Coping strategies
Coping is defined as constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to change particular external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person. Self-initiated self-coping is common in psychosis, indicating that individuals who feel overwhelmed by their psychotic experiences mobilize coping defenses. The coping strategies identified in a few studies are summarized in Table 3.
Psychoeducation For patients, caregivers and their associates, psychoeducation is a valuable tool for determining what is wrong with the patient and how the condition may have developed. This is especially true for a stigmatizing illness such as schizophrenia and for stigmatizing experiences such as hallucinations. Indeed, a majority of people perceive those who “hear voices” as being violent and unstable, and believe that they should be locked away.[40] The distress related to hallucinations is crucial and causes a number of problems that need to be dealt with. On an individual level, distress associated with hallucinations is alleviated by medications and psychotherapy. However, distress associated with hallucinations may also be decreased on a societal level. That is, if attitudes in the general population concerning hallucinations were less negative and damaging, then this would make it much easier for those suffering from hallucinations to properly manage their experiences. Therefore, education campaigns concerning psychotic experiences geared toward the general public, schools and primary health service are also an important intervention strategy. Brief educational courses in mental illness reduce stigmatizing attitudes among a wide variety of participants.[41]