<p>tiff90
Finding the right medication regimen for the individual is important. I acknowledge that side effects can be bad; when I was taking Quetiapine, I was almost catatonic. As it is though, the psychotic individual is very often not the person best equipped to make the decision regarding medication. Even with no “side effects,” a schizophrenic individual may feel adversely negatively affected by the treatment of the disease; for example, they may feel that the medication is dumbing them down (which it may,) when all it’s really doing is treating a delusion of grandeur. A well informed psychiatrist should be the one making the ultimate decision to not take meds.</p>
<p>Also, there is definitely a wide range of severity in schizophrenia. The concern I’d have though is that schizophrenia is invariably a progressive disease, and tends to progress much faster without treatment. Further, someone with mild/early schizophrenia might be at a point where they’re cogent enough to make the decision not to take medication, and progress to a point that they won’t be able to make the choice to see a doctor.</p>
<p>Just to over analyze the wording of his last post, he says he intends to get a medical certificate stating that he doesn’t need them (EDIT: them being his meds.) It’s my interpretation that by stating the intention to get one, he has been unable to get one already. Perhaps he just didn’t think to do so, but I would think that he would have thought to ask when he was reapplying to Case. That suggests to me that his current doctor/psych, or his most recent doctor/psych doesn’t approve of the medication cessation. Once again, a cause for concern.</p>