2010: June July August

People with schizophrenia and their families face many challenges to living productive and satisfying lives. Individuals with schizophrenia have a higher suicide rate than the general population, and they are also less likely to be employed, get married, and have children. Family members who care for someone with schizophrenia often report high levels of stress in their lives, and frequently neglect their own health and relationships in order to provide the care their family member needs.

The cost of mental illness has an impact on all taxpayers. Expenditures associated with hospitalization, lost productivity, and other related factors cost approximately $2.6 billion per year In Ontario alone (where I live). That works out to $152 per year for every man, woman, and child living in the province.

Investing in mental health saves money. Governments need to provide open access to all approved medications for schizophrenia—including the newer ones that often better control symptoms with fewer side effects.

According to the Canadian Psychiatric Association, therapy with antipsychotic medications is an essential component of a treatment plan for most patients with schizophrenia. I believe that timely access to all available medications for people living with schizophrenia should be a top priority for governments.

For this reason, a number of advocates, including myself, have been contacting members of Ontario’s Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions to expand the list of antipsychotic medications covered under the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary.

For more information on how you can be involved in improving access to medications in Ontario, please email me at bmacphee@magpiemags.com.

Schizophrenia is a very devastating illness—it has been the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with in my life. But I have survived and I am a better person for what I have gone through. That’s not to say I’d ever like to go back and relive what I’ve gone through: the voices, hallucinations, the paranoia, the depression and suicide attempt, the five years on the couch, etc.

No, I would not want to do that all over again, but I try to make sense of it all; what I have gone through allows me to help other people, and I know helping and encouraging other people is my calling in life.

One way that I try to help people is to let them know that medication will get rid of some of those positive symptoms—the hallucinations and delusions, etc. Once you are stable, you can focus on rebuilding your life. Many people ask me about the side effects of medication, and they wonder if the benefits of medication outweigh their side affects.

Of course I can only speak for myself and yes, do I experience side effects from my medication. Specifically, I get a dry mouth and sometimes I experience restlessness, blurred vision, and sleeplessness. I have also experienced weight gain. But my meds have eliminated my illusions and hallucinations and delusions. Medication has allowed me to focus on rebuilding my life and today I own a business, I am married, and I have three children. So do I think the benefits of my medication outweigh its side effects? Absolutely.

Sometimes, though, the answer isn’t so black and white. The side effects of antipsychotics can be debilitating, especially when it comes to some of the older medications. But it’s up to each of us to examine the situation carefully and decide what’s more important. There is life after mental illness.

Life After Mental Illness is also the title of my biography available on DVD. Visit our Website or call toll free 1-866-672-3038 to order your copy.

As founder and CEO of Magpie Media Inc., I strive to be politically correct. In our Spring 2010 issue of SZ Magazine, our cover story was titled “Parenting a mentally ill child.” It was a terrific piece and I’m proud of it. However, when the magazine went into circulation, I received an email from a reader who was offended by the term “mentally ill child,” as opposed to “child with a mental illness.” Can you see the difference?

I recently attended a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) conference in Washington, DC, where I met the person who sent me that email and we had a good talk about it. Although some people may not see the inversion of words as a big deal, this individual did, and I applaud her for pointing out the need for sensitivity and political correctness in order to fight stigma.

I’ve also recently heard that the new term for people with schizophrenia will no longer be ‘consumer’ but rather ‘person with lived experience.’ I’m curious to see if this new term will catch on.

I have three children: a 23-year-old son, an 8-year-old son, and a 6-year-old daughter. Raising three kids is no easy task (as anyone with children knows). Our cover story on parenting a child with mental illness gave valuable insight into the challenges of parenting a child with special needs—recognizing mental illness, dealing with guilt, and the often difficult task of finding help.

There is power in numbers and despite the many challenges, it is possible to be successful at raising a child with a mental illness. The key is to surround yourself with a support system of people who are either going through or have gone through the same experiences you are. It is important—and reassuring—to know that you are not alone.

Copies of our Spring 2010 issue are available through our Website, or by calling toll-free 1-866-672-3038.

Anyone who has ever taken medication for an extended period of time knows that missing a dose is sometimes inevitable. Even today, as much as I know about schizophrenia and the importance of my medication, I still find myself once in awhile forgetting to take my cogetin (which counters the side affects of my long-acting injectible). Sometimes I am tired and fall asleep on the couch, and when I get up to go to my bedroom, I can’t remember if I have taken my meds or not.

I am a fan of long-acting injectibles (LAIs) because it’s easy for me: I only have to remember to take it once every four weeks. I go to the hospital as scheduled and, like clockwork, I get my blood pressure taken, weight taken, I get my shot and a little conversation, and then I am good for another 4 weeks.

Injectibles have been around for a long time; most of them are from the ‘typical’ class of drug that came before 1994. ‘Typicals’ are an older class of medication from the tranquilizing family of drugs, but still widely used because of their effectiveness.

LAIs are administered by a depot injection, either into the layer of skin below the epidermis or muscle tissue. Over time, the medication is released slowly from the tissues into the blood stream, where it is processed by the body.

When I was first admitted to hospital in 1987 because of my psychosis and the bizarre things I was doing (see my video, “Living with Schizophrenia”), I was put on about three different medications. After many months of treatment, my positive symptoms stabilized and I was back into reality. Six months later, I went off my meds—as many people with schizophrenia do—and my symptoms came back. I went back into the hospital and the doctor was skeptical that I would take my meds, so he started me on an injectible, which I am still on to this day.

I believe that in the future, LAIs will be as popular as oral medication. Some companies are even investigating medication patches for those who can’t fathom being stuck with a needle every four weeks. Needles don’t bother me, and I’m glad to have an option that eliminates the risk of forgetting my medication

Our Summer 2010 issue includes several stories about long-acting injectibles. Copies are available through our Website, or by calling toll-free 1-866-672-3038.