How to Help Someone With Schizophrenia Who Refuses Treatment: Tips for Caregivers

Support of family and friends is essential for individuals with schizophrenia. The practical, social, advocacy, and emotional support of loved ones can help individuals live fulfilling lives despite the challenges of the illness.

“You want to help make their lives better in terms that are important to them,” says Ronald J. Diamond, MD, a psychiatrist and emeritus faculty member at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. “Start by asking them how their life is going,” he says.

Dr. Diamond recommends you avoid talking about medication and diagnosis at the beginning, unless the person brings it up or is curious. Instead, focus on what they want out of life (e.g., to get a job or find someone to have a relationship with). Then you might suggest that trying medication or other treatment like therapy could help them achieve their goals. “You are helping the person move closer to what they want to accomplish,” he says.

“Think of recovery as a process, not a place,” says Diamond. Since schizophrenia is a chronic illness, it’s not something that doctors can cure. But, he says, “We can help you live as long and as functional and as enjoyable a life as possible.”

If you're feeling overwhelmed or want to learn more about taking care of your loved one, sign up for the NAMI Family-to-Family course at a location near you. It’s a free eight-session program for caregivers of people living with mental illness.

If your loved one doesn't want to take medications or see a psychiatrist due to negative experiences with this in the past, it's important to hear their concerns and help advocate for them to try something new if a medication they are on doesn't make them feel good.

For more help and information, see these Mental Health Resources and Helplines.

Once your loved one begins to recover, try to find a happy medium between doing too much on their behalf and doing too little to help. The goal is to help them build the independence or interdependence and confidence they need to help take care of themselves.

“Think about what you can do to help make their life better," Diamond says. “Can you go to the gym together, help them get a volunteer or part-time job, meet for lunch, or go to church?” This kind of support is invaluable to people who have schizophrenia.

It’s important to remember not to impose your own goals on the person or to try to convince someone that they have schizophrenia if they believe they do not, but rather to focus on what you can do to help them improve the quality of their life and achieve goals they set for themselves. You should share what you know about their condition, but that doesn’t mean getting into fights about it, says Diamond. “You don’t need to be right,” he says. “You just need to be useful.”

• Sometimes people with schizophrenia don’t know that they need help.
• Through various supportive measures, loved ones and caregivers can help individuals who resist treatment.
• With help from caregivers, individuals with schizophrenia can enjoy fulfilling lives despite the challenges of the illness.

Additional reporting by Barbara Kean.