by Julia Newman (’19)

At the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Poland, Dr. Charzynska and his team of researchers conducted a study in order to determine the effect of employment on schizophrenic patients and found some promising results. Although schizophrenia itself currently has no cure, there are both medicinal and therapeutic forms of relief for the symptoms associated with the disorder. Thus, in this study, the researchers looked for characteristics of recovery or relief in each patient, some of which include remission from symptoms and increases in various cognitive functions. Many of these characteristics were present in those who were employed.

Schizophrenic patients that were working at the time of the study reported a much higher satisfaction of life due to their increased independence and self-esteem. The researchers determined these reports to be signs of recovery because schizophrenic patients tend to be unable to perform daily tasks on their own. Much of their improvement has been attributed to their professional training in the workplace, instruction on how to live a structured daily life, and sense of accomplishment felt when getting paid. Since nearly ninety percent of patients involved in the study showed characteristics of recovery, it is likely that the status of employment of a patient with schizophrenia may help their success in recovery.

1. Charzynska et. al., Does employment promote the process of recovery from schizophrenia? International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 407-418 (2014).
2. Photo retrieved from: http://smartgrowthtulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/employment.jpg