Welcome to my home page here in Guelph Ontario Canada. I have
schizophrenia and have been on medication now since 1990, the length
of time I have lived in Guelph. I'm 53 and I have had schizophrenia for the last 36 years.
That includes about 8 years of prodromal symptoms, 12 years of untreated psychosis, and 17 years of treatment with antipsychotics.
Between 1980 and 1990, I was experiencing a very disabling
psychosis, alone and very poor. I eventually got in trouble with
the law in 1988 and received three years probation with the condition that I
see a psychiatrist for those three years. I've been to jail, been actively
alcoholic, attempted suicide, and was homeless for six months in 1980.
My story illustrates
an interplay of biology and sociology that can make schizophrenia a
devastating illness. There is the illness itself, and the way we, as
a society, treat people who develop it.
There is good cause for optimism though. The atypical medications
are more effective with fewer side effects. There is
growing recognition of the value of early intervention and
relapse prevention. The public is developing an interest in schizophrenia and positive movies like "A Beautiful Mind", were quite popular.
These three trends promise a far
less destructive schizophrenia then what I had to experience. Psychosis is
a like a heart attack. It is a serious health event. You should only have one episode in your life.
The charts are mostly from dinner presentations and conferences I have attended
between 1995 and 2002. I have permission to use them here.
The information here is updated from time to time, but I don't have the access to the latest research that I used to. The page on medications is limited only to what is available in Canada, which hasn't changed in some time.
I am indebted to various psychiatrists who, for the most part, took the time to
answer my questions about schizophrenia. I also have the benefit of my experience, both on and off medication.
I was forced to close the guestbook by the number of people trying to advertise commercial web sites and keep it up so readers can see how schizophrenia can have a major impact on people's lives.
You can still contact me by email, ichovil at sympatico.ca. This site is now
www.chovil.com if you haven't updated your bookmarks.
You can access the charts by the regular link or if your javascript is enabled, charts and graphs
pop up by a click on the link following the symbol.
The opinions I am sharing on my website are only my personal
opinions and are in no way indicative of the views held by the professional
organizations that I am affiliated with.
I wish I had enough time to answer questions from students by
email, but I don't. Feel free to use any material you find useful on this site. Check out the links page for other
resources if you need other references.
