HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Living with schizophrenia
What can I do?
There are many things you can do to help yourself if you are experiencing psychosis.
- Try to understand what is happening to you by working through the booklet Hearing voices: a self help guide.
- Talk to your GP or practice nurse about your symptoms and how you are feeling.
- Avoid things that set off your symptoms. Over time you will learn what things trigger your symptoms.These can be particular people or environments, or other things that make you feel stressed.
- Avoid recreational drugs and alcohol.
- Try to keep a regular sleep pattern – go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
- Look after your physical health by eating well, quitting smoking, and keeping active. Keeping your body healthy can help to reduce how often you get symptoms, and how bad they are when you get them.
- Ask your GP or psychiatric team to write you a care plan. This can include information about what kind of treatment works for you, and who to contact if your symptoms get worse or if you are in a crisis.
- Learn about antipsychotic medicines. You may need to start taking one of these medicines. If you are taking an antipsychotic medicine do not stop it or reduce the dose unless your doctors tells you to. If you do stop the medicine, your psychotic symptoms might come back. You can find out more about the particular medicines you are taking in Medications for mental health issues.
- Learn about talking therapy. This will help you to:
- understand what triggers your symptoms and how to reduce them
- recover from a psychotic episode
- learn when to get help.
Therapy can also reduce stress and worry for your family.
- When you are well, practise these 10 practical ways of keeping well. You can also read about the five proven ways to improve wellbeing.
- Learn more about psychotic disorders by reading these resources and factsheets.
Who can help?
These people and organisations may be involved in your (or your family member's or friend's) healthcare.
GP
If you need to find a GP, you can search on the West Coast PHO's website.
West Coast DHB DHB Specialist Mental Health Service
You can find out more about the service on this page.
On the next page: Support for families & friends of people with psychosis
Information provided by the Canterbury DHB. Adapted by the West Coast DHB. Page created March 2016.
Review key: HIPSY-124133
