Schizophrenia is a life-long mental health condition that affects the way someone perceives reality, and can include various symptoms including experiencing delusions and or experiencing hallucinations. Depression is a mental health condition that negatively affects how you feel, think, and act. (1) These two mental health conditions substantially impact everyday life from how individuals interact with others to brain development and health. The negative effects of these mental health conditions are numerous, but hope exists that recovery is possible.
According to the DSM-5 with regards to what constitutes schizophrenia in terms of the presence of symptoms, “two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated). At least one of these must be (1), (2), or (3):”
- Delusions.
- Hallucinations.
- Disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence).
- Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior.
- Negative symptoms (i.e., diminished emotional expression or avolition). (3)
These symptoms can cause overwhelm and interfere significantly with your ability to complete daily tasks, sleep, and enjoy life. This is also the case for depression symptoms, which range from emotional challenges to thoughts of suicide and or attempts. These are powerful symptoms in both schizophrenia and depression that can cause a lot of pain and turmoil and generally, difficulty in everyday life.
In addition to symptoms that impact individuals living with schizophrenia and depression, it’s also been found through research that individuals living with schizophrenia, “may be more likely to have glitches in their genes that may disrupt brain development.” (4) Studies also show that “certain brain chemicals that control thinking, behavior, and emotions are either too active or not active enough in people with schizophrenia.” (5) Furthermore, “doctors also believe the brain loses tissue over time.
And imaging tools, like PET scans and MRIs, show that people who have schizophrenia have less “gray matter” — the part of the brain that contains nerve cells — over time.” (6) Doctors have also found that depression can also lead to less gray matter. (7) Gray matter is important in that it is a type of tissue in your brain and spinal cord that plays a crucial role in allowing you to function normally via mental functions, memory, emotions, and movement. (8)
Furthermore, “obesity is twice as common in people with schizophrenia as in the general population. It’s also linked to significantly worsened mental and physical health.” (9) In depression, about 43 percent of adults with depression have obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (10) “Excess weight, especially obesity, diminishes almost every aspect of health, from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood. Obesity increases the risk of several debilitating, and deadly diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.”
(11)
In terms of suicide, the “overall mortality among people with schizophrenia remains three times higher than those in the general population.” (12) In depression, “the lifetime risk of suicide among patients… is nearly 20%.” (13)
While living with both mental health conditions can make daily life a tremendous struggle, there is hope. There’s hope in that there are many wellness tools that one can practice to support their recovery. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an excellent wellness tool. In cognitive behavioral therapy, there is a specific concept that is helpful for reality testing in schizophrenia, or replacing negative thoughts in depression. It’s referred to as catch it, check it, change it. Catch it, check it, change it, or the three C’s, is a tool used to question delusional thoughts or negative thoughts and check said thoughts against reality. This is something that the individual can do with assistance and also on their own. It’s an excellent tool that helps alleviate these often relentless thoughts that do not
coincide with reality.
Furthermore, self-care is an important wellness tool as well. Things like regular exercise, getting quality sleep, and taking breaks where needed are all beneficial to anyone struggling with their mental health. Exercise has so many benefits both physically and emotionally, such as weight management, improved mood, and stronger resiliency to name a few. Quality sleep improves concentration, improves mood, and rejuvenates the brain for optimal functioning.
In addition, for some individuals, psychiatric medication can support their recovery. In a study, it was found that after 6 weeks of taking an antipsychotic, the proportion of patients who showed a marked to moderate degree of improvement was 75%. This “NIMH study also showed that antipsychotics were effective in treating a wide range of symptoms of schizophrenia, including auditory hallucinations, ideas of persecution, hebephrenic symptoms, incoherent speech, irritability, and hostility.” (14)
Unfortunately, not everyone benefits from psychiatric medication, and for some, it is not effective whatsoever, however, researchers are working on more options. In conclusion, schizophrenia and depression are lifelong mental health conditions that have a significant impact on individuals’ daily lives and overall well-being. These conditions affect millions of people worldwide and can cause symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and negative emotions.
Research has shown that both conditions are associated with disruptions in brain development and changes in brain chemistry. Additionally, obesity is more common in individuals with schizophrenia and depression, and both conditions increase the risk of suicide. However, there is hope for recovery through various wellness tools such as cognitive behavioral therapy, self-care practices, and psychiatric medication for some individuals.
~Celia
Celia is a peer specialist supervisor and program coordinator. She lives with
schizophrenia and depression. Celia enjoys working out, spending time with her
husband and her cat, and writing.
REFERENCES
1: What Is Depression? (n.d.). https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-
families/depression/what-is-depression
2: World Health Organization: WHO. (n.d.). Mental disorders. https://www.who.int/news-
room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders
3: Schizophrenia: An Overview (2016, July 8).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6526801/
4, 5, 6: Schizophrenia and Your Brain. (n.d.). WebMD.
https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-and-your-brain
7: Rees, M. (2023, October 9). What to know about depression and the brain.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/howd-does-depression-affect-the-brain
8: Professional, C. C. M. (n.d.). Grey Matter. Cleveland Clinic.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24831-grey-matter
9: Pedersen, T. (n.d.). The Ongoing Challenges of Schizophrenia. Psych Central.
https://psychcentral.com/schizophrenia/the-ongoing-challenges-of-
schizophrenia#weight
10: Holland, K. (2022, January 19). Are obesity and depression related? And 9 other
FAQs. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/obesity-and-
depression#:~:text=About%2043%20percent%20of%20adults,Control%20and%20Preve
ntion%20(CDC)
11: Health risks. (2016, April 13). Obesity Prevention Source.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-
consequences/health-
effects/#:~:text=Weight%20Problems%20Take%20a%20Hefty%20Toll%20on%20Body%
20and%20Mind&text=Excess%20weight%2C%20especially%20obesity%2C%20diminish
es,heart%20disease%2C%20and%20some%20cancers
12: Villines, Z. (2023, July 27). What to know about life expectancy for people with
schizophrenia. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/schizophrenia-life-
expectancy#average-life-expectancy
13: Suicide Statistics – Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. (2021, September 1).
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. https://www.dbsalliance.org/crisis/suicide-
prevention-information/suicide-statistics/
14: The acute efficacy of antipsychotics in schizophrenia: a review of recent meta-
analyses (2018, October 8).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6180374/#:~:text=After%206%20week
s%2C%20the%20proportion,between%20the%20three%20antipsychotics%20assessed
