Patient: The onset of my brother’s illness should have started a few years ago. He is now 23 years old, his mother died when he was 10 years old, and his family rarely cared about his inner world. In his senior year of high school, he complained that he dropped out of school because he felt that his classmates were making fun of him behind his back because of his single eye. After asking his close classmates, they said there was no such thing. Later, he went to get a single-eye surgery without his family’s knowledge. He was embarrassed by the increased salivation he felt when he talked to people and that they would notice this detail about him. He changed numerous jobs over the years, usually working for less than two months, for many reasons. Some time ago, he even said that maybe his double eyelid surgery had failed and he wanted to operate again. Two days ago, he worked in a factory in Guangzhou and quit his job in less than ten days because he suspected that his boss was controlling his brain waves, and claimed to have looked up the relevant information on the Internet and was convinced that there was such a thing. In the past two days, he had poor sleep and was generally not doing well. He kept feeling that someone in his mind was talking to control him, and I think it was a hallucination. He has not gone through any treatment because he does not believe he is ill and refuses to seek medical attention. I would like to know if his condition is really schizophrenia? How long does it take to go through treatment and is it curable? Laboratory and test results: — Last hospital visit: I made an appointment for him to see you on the morning of 4.12. I hope I can get your help! (Since I am in Ningbo, Zhejiang, my other brother will be the one to take him to the doctor tomorrow.
Yang Mingzhe, Psychiatry Department, Guangzhou Brain Hospital.
It could be schizophrenia, or it could be social phobia, let’s talk about it tomorrow.
Patient: Thank you, Director Yang, for replying to us at this late hour! My brother went to Guangzhou Psychiatric Hospital at night because he had insomnia for two days in a row. The doctor said it might be schizophrenia of the paranoid type and gave him four days of medication. I will ask them to go to your hospital tomorrow!
Guangzhou Brain Hospital Psychiatric Department Yang Mingzhe: Okay
Patient: Hello, Director Yang! My brother went to your specialist clinic this morning and I asked them about it, but they couldn’t tell me what the situation was. Could you please tell me what his condition is now? Is he diagnosed with schizophrenia? How does he need to be treated? How long will the treatment take? Can he be completely cured? How can we as his family members help him? I would like to get your help, thank you very much!
Yang Mingzhe, Psychiatry Department, Guangzhou Brain Hospital: It should be schizophrenia, which can be controlled after treatment for about two months, and may take medication for 3 – 5 years.
Patient: Which type of schizophrenia does he belong to? Paranoid or delusional? I heard this morning that he seems to have forgotten about recent events, for example, he got up this morning thinking he was still in Guangzhou, staying in a hotel, and going to the hospital to see a doctor after breakfast.
Yang Mingzhe, Psychiatry Department, Guangzhou Brain Hospital.
It should be a paranoid type, related to the medicine you take, right?
Patient: Thank you for your patient answer!
Guangzhou Brain Hospital Psychiatric Department Yang Mingzhe.
You’re welcome, you should.
Patient: Director Yang, I have a headache to ask you! My brother has been clamoring to leave Guangdong for two days, and he ran to the train station to buy a ticket to Beijing. I want to ask him if it is dangerous for him to go out of town alone in this condition. Will his condition worsen if he doesn’t continue to take his medication? We can’t stop him, I don’t know what to do.
Guangzhou Brain Hospital psychiatric department Yang Mingzhe: Do not let him go, if necessary, bring him over tomorrow I will talk to him.
Patient: Director Yang, for my brother we really have been exhausted, he simply can not listen to anyone’s words, bent on his own, the 15th took the train to Beijing, but the car just arrived in Beijing called us to say, and heard a lot of people in the brain talking (have not taken medication for several days), and then buy tickets to Hangzhou, now in Hangzhou and said he wanted to go to Guangzhou, I really do not know what he really wants to do? Director Yang, I would like to ask what should be done in his case? He keeps saying he’s not sick and there’s no need to see a doctor!
Guangzhou Brain Hospital Psychiatric Department Yang Mingzhe: It is the reason that his condition is not good and he does not recognize his pathology, he must be treated in time.
Patient: Like his current situation is it in the early stages of schizophrenia? It’s not too serious yet, right?
Patient: Dr. Yang, I have a favor to ask, I wonder if you can help with this? We really can’t convince my brother to go to the doctor. I would like to call you and let him talk to you. One word from you is better than half a day of persuasion. We are really in a hurry and if we don’t see a doctor in time we may delay his condition! If you can help, I would really appreciate it!
Guangzhou Brain Hospital Psychiatric Department Yang Mingzhe: No problem, as long as we can help, it’s just a handful.
Patient: It’s really heartwarming that you think of our patients and their families in this way! I think if he is willing to go to the follow-up, you can prescribe one to two months of medication at once? He wants to go back home to Guangxi, so it will be difficult for us to ask him to go back for a follow-up, so we may have to go to you to get the medicine for him, but I will keep in touch with you if there is anything.
Guangzhou Brain Hospital Psychiatric Department Yang Mingzhe: It should be possible, but bring his medical records. When a doctor looks out for the patient, it’s the right thing to do.