Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness. While it can occur in teens, many people aren’t diagnosed with the disorder until they’re in their 20s or 30s. By that time, they may have launched businesses, developed careers and even started families — so the sudden display of their symptoms is both puzzling and upsetting to their families.
Here are the symptoms of schizophrenia:
- Delusional beliefs that clearly are not true
- Hallucinations, whether auditory, visual or olfactory
- Memory problems
- Unorganized thought patterns
- The inability to finish a task
- Flat, unaffected tone when speaking
- Speaking in a jumble of words that don’t seem to connect
- Reduced interest in former activities
- Problems sustaining relationships
- A paranoia that seems unfounded
- Withdrawal from friends and family
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- Irritability and depression
Many victims of schizophrenia are bright young people who show a lot of promise before their symptoms spiral out of control. Anti-psychotic drugs and therapy can help schizophrenics manage their condition. Some lucky few are able to live relatively normal lives, despite their condition. Many others, however, find themselves unable to hold onto their jobs, unable to learn new tasks and unable to find new work because of their symptoms.
When that happens, Social Security Disability benefits are designed to provide a safety net. The monthly income can provide financial and physical stability and the medical benefits will allow a schizophrenic person to continue receiving appropriate medical and mental health treatments. Unfortunately, getting a claim for Social Security Disability benefits approved can take a lot of organization and work — and that’s often impossible for schizophrenics to manage on their own. If you’re claim for SSD has been denied, find out how an attorney may be able to help.
