Paul and Schizophrenia

Summary

The story of Paul is one of a young man who enters college and experiences a myriad of symptoms that leads to hospitalization and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. At first, he has trouble concentrating at school. Then he becomes suspicious and paranoid of others like his friend Ira. Although he kept spiraling out of control, his parents chose to ignore his strange behavior.

This may have been an error because he also began to hear voices. Dr. Kline suggested he spend time in observation at the local hospital. There he felt he should not be discharged and eventually went to a psychiatric facility. The essay discusses Paul’s various interactions to understand why the diagnosis of schizophrenia came to be and why Paul did not receive treatment earlier.

The essay considers his childhood, his family reactions to the situations as well as medical professionals and how they implemented treatment for Paul. This is all aimed at providing a recovery-oriented approach briefing to suggest the importance of respect and choice during treatment and the need to assess both for the patient and those around him. Communication is also mentioned because it is important and integral aspect to recovery. Had his parents communicated to Paul that he was acting strangely, perhaps he would have received treatment earlier.

In the end, recovery is a complex and difficult process involving many people. From the patient to the family, to healthcare providers, everyone plays a role in one person’s ability to recover. This is why detailing these events and understanding the processes can lead to an overall effective process.

The recovery-oriented approach aims at aiding those in a way that is respectful and accounts for the uniqueness of a person (Rapp & Goscha, 2011). Paul is someone that had a fairly good life and was all of sudden after going to college, unable to complete certain tasks due to poor concentration. This left him with some mental issues due to stress and inability to cope. The approach offers real choices that both empower and support the individual to make their own choices. Paul may want to lead a life pertaining to his beliefs and his desires. For example, early in the story, Paul wished to become an entrepreneur. This is something that he aims to do and idolizes someone like Steve Jobs for being an innovator and independent thinker. Therefore, his recovery should include these end-goals and aspirations.

Another part of this approach aside from dignity and respect is partnership and communication. Communication is such an integral part of recovery and is required regarding sharing important details with other healthcare providers and people Paul would like to communicate with during his recovery. The next important aspect of recovery oriented mental health practice is assessing recovery (Rapp & Goscha, 2011). Someone like Paul should be able to track his own progress as well as their carers and see if he has made any progress.

An example of assessment was when Paul interacted with his parents. “His parents were worried and confused by Paul’s behavior” (Pratt, Gill, Barrett, & Roberts, 2014, p. 7). The information states his parents felt something was wrong with their son through Paul’s behavior over the phone. If Paul is not feeling well or is acting strangely, someone else can assess his situation and report back to a healthcare provider or counselor what is going on and enable him to receive the help he needs. Certain key outcomes need to be met in order to facilitate successful recovery.

Paul cannot focus in class. He needs to be able to focus and do well in school to recover from his mental health ordeal. This is part of the plan to better himself during this trying time.

Along with compliance with national standards, the approach is about implementation. An effective implementation process allows for growth of not just the patient but also the individual service provider (Rapp & Goscha, 2011). Each state has its own implementation process that can then be suited for the needs of the patient. His interaction with his friend Ira is a good indicator of what path he might need to take during his recovery. If he feels paranoia, can hear voices, and is unable to concentrate, perhaps a pharmacological option might help him.

When examining the case of Paul, some behaviors that could be unhealthy and should be curbed are things like browsing Facebook. “Paul also enjoyed browsing various sites on the Internet, particularly Facebook” (Pratt, Gill, Barrett, & Roberts, 2014, p. 6). Browsing Facebook is known to cause depressive feelings (Steyer & Clinton, 2012). This may be a habit that could have led to reduce concentration during class. Another important aspect of the case study was Paul’s ability to self-assess and realize he was not doing well even after being treated. This is a level of engagement for receiving assistance that denotes awareness of his situation. He understands he needs help and he understands his behavior is not normal compared to other instances.

Some positive aspects of Paul’s life were his family and his childhood. “He thought of his family as an ongoing source of friendship, love, fun, and support” (Pratt, Gill, Barrett, & Roberts, 2014, p. 6). This is an important thing to note because it was when Paul was having trouble in school and things were like at home with his family, that he began to have issues. First it was memory problems. He would sit in a classroom and afterwards not remember a single thing. This was not due to memory issues, rather inability to concentrate. Then he was hearing voices. “After two weeks in the hospital, Paul felt like the wasn’t ready to be discharged. He was still hearing voices, feeling withdrawn, and on a high dose of injectable medication…” (Pratt, Gill, Barrett, & Roberts, 2014, p. 8). Also, he was paranoid like when he interacted with his friend Ira. “Whenever Ira said something to him, Paul would become suspicious of what he meant of what he might be up to…” (Pratt, Gill, Barrett, & Roberts, 2014, p. 7). After being observed in the hospital and then spending a few weeks in a private psychiatric hospital the diagnosis of schizophrenia fit.