Who said the heart was more important anyway? Jokes aside, the brain and heart have an incredible relationship together and bias disclosed - it all starts with neurons.

Neurons are amazing in every sense of the word.

The way I see it, neurons are the bacon in a BLT – you can’t have a BLT without bacon and you certainly can’t have a brain without neurons. They are the building blocks of our brain and nervous system, sending and receiving input and commands 24/7.

Imagine having difficulty distinguishing reality from what is occurring inside your head. Imagine not knowing and then becoming paranoid over what the hallucinations are telling you. It is often something incomprehensible for most people and misunderstood.

Schizophrenia is a complicated and severe mental health illness that requires a multidisciplinary approach. Due to multifaceted stigma, persons living with mental illness often struggle with their own internal, societal and institutional stigma which can lead to isolation, exacerbation of illness and poor outcomes.

Join me today while we discuss schizophrenia and the difficulties with stigma and how it can affect treatment and quality of life.

References

Psychiatry.org: What is schizophrenia?

- (https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia)

National Institute of Mental Health: Schizophrenia

- (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia)

National Alliance on Mental Illness: Schizophrenia

- (https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Schizophrenia)

WHO: Schizophrenia

- (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schizophrenia)

PsychCentral: A Look Inside The Mind of Schizophrenia

- https://psychcentral.com/schizophrenia/a-look-inside-the-mind-of-schizophrenia#what-it-feels-like)

PSYCHCENTRAL: SCHIZOPHRENIA OVERVIEW

- (https://psychcentral.com/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-overview#causes)

Scientific American: A Trip Inside The Schizophrenic Mind

- (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-trip-inside-the-schizophrenic-mind)

Predictors of schizophrenia - a review

- (https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldh046)

Schizophrenia as a complex trait: Evidence from a meta-analysis of twin studies

- (Jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/208134)

Clozapine Treatment for Suicidality in Schizophrenia

- (Jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/207092)

Cecilia's TEDx Talk

- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbagFzcyNiM)

Living Well With Schizophrenia YouTube Channel

- (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCENqBB_xNax3mLX_WGLf2Lg)