High-Functioning Schizophrenia: Coping Strategies and Challenges 

High-functioning schizophrenia is a challenging disorder, but it is possible to experience a high quality of life. Mental disorders affect all people differently, as symptoms can range from mild to severe. However, schizophrenia tends to be a life-disruptive disorder that leaves many people struggling to form relationships and achieve their dreams. For many, the idea of receiving a schizophrenia diagnosis feels like a life sentence of pain and struggle. Yet, this illness can appear differently in each person, with some having a high-functioning case. At the same time, they might not realize how their disorder is impacting their brain functioning. With therapy strategies and techniques, it’s possible to take control of this disorder. But the first step is understanding it and knowing how to manage it. So, what does high-functioning schizophrenia look like? What challenges does it bring? Let’s unpack the disorder below.

What Is Schizophrenia?  

Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder that directly impacts one’s brain chemistry, controlling one’s thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs. Notably, it’s a complex issue that only an estimated one percent of the population has. People of all ages can have schizophrenia, but most often, the disorder emerges during adolescence or adulthood as symptoms appear. Additionally, men and women can be diagnosed, but the onset is usually earlier in men and often more severe. It’s believed it may be more common in males. Schizophrenia is classified as a psychotic disorder because a common symptom is a lost sense of reality. Further, other symptoms may include delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder where chemical imbalances trigger symptoms that interfere with normal cognitive functioning. However, there are other causes for onset, as well.

Another key point is schizophrenia is a chronic condition that an individual will face for the entirety of their life. However, it can be well treated and managed so that individuals aren’t controlled by their symptoms. In fact, some people have high-functioning schizophrenia and are able to take more power over their disorder.

Is High-Functioning Schizophrenia a Real Thing?

High-functioning schizophrenia isn’t always believed to be real because it’s not an official diagnosis. In the past, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) differentiated schizophrenic subtypes. These listed catatonic, paranoid, disorganized, residual, and undifferentiated schizophrenia as different diagnoses. However, the latest version, the DSM-5, only lists schizophrenia as one condition with main symptoms. High-functioning schizophrenia isn’t recognized as an adjustment to your schizophrenia diagnosis, but understanding it can be helpful.  High-functioning schizophrenia refers to cases of the disorder where the individual may have an easier time managing it. This could be due to mild symptoms or due to coping skills. Thus, the reasoning goes that with medication treatment and therapy, more people can experience high capabilities, even with their disorder.

Schizophrenia vs High-Functioning Schizophrenia  

To elaborate, high-functioning schizophrenia is still schizophrenia. However, there are some differences between the most severe form of the disorder and milder cases. An example of high-functioning schizophrenia is someone who is able to have a successful career with personal accomplishments. Many people with severe schizophrenia symptoms are not able to maintain job stability. Another example is someone who manages lasting healthy relationships, such as a marriage or parenthood. It’s necessary to understand that even high-functioning schizophrenia faces the same challenges of the disorder. Symptoms like paranoia, delusions, irrational thinking, and anxiety still hurt high-functioning individuals. The main difference is their ability to manage them without major life impacts.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia, regardless of the subtype or distinctions, has many typical symptoms. You may experience some symptoms or all of them. Also, they may be present at the same time, or you may experience certain symptoms predominantly. Let’s explore some common signs and symptoms of schizophrenia:

• Delusions: These are beliefs that feel real to the individual but are not rooted in fact or truth. Schizophrenia may prompt far-fetched, strange, and unrealistic ideas or views.
• Hallucinations: Hallucinations are the experience of seeing, hearing, or sensing something no one else does, like voices, visions, or physical touch.
• Paranoia: This is the belief in negative and bad realities, either on a small or large scale. For example, the individual may believe they’re being watched or followed for malicious intent.
• Anxiety: Anxiety and schizophrenia are often connected, leading to dread, fear, panic, and worry.
• Jumbled speech: Individuals may speak in a disorganized manner, either tripping over their words or ceasing to make sense.
• Negative symptoms: These refer to symptoms of reduced functioning, like lost vocal inflection, lack of speech, slack facial features, social isolation, and loss of motivation.
• Cognitive challenges: Individuals may struggle with focus, decision-making, mental processing, and memory.
• Self-harm: Individuals with schizophrenia are at high risk for self-harming behaviors, including suicide. They may also harm others due to their lost sense of reality.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of High-Functioning Schizophrenia?

High-functioning schizophrenia symptoms are the same as above. What differentiates high-functioning cases from typical schizophrenia is the severity of symptoms and one’s ability to manage them. For example, a high-functioning person may have strong coping skills to largely overcome their symptoms. Again, individuals may not experience all the signs of the disorder, and they may look different than expected.

How Does Living with Schizophrenia Make Life Hard?

Living with schizophrenia is incredibly challenging. Essentially, individuals often go through the world within a different sense of reality from everyone else. People with schizophrenia can come across as strange, unreasonable, and hard to understand. Because they are trapped in their own fears and delusions, they can be frightening to others. As such, one major life challenge for schizophrenic people is forming and maintaining strong relationships. Their relationships may deteriorate due to inconsistent behavior, thoughts, and feelings. Additionally, it is challenging for individuals to achieve their dreams and passions, including career growth, independence, financial stability, and parenthood. Overall, the disorder can make life feel lonely and isolating.

Challenges with Relationships

Difficulty with relationships is a key struggle of schizophrenic people, and often one that feels the most distressing. People with schizophrenia usually have the same desires to be in loving relationships, have a strong social circle, and create a family. Yet, their disorder prevents them from getting close to people because of the gap between their beliefs and true reality.

Difficulties with Employment

People with schizophrenia often cannot work due to their symptoms. Their delusions and hallucinations may make them inconsistent workers. Further, negative symptoms make it challenging for them to be well-received by others in the workforce. For example, these may include reduced speech and flattened facial expression and vocal tone. Additionally, a loss of motivation or interest is another symptom that makes it hard to manage a job.

Today, career growth and achievements can be a strong source of confidence, identity, and pride. Schizophrenic people who can’t manage a career lose out on a major area of personal fulfillment.

Stigmas and Misconceptions

Schizophrenia is a disorder with a negative stigma around it. As a result, a schizophrenic person can be dismissed as a disorder rather than a unique individual. Further, each case of schizophrenia looks different, but individuals are often placed into a box because of their condition. For example, high-functioning schizophrenia often isn’t taken into account. And although roughly one percent of people have schizophrenia, there are many popular misconceptions about the disorder that widen the gap.

Self-Medicating with Drugs and Alcohol

As a result of their pain, distress, fear, and loneliness, schizophrenic individuals commonly turn to substances. It’s called self-medication when one uses drugs or alcohol to numb or escape their negative feelings. However, substance abuse is only a temporary bandage that does more harm than good. Unfortunately, substance use disorder (SUD) leads to chemical brain modifications that only exacerbate schizophrenia symptoms. If an individual develops a substance disorder on top of their schizophrenia, they stay trapped in a severe cycle of addiction and mental illness. We treat dual-diagnoses like schizophrenia and SUD at our detox center, as they require comprehensive treatment.