Putting It Together: Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Overall, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are some of the most difficult to understand and to treat. With common features of psychosis, specifically hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech, individuals with schizophrenia experience a disconnect from the external world around them. It is challenging for loved ones and caretakers as well, as it is difficult to put yourself in the shoes of an individual experiencing psychosis to truly understand how their world is experienced. Continued scientific research studies on the risk factors, treatment procedures, and biological and environmental influences will help with diagnosis and treatment in the future.

The good news is that as research into the field increases our understanding of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, there is a greater effort to understand and manage the illnesses in a way that allows those with the illness to live a full and robust life, as in the case of Elyn Saks. At the beginning of the module, we met Lauren, who advocates in her YouTube channel that it is possible to live well with schizophrenia. Visit her channel and watch some more videos to learn more about how she manages living with her diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder.