women ¢ travel © t.v. ¢ real estate

‘January 4, 1981

_ RIDING HIGH, on the teeter-totter, Geoff Ross-Smith, 12, ‘holds on | while ’ Lisa
Gilmer, 10, (to r) Kathy Ross-Smith, 9 9, Neal Gilmer, 7, chuckle about sending their

By DEB van der GRACHT

(UPC)

Schizophrenia conjures up Dr. Jekyll

and Mr. Hyde images — a mild-mannered doctor
transforming into a murderous monster.

The reality is'much less
dramatic, though in some
ways just as disturbing, says
Bill Jefferies, president of
Canaian’ Friends for
Schizophrenics.

The reality is Sandra —
and some 250,000 to 500,000
other Canadians a year who
suffer from the misun-
derstood ailment,

An Oakvillg, Ont. native,
Sandra (not her real name)
was an outgoing 20-year-old
attending university when

she became ill with
schizophrenia.
Once enthusiastic and

involved, Sandra became
suspicious of and withdrew
from’ her friends. Once
happy, she became severely

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depressed. Once intelligent,
she became confused and
could no longer keep her
mind on anything. She heard

voices that weren't there,

saw faces that didn't ¢xist.
Sandra dropped out of
school and eventually was
hospitalized. Put on
medication, she regained
some vestiges of normal life

and enrolled in a community,

college.

‘But the stress was too
much for her, and at 23,
Sandra did something many
schizophrenics do. She
killed herself.

“Her parents didn’t want
anybody to know she had
schizophrenia,” said  Sef-
ferics in a recent interyiew.

.
' “

“They wouldn't even put on
the funeral announcement
that instead of flowers,
donations to Canadian
Friends of Schizophrenics
would be appreciated.

“They probably thought
they were protecting her, or
protecting the’ family,” he
sighed. “That’s the problem
with schizophrenia — it has
been given a bad name.”

The illness is difficult
enough to cope with, said
Jefferies, but schizophrenics
also suffer an attached
stigma. Because people
generally don’t understand
schizophrenia and its causes,
they fear those it strikes.

“You always hear. about
the schizophrenic who goes
untreated or is let go when
he shouldn't be and -turns
violent -- it's the old Dr.
Ickyll and Mr, Hyde story.

“But that happens in less
than five per cent of the
cases.”

That
misunderstanding, and the
desire to alleviate it, is why
Jefferies and others founded
Canadian Friends for
Schizophrenics in 1978.

“Basically, we're trying to
educate the family and the
schizophrenic himself so he
can deal better with the
problem,”- said Jefferies.
“We're also trying to educate
the public, so they don't
isolate the schizophrenic and
make his illness worse.”

The organization, with 13
chapters across Canada, also
helps
housing for schizophrenics
who cannot live on their
own, helps those who can to

CONTINUED ON PAGE C2

'

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to provide halfway ( °

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