William beats Schizophrenia to find true meaning of life

To a casual observer, Thuto William is no different from you and me. He talks normally, walks just like the next person, and seems comfortable around people. He wasn’t always like this. “Growing up, Thuto would be energetic and very excited in one moment, only to go flat and expressionless the next,” shares his mother, Reginah William. She adds, “When he was like that, he would be completely expressionless, locked away in a world that no one can reach”. Thuto’s mother, who has witnessed these mood changes in the 27-year-old for the last 12 years, says for or a long time, Thuto would be withdrawn and just stayed in the house not socialising. William has schizophrenia, a mental disorder characterised by a breakdown of thought processes and a deficit of typical emotional responses. Common symptoms include auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganised speech and thinking. It is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. It is something Thuto will have to live with for the rest of his life. “It got so bad that I became suicidal. All this time, I had no idea what I was suffering from. Thoughts of ending my life constantly filled my head and I contemplated and evaluated the easiest and most effective ways of taking my life,” William shared. Gloomy as it was around that time he had the presence of mind to reach out for help and took himself in at Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital in Lobatse. He was 15 years old then and doing his Form II at Ipelegeng Junior Secondary School in Lobatse. “The initial triggers include feeling low and wanting to withdraw and spend time with myself. This later deteriorates to scary thoughts, and then I start seeing things that other people cannot see,” he says. To counter this, he takes medication and makes a point of keeping the company of people he is familiar with, and who understand his condition. “I can’t party or take alcohol like many of my peers, so I don’t even put myself in such situations” he says, adding that keeping busy also helps to keep the relapses at bay. William says that his life is gradually gaining some normalcy. “I can confidently say that as unfair as life seems, it is also a gift and we should enjoy it and live it to the fullest. “Yes I don’t enjoy the so called finer things like alcohol, drugs, sex and I struggle to keep romantic relationships. But there is much more to life that I can do like travelling and experiencing the world. It was not easy conquering my demons, but with the help of a psychiatrist and medicine to manage this condition, it is not all gloom and doom. Schizophrenia, like many other forms of mental illness, is not a death sentence; and can be managed through medication and therapy. I live a full life. Of course, I have good days and bad days. The medicine also has its side effects, like stiff neck, shoulders, feeling shaky and can make you lose hope because they stop you from thinking, but this is the least of my problems.“This condition has taught me that life is truly precious, that we should take advantage of every moment we have. I love travelling and experiencing the world which has also proved to be very good for my head space, I laugh more, I am generally happier, and I make more time for my friends and family,” William explained. According to Mental health expert, David Mangwegape, schizophrenia is a long-term mental disorder in which a person is unable to differentiate fantasy from reality. “Schizophrenia is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Dopamine, a chemical found in the brain, is low in people with schizophrenia,” he said in an interview. This is where the genetic disposition comes in. However, not every genetically predisposed person will manifest schizophrenia. According to Mangwegape, some environmental stressors can cause a trigger. These include traumatic events that lead to emotional trauma, the use of street drugs, and other psychological stressors, such as a stressful relationship, financial difficulty, work and school-related stressors. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), schizophrenia affects about one in every 100 people. The condition is most often diagnosed between age 15 and 35, and can affect any gender but is more frequent in males than females. A schizophrenic attack is gradual. It can begin with withdrawal, followed by other symptoms, such as hallucinations. Schizophrenia is treated with a combination of medication to reduce the symptoms and therapy appropriate to each individual.“The earlier the treatment, the faster the recovery and the lesser the future relapses,” Mangwegape says. He adds that many people are living with schizophrenia and leading nearly normal lives.