Fighting schizophrenia stigma
Dr. Austin Mardon’s resume is highly impressive: he holds several PhDs, is the recipient of the Order of Canada, and owns the Edmonton-based publishing company Golden Meteorite Press. At a glance, one may never suspect that in 1991, Mardon experienced his first psychotic schizophrenic episode.
The experience, he says, is murky. It is hard for him to differentiate between what was real and what was only in his head. However, he does remember seeing glitter in the sky and hearing angelic voices as he aimlessly wandered the streets of Edmonton for two days. His experience is a stark contrast to the episodes typically depicted in the media and in Hollywood where individuals suddenly switch from a functioning human to a violent monster and claim the devil or some other evil entity told them to commit acts of violence.
While tragedies can arise from untreated schizophrenia, those individuals with severe mental illness are approximately 11 times more likely to be victims of violence, and those who seek treatment are no more dangerous than the general population. According to the Government of Canada, individuals with schizophrenia are at least 15 times more likely to die from suicide than the general population and at least 40 per cent of individuals with the illness attempt it. The Schizophrenia Society of Ontario also notes that when a rare act of or threat of violence does occur, the target is often someone close to the ill individual rather than a stranger. This trend reflects violence within the general population as well.
Schizophrenia is a treatable and manageable mental illness, and since those who remain untreated are at the greatest risk to themselves and others, it is important to remove the stereotypes, stigma and misconceptions perpetuated against them. Mardon believes the younger generation has shifted the perception of mental illness, but Canadian health systems and institutions are still far behind. When Mardon’s father accompanied him to the Royal Alexander Hospital 26 years ago, he was initially refused admittance and medication. It wasn’t until Mardon was found wandering the streets alone hallucinating without any identification that he was admitted and received a diagnosis and treatment.
“If I had a stroke or a heart attack they would’ve taken me in,” Mardon says in reflecting on how the stigma within the health-care system effected his experience.
“[This still] happens every day. People who need help are refused,” he adds, recalling friends he has lost to suicide shortly after they were refused admittance. He says “the stress of discrimination” causes people to fall through the cracks. In order to bridge the gap in the cracks, “the structures have to change. That doesn’t mean necessarily spending more money [but using] it more efficiently.”
Mardon uses community treatment orders, where medication is enforced for severely mentally unwell individuals, as an example.
Another component Mardon highlights is self-responsibility. Mardon has regular sessions with a psychologist and has never missed a day of taking his medication. He also understands that “stress is toxic” for him. He has accepted his limitations and that he cannot work fulltime or live outside his means.
Mardon is living proof that not only can one with schizophrenia survive but also persevere. However, it is crucial that stigma within the healthcare industry and discrimination within society is erased so that others may take the steps to accepting help for the illness and have the chance to live a happy and healthy life as Mardon has.
Dr. Austin Mardon, a former Lethbridge resident and graduate of the University of Lethbridge, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and member of the Order of Canada. Victoria Throckmorton will be a graduate student in the Communications and New Media program at McMaster University this fall.