26 - Sunday, October 3, 1993 - North Shore News Facing realities of schizophrenia SCHIZOPHRENIA. THE word conjures up images of terror and split worlds. If he stops his bimonthly injec- tions — which will trigger his psychotic symptoms — he gives up all rights to be involved with her Starting Sept. 29, the Schizophrenia Society (270-7840) will be having monthly informa- tion meetings at Lions Gate Hos- SUNDAY © WEONGZEDAY ¢ PRIDAY family. pital auditorium. By Joyce Thierry Contributing Writer THANKSGIVING HOURS ana DEADLINES Our Classified office will be open Monday, October 17" from 9am until 9pm. As part of worldwide activities to raise funds and awareness about this brain disease, a walk- a-thon will take place today, Sun- day, Oct. 3, at Jehn Lawson Park in West Vancouver at’! p.m. Jean Lewis knows all about the truggles of schizophrenics and. theie families. When Lewis was 15, her 18- year-old brother had his first , psychotic: breakdown, hearing voices, having hallucinations and . becoming. increasingly | paranoid * and withdrawn: . . The “grieving process. “never ; _ ends’ ‘since many. of the’ people : z X . . : : look like the same person but they y : f . a: ‘ Display, Inside Sales and Classified Display Advertising.. The deadline for advertising for the Wednesday, October 13th issue’ is Friday, October 8 at 2pm. are not,’ says: Lewis, vice-presi-: dent of the North Shore branch of” *, the B.C. Schizophrenia Society. In B.C., approximaicly 30,000 people. are affected by _ Schizophrenia. : “. There is. currently‘ no way: to pre-diagnose ‘schizophrenia, but there are many. theories as to what causes..the mental: illness. It. is : generally believed to be a chemical imbalance i in the brain. > What is known. is. that. 10% of schizophreni Ea will, commit. - suicide. _ LeDrags, ° “alcohol and. stress’ can worsen. the symptoms. Marijuana is‘ particularly damaging to a per- “son suffering from a biochemical ‘> imbalance. ; “ 2: According to Lewis, most peo! ples-get. their” image: of. . schizophrenics from the movies... . “= The. withdrawn, - hallucinating -.* Robin: Williams’. character in The .\. Fisher King is typical.” : .. His ‘character suffers’ delusions '. ‘and: paranoia’ as a result of secing > his:.wife killed?’ He ‘ends: up in a: "hospital, finds his true love and: Tegains . “his mental and emotional | : bilities... - ‘This ‘paints - the. illness as an. f motional . reaction rather than a physical one,” says Lewis. of -She“estimates. that 40% of homeless people are schizophrenic. .- “They often run.afoul of the law, resulting in “judges making deci- “ sions that should te a doctor's," ‘It -wasn’)--until her early 30s that ‘Lewis : ‘realized —how.-'much: her “brother's ‘illness had: affected her, and- how ‘different her, experience - was from her parents’. : “For one thing, she says, ‘‘As the . well sibling, I had to. grow up tco “Fast.” fos . “She. now... helps organize -a ‘ monthly | siblings? support: group with®Wyn- Miller,’ a_ psychiatric nurse from Lions Gate Hospital. ‘ The ‘society. also has a parents’ support group with 150 members. According to Lewis, the groups provide an opportunity for family and: friends to express what she calls their ‘‘justifiable wrath.” ‘Some ‘schizophrenics, if their illness is diagnosed early enough and if they receive proper treat-- ment, recover, while many others learn to manage their long-term symptoms with a combination of medication, family and group therapy and rehabilitation pro-' grams. It is the more extreme cases that never recover, Although her brother has been hospitalized twice in the past 20 years, Lewis thinks in the broad scheme of things, he does quite well and lives on his own these days. Lewis adds that her husband has been wonderful. Not all fami- lies face the facts and deal with the problem together. “Some people go inte denial and ‘pretend the disease and the victim don’t exist,”’ she reports. She has had to set boundaries with her brother. Her buttom line is that he stays on his medication. 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