Problems and Coping Mechanisms of Persons with Schizophrenia: Implications for Psychosocial Interventions
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Date
2014-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The major purpose of this study was to investigate the problems and coping mechanisms of
persons with schizophrenia and find out implications for possible psychosocial interventions.
Despite intensive research for decades the causes of schizophrenia are largely unknown.
Schizophrenia creates a big concern because it causes chronic disability, family
disappointments, marital problems, financial disadvantages and destroys the education
opportunities for those that are affected by the illness at early age. Like everyone, those living
with schizophrenia typically have important goals for themselves in the areas of relationships,
work, and living. The patients need to be understood and be helped so that they can be
functional again. To give them help, one understand their major problems and how they are
trying to cope up with the problem they are facing right now and draw possible psychosocial
interventions.
The study is fully qualitative based on in -depth interviews and focus group discussions. To
analyze the data interpretive phenomenological analysis was used. Persons with schizophrenia,
health workers, and caregivers of persons with schizophrenia were participated on this study.
Persons with schizophrenia suffer from different problems mainly unemployment, economic
crisis and dependency, discrimination and isolation, poor awareness, abuses and poor medical
support and medical side effects. Among participants common copping mechanism is social
withdrawal. In addition emotional regulation on females and self distraction on males are
observed. The very sound medical side effect implied is fatigue. Although Amanuel Specialized
Mental Health implements Bio-psycho-social intervention, bother caregivers and patients were
unaware of the service.
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Keywords
Psychosocial Interventions