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How schizophrenia can affect an individual’s ability to function

On Behalf of | Jan 3, 2019 | Firm News

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health condition that can affect a person’s ability to live independently or work depending on how severe their disease is. Those with mild schizophrenia may seem normal on the surface and only display their adverse mannerisms or behaviors when someone engages them socially. Symptoms may be worse for those the more serious that their condition is. They may be so bad that it’s impossible for them to work.

Individuals in St. Louis with a mild form of the disease can often regulate their condition with counseling and medication. Even when subjected to close scrutiny during healthy times, though, they may exhibit some undesirable traits. Prospective Missouri employers who make special accommodations for lower functioning individuals such as schizophrenics make it possible for them to hold down a job and live independently.

While there are some with milder forms of schizophrenia, the large majority of people with this condition have moderate to severe symptoms. Medication and counseling do very little to help them.

Individuals with more serious forms of schizophrenia often have delusions and hallucinations that affect their ability to stay on top of basic tasks such as cleaning or feeding themselves. They can also exhibit extreme paranoia in social settings and in the workplace.

The more severe a patient’s schizophrenia is, the more difficulty that they’re likely to have in caring for themselves and in sustaining work. Their caregivers often experience burnout from them having to remind them to take medication and for having to cover them financially. An attorney may advise a person who has a diagnosed and demonstrated illness of their right to compensation.