Malta has made great stridesbut, unfortunately, schizophrenia still creates a negative perception, according to Richmond Foundation’s operations manager, Daniela Calleja Bitar.

“We’ve come a long way over the past 15 years but schizophrenia is still stigmatised. People have to understand that just as at some point in your life you can develop lack of physical health, you can also develop lack of mental health,” Ms Calleja Bitar told a group of students at the University of Malta yesterday.

The student organisation Betapsi Malta teamed up with Richmond Foundation for a discussion about schizophrenia during Freshers’ week.

It is not an illusion but a false perception

Tomorrow – World Mental Health Day – the world will raise awareness about mental health difficulties, something that one in every four people in the world will at some point have to deal with. Meanwhile, about one in every 100 people will develop schizophrenia during their lifetime.

Clinical psychologist Bernard Caruana explained that people with schizophrenia did not imagine but they really sensed the things they perceived.

“It is not an illusion but a false perception of things. It’s just like when we’re dreaming and having a nightmare. The difference with people with schizophrenia is that they do not wake up from these dreams,” he said.

Easing stigmatisation would lead to earlier treatment and better management of the condition, which, when controlled, could allow for successful lives.

He urged those present to compare mental difficulties to physical ailments.

“For a person with a mental disorder, washing the dishes might be as difficult as it is for me to carry stones. I compare it to influenza. You feel so exhausted that even lifting up a bottle is difficult.”

Richmond Foundation can be contacted on 2148 2336, 2144 0324, 2122 4580, 2148 0045, 2149 1392 for guidance. Every client has a personalised care plan which is agreed on by the closest people in the person’s life.

Symptoms

• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Disorganised thinking
• Lack of motivation
• Poor grooming or hygiene
• Reduced range of emotions
• Tendency not to interact with other people