Ms. Mayer : Schizophrenia Is “Disturbance In Mood”
By Audrey C. Lodato
Post Staff Writer
Schizophrenia.
A big word. A big pro
blem for those who suffer
from it or have family
members who do.
Anne Mayer is coordina
tor for the re-entry pro
gram at Mecklenburg
County Mental Health Ser
vices’ satellite office on
Beatties Ford Rd. ‘‘We try
to help people who have
dropped out of community
life,” she explained.
According to Ms. Mayer,
bance in mood, thought,
perception, and behavior.”
The illness, which is most
likely to strike during the
late teens and early twen
ties and cuts across all
socio-economic lines, can
control a person's moods in
ways that are inappropri
ate. For instance, a victim
of the disease might laugh
on learning of the death of
someone close.
Schizophrenia affects a
person's logical thinking,
making it impossible to
draw conclusions, such as
the probability that it will
be hot in July.
Perception is also affect
ed. A schizophrenic may
hallucinate, hearing
_ voices, seeing things, feel
ing sensations, tasting or
smelling for no apparent
reason. It’s an easy step to
move from constantly ex
periencing a peculiar taste
to believing you are being
poisoned, Ms. Mayer point
ed out. Such delusions, or
i
Reentry program staff shown above,
from left to right, are Patty Hamrick,
Don "Cisco” Mills and Anne Mayer.
Second in series
false beliefs, are a common
part of schizophrenia.
These changes in percep
tion and accompanying
delusions lead to changes
in behavior which may
make the person appear
odd or crazy to others.
Ms. Mayer likened schi
zophrenia to living in a
dream, wherein fantasy
and realty merge. Unlike a
dream, however, the
schizophrenic doesn't wake
up to the real world.
“Nobody is really sure
- what causes schizophre
nia,” the mental health
practitioner —explained—
Some "believe the illness- is”
caused by environment and
family influences. Others
think the disorder is ge
netic. Stress is sometimes
thought to bring on the
illness. Some groups, such
as the Schizophrenia As
sociation of the Carol inas,
believing that vitamin de
ficiencies are to blame,
focus on dietary considera
tions.
The Mental Health Cen
to* program treats the ill
ness as a chemical im
balance in the brain. Whe
ther the imbalance causes
chemical imbalances do af
--fect-a--large-• number -of
schizophrenics. Ms. Mayer
believes that more than one
factor is probably involved
in bringing on the disorder.
Various medications are
used to reduce or eliminate
symptoms. How effective
they are is partly in
fluenced by how long the
person has had the illness.
Recovery is also affected
by intelligence, the per
son’s support system, and
how the victim was before
the onset of the disease.
Mental Health's re-entry
program includes patient
education classes to help
KchizonhrAnif'K uiulprsLand.
what they are dealing with.
FatienU are provided in
formation about symp
toms^ medications and
their side-effects, relapses,
and what they can do to
help themselves.
The program also spon
sors a family education
class. "A person’s family
has a bigger impact on
recovery than the thera
pist,” Mayer pointed out.
Family members must
learn to deal with the ill
ness and may go through a
grief process at the loss of
the sick person’s former
self. Parents may have to
lower expectations of what
their child can accomplish.
The class setting also
serves as a place where
families can bolster and
support each other.
At present, there are four
patient groups held each
week, serving about 40
people. Schizophrenia has
..a. devastating effect pn .a.
person's social Interaction
and self-esteem, so these
are areas that the patient
groups work on. Patty
Hamrick is a therapist for
one such group. “We do
things to make them in
termingle,” she explained.
Recent activities in her
group have included work
ing on conversational
skiljs, talking about de
pression and how to deal
with it, and participating in
a jazz routine.
Social worker Don Mills
is in the process of de
veloping a program which
wiU give employers_tox_
breaks for hiring these
handicapped individuals.
He hopes to get the em
ployment program off the
ground by early next year.
Mayer, who was hired
less than a year ago to start
the re-entry program at the
Beatties' Pont Rd. loca
tion, has seen some pro
gress. "Some patients have
been able te move on to
work environments,” she
said. "We’re trying to close
s lot of the gaps that people
fall through."
ELOQUENT GUEST SPEAKER - The
Very Rev. Dr. Emmanuel W. Johnson,
right. President ef the Standing Com
mittee of The Episcopal Diocese of
Liberia, was guest speaker and Cele
brant of the Holy Eucharist at St.
Michael and All Angels Episcopal
Church last Sunday morning. The dis
tinguished churchman was in Charlotte.
N.C. visiting his close and long-time
friend. Father Edward G. W. King Jr.
(center), newly appointed Vicar of St.
Michael’s Episcopal Church and former
Dean of Trinity Cathedral, Liberia. Dr.
Johnson is presently Dean of Trinity
Cathedral, Monrovia,' Liberia, Former
President of Cuttlngton University Col
lege and Divinity School. Episcopal
Church, African Province of the An
glican Church. Liberia. Dr. Johnson
came to America to attend the Diocese of
Maine Convention where the Diocese of
Liberia is partner in mission with the
Diocese of Maine. Photo By Peeler’s
Portrait Studio.
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