No one safe from schizophrenia

JAKARTA (JP): Could not sleep last night? It happens almost every week day? Or suddenly feeling hypersensitive or hyperactive? It may be an early sign of mental or behavioral disorder.

Schizophrenia has several symptoms, mainly the incapacity to integrate thinking, feelings and behavior. Sufferers are incapable of differentiating between their fantasies and real life.

Specific definitions are still formulated. But the World Health Organization defines schizophrenic disorders as being characterized in general by fundamental and characteristic distortions of thinking and perception, and by inappropriate or blunted responses.

Psychiatrist Heriani at the University of Indonesia's School of Medicine and Cipto Mangunkusumo Public Hospital in Jakarta said that basically schizophrenia included significant clinical changes, including the dysfunction of social relations.

"Social withdrawal, lack of motivation, depression, and dulled feelings are some of the symptoms as well as delusions and hallucinations. Some patients may say they hear voices which are perceived to be inside or outside of their body."

She says that schizophrenia is not a disease, particularly a hereditary disease.

"I would cite diabetes as an analogy. The genetic factor is possible but not absolute, both in diabetes and schizophrenia," she says, adding that there much research is still needed to be done, particularly if any genetic factors play a significant role in schizophrenia.

In handling a patient, psychiatrists usually apply multi-axial diagnoses which include patients' complaints, background, physical illnesses, stress, and the adaption ability level, Heriani says.

Total recovery may occur, but it cannot be guaranteed or a timeframe estimated. In some cases people get better on their own. "Family support is very important. So is how other people behave toward patients. That's why an event like this (a painting exhibition) is being held," she says.

The painting exhibition she is referring to is by people with schizophrenia. It is on display at the Taman Ismail Marzuki art center, Central Jakarta, from Oct. 8 to Oct. 10.

Many people believe that those suffering from schizophrenia are frightening, dangerous, scary, embarrassing and annoying as they sometime can suddenly be furious, lazy about washing and poorly dressed.

"In Indonesia, some people lock the patients' legs between two pieces of wood or chain them. Few understand that there are now many newly developed medicines for schizophrenia which allow patients to be rehabilitated," Heriani says.

Heriani says that it is most common for schizophrenia to attack people for the first time when they are between 18 and 40 years old. "The disorder may develop, but after the age of 45 we have to be careful about what may happen in the brain. But it occurs across society. Everyone, rich or poor, male or female, can suffer from this."

Heriani says that it is hard to talk about remission periods. Unlike physical illnesses like cancer, there is no standard schizophrenia. "It's very individual. The sooner a patient gets treatment, the better."

There is a problem, however, in that the treatment is always expensive. Especially when one considers that many people have the potential to suffer from schizophrenia.

Based on common assumptions, the risk of becoming schizophrenic is one percent. This means that about two million Indonesians have suffered, are suffering or are likely to suffer from this at some point in their lives.

Psychiatrist Tun K. Bastaman says that in Indonesia there are 10,000 beds to treat schizophrenic patients. "In Indonesia, there are only 400 psychiatrists. Out of that number, 120 are in the greater Jakarta area."

There are less than 40 psychiatric hospitals, sanatoriums or hospitals with psychiatric disorder treatment divisions in Indonesia. (icn)