Schizophrenia can make these things more difficult, but if the symptoms are well managed there’s no reason why someone with schizophrenia can’t enjoy a full and rich life just like anyone else.

If it’s too much, that’s OK

If the thought of going to work or college is too much right now, that’s OK too. You might be ready at another time. If your goal is to get into some kind of work or education in the long term, why not talk to a therapist about how you could work towards that?

If you’ve never had a job before, the idea of getting one may be quite daunting. How do people behave in an office? Will I be able to talk to my workmates? What if I have a relapse and can’t make it into work? What skills have I got to offer? How will I manage getting there and home again, on time?

A good starting point is to talk to a therapist who specialises in helping people prepare for the world of work. This might be an employment support worker, occupational therapist or vocational rehabilitation therapist, depending on what services are on offer where you live. They can help you work out things like: 1,2

• What you’re good at
• What sort of jobs you might be suitable for
• How to work around any barriers you’re facing
• How to look for jobs
• How to write a CV
• How to do interviews
• How to talk about schizophrenia with employers

Bear in mind that there are lots of different ways of working such as…

• The standard “9-5” office job, Monday to Friday
• Shift work, starting at various times of the day or night
• Part-time work, which can be anything from an hour a week to about 30 hours a week
• Volunteering (unpaid work) for a charity
• Outdoor work
• Factories, warehouses and other physical jobs

If you try one kind of job and it doesn’t work out, that’s OK. That happens to almost everyone at some point. We can all learn something from every experience we have, whether good or bad. If that job isn’t for you, another one may be better. On the other hand, you may decide to take a break from working for a while. What matters is that you talk these things over with a therapist or counsellor. That way you can process your feelings about the situation, and get another perspective.

The good news is that education is open to everyone, at any time of life. What’s more, it’s a great thing to do in itself. It doesn’t just have to be the way to get a qualification so you can do something else. It can be enjoyed for its own sake too.

There are loads of adult education options. It’s never too late to start, and with many of the more flexible learning options you can work to a timeframe that suits you. You might choose to take extra time to complete a course, for example.

Getting started

A good question to ask yourself is, “What do I want to get out of this?” Ideas might include:

• A qualification that allows you to do a particular job
• A skill that would be useful in a particular job
• To learn about a subject that interests you
• To learn a hobby or skill that would be fun and interesting to do

The next question could be, “How do I want to learn this?” Ideas might include:

• In a regular class, maybe once a week
• Online
  • In live video calls with an instructor
  • By yourself and at your own pace

Studying can be stressful for a lot of people.3 Even without schizophrenia symptoms it can be tough to manage deadlines, exams, struggling to understand the subject, getting bad marks and trying to remember everything you’ve learned and stick to a timetable.

Stress can make existing schizophrenia symptoms worse and increase the chance of you having a relapse.4 Here are some ideas for coping with the stress of education:

• Take time out to relax, go outside or get some exercise4
• If you have a tutor or a therapist who is supporting your education, talk to them about the issues you’re having. They might be able to think of ways around the problem
• Break up tasks into smaller, more achievable chunks 5
• Make sure you take breaks every now and again5
• Make a list of all the things you need to get done.5 That way, you can keep track of how you’re doing and see if there’s anything that can wait for another time

On this webpage we use the word “relationships” to mean:

• Any close friendship
• A romantic partnership
• Family

Humans are very social animals. As a species, we do best when we live and work together in harmony. That’s why most people really value the relationships and interactions they have with the people around them.⁶ It’s also partly why, when someone starts to withdraw from others, we notice it and worry about that person.

Some of the symptoms of schizophrenia can make it difficult to connect and communicate with other people. If you’re feeling really low, and suspect that there are people who want to harm you, it’s hard to interact. It’s hard to have a natural conversation. To trust people. To risk rejection. 7

And if you’re having trouble thinking or speaking clearly, it’s hard to say what’s on your mind. This can make it even more difficult to make and keep personal connections.7

Although it may feel like a huge effort, talking is crucial to help you:

• Access any help you need8
• Make, keep and nurture connections with other people7

It’s important to try to communicate for these reasons. But schizophrenia symptoms can sometimes make communication difficult:9

• If your speech is disordered, people around you might not understand what you’re trying to communicate
• If you have cognitive processing issues, you might not understand what people around you are saying

It may be helpful to explore, with the help of a trained therapist, ways you can work together with your loved ones to communicate better.