Sept 15 - Parents may be as troubled and suffer as much as their schizophrenic child.
'I've seen some parents who say they can't take it any more,' said Dr Swapna Verma, a psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health.
When someone has schizophrenia, the stress on the family can be severe. Uncertain and fearful, some family members may react by being controlling, hostile and critical.
'Sometimes, they think their child is making it all up, that he can pull himself out of it if he would only just try,' she said.
Parents may also feel guilty that they did not pay enough attention to the child and caused the child to fall ill. Or they may think they did something to contribute to the problem, and become over-protective.
Dr Swapna has seen some families break up because of the schizophrenic child, when parents take to blaming each other for the child's condition.
Because schizophrenia may have a genetic link, the parents themselves may also be mentally unwell.
The IMH is aware of the anguish that families often go through, since schizophrenia is a long-drawnout illness and not something that can be fixed in a matter of weeks, or even months.
'Case managers not only help patients, but also call the parents to give them support. We also run workshops for parents,' Dr Swapna said.
At Orygen Youth Health in Melbourne, which deals primarily with youth suffering from schizophrenia, there are special case managers to look after families of patients.
One case manager, who himself has a son with schizophrenia, told The Straits Times that many parents feel guilt, especially if the child's illness happened shortly after an 'incident'.
This could be the parents getting a divorce, a parent losing his job or finding out that he has a serious illness like cancer.
'We keep telling them it's not their fault. If that incident didn't happen, something else would have triggered off the problem,' he said.
'Some parents worry about the genetic link. We tell them, if that's the case, you could as easily blame your parents or grandparents.'
Experts say it is important to help families cope, since they are the greatest influence on a patient's recovery. In Singapore, almost all patients live with their families, so tending to family concerns is important.
Ideally, said Dr Swapna, family members should be there to lend support when needed, and be caring, attentive and encouraging. This helps patients recover faster.
