How to Help a Partner With Schizophrenia

Mental illness is a silent battle that many fight on a daily basis, and while some people’s fights will end, some will continue to fight forever.

Dating is another battlefield that many people have trouble navigating and getting ahold of.

When you combine mental illness and dating, it can be quite the task if you don’t know what you’re doing. 

From our partner

Join a Study, Help Future Patients. Researchers are studying a potential treatment for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer. Find out if you may qualify

To start, let me say that your partner sharing their mental illness or silent wars with you means they trust you and it is one of the most vulnerable spots a person can be in.

So before you take any of these steps, make sure to thank them and really make sure you let them know that you are elated to know they feel so comfortable with you. 

About 1% of the U.S. population has schizophrenia. Those who have received this diagnosis, know how hard it can be.

The symptoms surrounding schizophrenia can be some of the following:

From our partner

Diagnosed with Advanced Small Cell Lung Cancer? Learn more about a new study for patients with ES-SCLC.

• Delusions 
• Hallucinations (auditory, visual, etc.)
• Disorganized speech
• Lack of emotion
• Difficulty processing information
• Confusion

These symptoms can make daily activities and obligations very difficult for your partner, so make sure you educate yourself first and foremost as well. While each fight is different and deserves to be treated differently, today I will give you all tips on helping your partner if they have schizophrenia (or any mental illness you believe these can apply to). 

1. Be aware of the stigma surrounding schizophrenia 

• There is a harmful stigma that surrounds schizophrenia, so make sure you are aware of the stigma and that you educate yourself.

2. Educate yourself

• Make sure you are aware of the stigma and build your knowledge on the subject matter as a whole. Know what you’re talking about and answer some questions on your own before you ask your partner about their schizophrenia. 

3. Empathy

• Sympathy is one thing, but try to empathize with your partner to the best of your ability. You may not experience the same things, but try to step in their shoes.

4. Remember to be patient

• Patience is key. Your partner may not want to discuss a lot immediately, even at all. Be patient and allow them to make the first couple steps, or make small steps in the beginning if you do not notice them making a move first.

5. Ask what you can do

• The best way to get a question answered is to ask it! Ask your partner what they need and how you can be a good support system for them

6. Listen

• Listen, listen, listen to your partner!

7. Take care of yourself

• Remember you come first and you cannot help yourself if you don’t help yourself.

So always remember – patience, kindness and empathy will keep a relationship going and help it grow, no matter what the problem is.