Recently a young friend of mine (fluent in Wolof) was in a bidik buying
batteries when an agitated woman she had never seen before walked up and began
shouting at her, "Stop staring at me. I know you can read my mind. You
want to hurt me." She began to strike my friend on the back with her
fists and had to be restrained by two men who happened to be walking by.
My friend's first impulse was to call the police, but the bidik owner seemed to
know the woman who was now sobbing and trembling in the corner. He asked
to call the woman's family and have them come for her. They often kept her
locked in their compound for weeks at a time when she was in the midst of one
of her "spells", he explained. No one knows what to do for her. She
has apparently been like this for many years, silent and withdrawn some of the
time, and then suddenly angry, frightened and combative. Frequently she
talks to herself, arguing as if someone else is there, and laughing
secretively. She trusts no one, not even family members and keeps to
herself pretty much all the time, unwilling or unable to explain herself other
than to say things like "They are always following me". Sometimes she
won't eat, suspicious that "something" has been hidden in the food; she sleeps
poorly, wandering around the compound and mumbling to herself, and frightens
the children by suddenly screaming at them "Don't talk to me like that" even
when they are playing quietly. "Madness" is the word the bidik owner used
to describe her behavior: "She is mad." My friend agreed, and the family came
and took the woman back home.
What is this "madness"? In many cultures, it is
explained by spirits of one kind or another inhabiting the victim. In
fact, as the symptoms come and go, they do seem to inhabit the victim, who does
not seem like "themselves". Modern science would say that the person
suffers from the mental illness called "schizophrenia". This brain
disorder is quite serious; it usually begins during teen-age years or early
20's; the signs of it then come and go throughout a lifetime and cause many
problems. It has been noted throughout recorded history (many believe
that an additional burden weighing on Abraham Lincoln was that his beloved wife
Mary suffered from it). Scientists think it may affects up to one percent
of the population across all cultures. It tends to run in families so it
is thought to have genetic causes as well as various environmental
factors. In the past, specialists believed that it was caused by
parenting styles and family issues but that has been discredited in favor of
more biological causes and chemistry in the brain.
People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people
don't hear or they may believe that others are reading their minds, controlling
their thoughts or plotting to do them harm. These experiences are quite
frightening. People with schizophrenia may not make sense when they talk,
may sit for hours in a fixed position, become quite agitated, or may seem
perfectly normal until they talk about what they are thinking about. They
have no control over these thoughts and cannot stop them. They are at the
mercy of their minds and their minds at times have lost touch with
reality.
These
symptoms can come and go. Sometimes they are severe and at other times
hardly noticeable. People with schizophrenia are not usually violent and often
prefer to be left alone though they occasionally strike out when they feel
threatened. The best response to this is to subdue them and take them to a
protected place. If a schizophrenic person says something strange to you
on the street it is best not to respond at all, but to walk away.
Because so much is often going on inside of the schizophrenic's mind, they are
often unable to have normal give-and-take relationships, hold a job, or even
take care of themselves. They can be very dependent on family members and
friends and require a lot of personal care at times. Because it is so
difficult to understand what is happening to them, it can be very frustrating
and difficult to help. It requires a great deal of understanding and
generosity. If you know anyone coping with such a situation, give them as
much support as possible.
Some people who abuse drugs and alcohol show symptoms similar to those of
schizophrenia and people with schizophrenia may be mistaken for someone high on
drugs or alcohol. Researchers have not found that substance abuse causes
schizophrenia; but it is true that schizophrenics use more than their share of
alcohol and/or drugs, possibly in an effort to calm themselves. Cocaine
and marijuana are known to make schizophrenia worse. Even today, the
causes of schizophrenia are still not understood.And no real cure is known; modern treatment
focuses on managing the symptoms of the disease. Since the l950's there
have been various medications developed for schizophrenia; these medications
can minimize the symptoms of the illness.But none can eliminate them completely.
