Do I Know- Meaning of SCHIZOPHRENIA

The movie had lovely songs and I still sing them. The movie showcased heroine living with a wild imagination of some ugly, scary guy with a big belly trying to stab her with a dagger. After watching this movie, honestly, I felt the director just made up some story and there was no such mental disorders.

I have come across people laughing, talking, crying, hauling to nobody but thought they were mentally retarded. There was always a curiosity to know what they imagine or what they think of while they do such an act.

Television, theatre, movie, entertainment has always been my interest, which made me a little aware of thee big, long word Schizophrenia. SCHIZO…. PHRENIA, I guess I still don’t get the pronunciation right.

If I have to explain the meaning of this word, then it means- “The individual who believes his imagination or fantasy to be having a real existence.” These imaginations could be on any extremes, could be good or bad, wild or adorably lovable, friendly or unfriendly.

A person experiencing schizophrenia feels or rather I should say believes the existence of another individual, but in reality there is no such existence. Quite scary, isn’t it? The first question that strikes my mind is how one would know that the person is schizophrenic or if at all, am I schizophrenic.

I guess few symptoms could be known by understanding his/her behaviour, mood swings or their conversations, but I am still not sure whether am I right or wrong.

There are different levels of schizophrenia. One movie, most of us would have watched- “Lage Raho Munnabhai.” It’s the excessive reading and pressure that puts Prof. Munna on imagining the existence of Mohandas Karamchad Gandhi around him, the movie showcasing few symptoms over schizophrenia.

Another movie, watched by most of them “A Beautiful Mind” showcasing an extreme case of schizophrenia, where the actor spends most of his life in imagination and later comes to an understanding where he is unable to distinguish between the real and unreal.  Pardon my references of movies, but this was the only source of information which I could relate.

Schizophrenia, as complicated the word looks, more complicated is the mental disorder, but simpler is the cure which can be diagnosed by the right doctor, medication, therapy and loads of support, love care and belief, not only within oneself but also in doctor, family and friends.