:
  o Tardive dyskinesia
• Self-inflicted injury
• Suicide
• Violent behavior

Unemployment

Due to the complex nature of schizophrenia, many people with the condition have problems finding and keeping a job.

You may also be reluctant to re-enter the job market because you may fear that you would be unable to cope with the responsibility. However, most experts would recommend that you try to return to work as soon as possible because people with schizophrenia who continue to work tend to have a better quality of life compared with those who do not work.

If you feel ready and able to return to work you should ask to speak to an occupational therapist. An occupational therapist can help you to improve both your employment and social skills.

There are also a number of organisations that provide support, training and advice for people with schizophrenia who wish to continue working.

Your community mental health team is a good first point of contact to find out what services and support are available for you. Mental health charities such as Mind or Rethink are also an excellent source of information relating to training and employment.