Canadian Advocacy Campaign to Bring Attention to Schizophrenia

(June 18, 2006) -- After suffering a mental illness that, among other things, drove him to attempt suicide, Bill MacPhee got help.

“Through proper medication and family support and support from friends eventually I got my life back together — but I was very sick,” said MacPhee who is affected by schizophrenia and went on to found and publish the magazine Schizophrenia Digest.

Schizophrenia is a mental illness causing symptoms in sufferers including reclusiveness, delusions, paranoia, hearing voices, and in 10 per cent of those affected, suicide.

MacPhee was in Penticton Wednesday to share the details of his national advocacy campaign, Minds for Action.

MacPhee hopes to bring attention to the number of people affected by mental illness who need help and medication subsidized by the government. He aims to help sufferers with job and skills training and move forward with suggestions from Senator Michael Kirby’s report after a study of mental health in Canada.

“With mental illness in general one out of five people have a mental illness,” he said. “I believe governments are realizing this but they don’t know what to do about it.”

For those on disability it is possible to get subsidized by the government.

“There’s Plan G through the Ministry of Health,” said family support worker with the B.C. Schizophrenia Society Penticton Dee Rathwell.

“It’s still through the total family income ... Chances are people on the street are not getting treatment.”

There are a variety of drugs for schizophrenia patients and they usually cost hundreds of dollars a month.

“It’s very expensive, especially for anti-psychotic medications,” said Rathwell.

There are some new schizophrenia drugs on the market but they are currently being tested for their effectiveness in reducing side-effects.

Side-effects of the medications include drowsiness, dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, changes in body weight — some have been known to increase weight by 30-40 pounds, increased appetite, muscle stiffness, tension or spasms and shakiness.

There’s currently no cure but there’s hope for one in the future said Rathwell.

For now she said the community needs to understand and listen to MacPhee’s message.

“(It’s great to have) anything to put the message across that this unjustified stigma ... these people are capable of so much and just need some understanding and support,” she said.

For more information about MacPhee’s campaign visit his Web site and for more information about the B.C. Schizophrenia Society call 493-7338.

Last updated: 06/06

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