Talking to someone with Schezophrenia?

Question

I work with children and one of my kids parents has Schitzophrenia and is Bi-polar. I have never know anyone with Schizophrenia and it scares me a bit (we fear what we do not know...). She is very hard to talk to because she looks "through" you. She asks a lot of questions but doesn't seem to really listen to your answers. She's usually nice as pie to me, but acts very mean most of the other workers. She complains about EVERYTHING. It's like she is a different person every day. It creeps me out a little, and I'm even starting to dred going into work because I'm afraid I'll run into her (which I always do) and then she wants to talk to me for an hour. Does anyone have ANY advice?? And please... only if you have REAL experiences dealing with someone with schezophrenia. Don't write if you don't have a clue. Thanks.

mpsych24 -
If you were a psychologist than you would know about Schizoaffective Disorder.

Schizoaffective disorder is a condition in which a person meets the criteria for both schizophrenia AND a mood disorder. (Exhibiting symptoms of both schizophrenia and bipolar).

So yes, of course it is possible.

Answer 1

I can help you out a little with the Schizophrenia part, as my son suffers from this disease. While it can be quite daunting...as you said, we fear what we do not know...they are generally harmless. Perhaps the agression you are seeing is coming from the Bi-Polar part. I do not know as much about Bi-Polar as I should. I have dedicated a webpage to Schizophrenia for anyone who wishes to learn what it's all about, and perhaps take a bit of that fear away! It's quite long (and informative..I do hope you take the time to read it all) so I shall not re-post it here, but leave the url. Good luck to you, and hang in there! :)
http://beautyscastle.com/village/secretsmile/schiz/schiz.html

Answer 2

You are absolutely correct regarding Schizoaffective Disorder and I believe the person who commented that you cannot have both was trying to say that technically you don't diagnose both conditions, instead it is a separate disorder called Schizoaffective Disorder which you later indicated. A technical point only.
What I would advise you in talking with her is the following:
1) Limit your conversation to issues that actually pertain to her child that you work with-it will help you be less frustrated and "trapped" into endless conversation and it will help her focus.
2) Stick to factual info about her child as much as possible and don't get into conjecture, particularly if she seems irritable and argumentative (which is often the case when a person is manic and you're just wasting your breath anyway)
3) Always be polite-okay, I realize this is a no brainer, but schizoaffective folks can be quite tedious when they are manic and they can try the patience of a saint with their tendency to perseverate. If you don't have time (or energy, LOL) to talk when she wants your attention, make an appt. to speak with her at a time that is more convenient. It'll avoid triggering the hostility and irritability in her and also serve to set appropriate limits with her which will be important as it sounds as though you will need to have contact with her because you work with her child.
4) Try to be as specific, clear and concrete as possible in discussing her child and recommendations you may have-the more general you are, the more likely she is to distort what you are saying or be unable to implement it. Also ask her questions about what she heard to check out distortions or details she may have missed. When manic, a person's thoughts race and they may catch some of what you say, but miss details or important points.
5) You may also want to ask her what she does that she finds helpful with her child as it will both engage her and facilitate rapport, give you a better read on how well she functions as a parent and offer opportunities to reinforce positive behaviors she's already implementing and offer suggestions where behavior may be off base.
6) If you have detailed instructions you need her to follow, write them down. Assume that she will walk away having recalled less than half of what you say, when she's manic. When she isn't, you'll have far more success communicating more info.
7) Trust your gut in beginning to get to know the moods and judging when to bring up more difficult things and when not to. Save more difficult conversations for when you sense she's more stable and receptive.
Hope this helps-Good Luck!

Answer 3

Schizoprhenics are very hard to deal with because they come in many varieties. THere are the paranoids, the multiple personalities, and it sounds like you may have run into both of these in this person. The word schizophrenia covers much ground...too much to go into here. Go to your library and look up some of the types...it will prove educational for you as you deal with these people every day. If you have good male tech support on your unit, you shouldn't fear the patients. They do not mean to harm you, but can if provoked either by real life angst, or by imagnary problems. Mental Health is a fascinating field and if you are truly interested in working in it, there is much to learn.

Answer 4

You can't have Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder at the same time...it's not possible. I am a psychologist and work with people suffering from both of these illnesses on a daily basis. Just be patient and answer any questions she has. She may seem distracted due to hallucinations but often she will understand, although you may need to repeat things.

Answer 5

part of the reason why you're dreading it is because you EXPECT her to act odd. your predisposition regarding schizophrenics, as you said, is that you fear them. however, there are many 'normal' people that act worse than the person you've described.

i believe the portion of her mental illness you are fearing is her bipolar side. you said she acts different every time you see her. schizophrenia is not the same as dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities). if she acts different everytime you see her, it's more likely her cognitive function and emotional level is contrasting: a symptom of bipolar disorder.

Answer 6

This is very typical behavior for a schizophrenic. Answer her questions even though she seems not to be listening. If she gets on a talking spree, get her attention, then tell her you can't talk right now, but maybe later. Then proceed on to what you have to do. She is nice to you because you do take the time to speak and listen to her.

Answer 7

I would not fear her. I would want to get Mental Health Education for myself if I were you.Mental Health is what is needed in your case. Because you may even live in the house with a mental health patient one day. This could happen to anyone at anytime even YOU.