(Paranoid) Schizophrenia and Capability
Avolition is one of the main symptoms of schizophrenia- which is to say, the decreased inclination to perform tasks or activities, even those the individual previously found interesting. As someone who has suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, I have experienced elements of this as well, but I hope I can explain that this may not be just a loss of ability compared with the average person, but an increased propensity for a certain type of thought. This may seem insensitive or unfeeling for those dedicated to eradicating what is almost undisputedly, for this condition, a mental disease. But, as someone who inhabits this neurology, I wish to elucidate some of the differences to hopefully explain how people who become schizophrenic can be useful to society, once medicated.
Consider the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia, at least in a relatively simplistic way. In one pathway of the brain, there are too many dopamine receptors, and dopaminergic activity. In another, there are too few, and too little. Positive symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations are thought to come from the more agitated, dopaminergic part of the brain, while negative symptoms such as alogia and avolition are thought to come from the understimulated part of the brain.
My experience of trying to perform everyday activities and tasks is this: anything that is physically routine and maintenance oriented, simple and direct, is utterly excruciating to even contemplate. Taken that this is the case, and indeed you will find many cases of schizophrenic people struggling with this sort of thing, online or from direct contact, why might this be such a struggle for schizophrenics?
I tend to have no trouble at all spending my energy on investigative thought, which is a trait more of paranoid schizophrenia than catatonic. When I was unmedicated, it was agitated and erratic, but I still was inclined to use every moment I had to consider my circumstances and the way the world works. To anyone on the outside, this often registers as extreme paranoia, and that is indeed an element of what is going on, but on the inside, at least during the early stages of the condition, this is accompanied by an intense desire to put the world to rest, ironically.
This, surely, can only be possible if some part of the brain is overly agitated. This goes back to the dopamine hypothesis, where one part of the brain has too much dopaminergic activity. This could supply all the conscious intention for investigative analysis and hypervigilance, whereas little intention at all is spared for routine and maintenance activity, and the brain area that may be responsible for these things is very low in dopamine, compared to the average individual.
It is utterly impossible to go about doing simple tasks if you are completely focused around ideating how things work. Perceiving and performing are different abilities that cannot be active at the same time to effectively do anything.
Many schizophrenics who are medicated no longer struggle to the same extent with these kinds of tasks and activities. In regard to those like me, who do, however, I would like the reader to try to consider this: do not underestimate our abilities. If we have not suffered from any of the brain-damage caused by schizophrenia prior to treatment, we are very able thinkers and ideators. We are able to contribute intense thought to the projects we engage in, and may come up with all sorts of solutions that our peers haven’t considered. We may be especially adept in theoretical fields, once healthy.
In conclusion, I hope those that read this article will be more aware of the potential of people who are schizophrenic. We may need help with our physical routines and maintenance, but if we are treated with respect, we are capable in areas that many people struggle with.