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269: RECOMMENDING
MARRIAGE FOR
SCHIZOPHRENIC
PAT I E N T S

ɳ Question

I would like to present a frequently recurring question while treating
patients with schizophrenia. The patient’s family or the patient him/
herself will ask me: What do I think about the possibility of their
seeking a marriage partner?

Schizophrenia is a disease which affects 1% of the population.

In my opinion, there are both positive and negative aspects to the
question of marriage for schizophrenic patients to consider:

The negative aspects are:

1. The process of seeking a marriage partner can lead to situations
that can chas veshalom [Heaven forbid] endanger the patient’s life.
For example, if one side declines to continue meeting this is liable to
trigger a serious emotional response in the other side and in extreme
cases, can even lead to suicide.

2. A third of schizophrenics lead almost normal lives. Another
third continue suffering symptoms but can still function in society,
while the remaining third suffer from evident deficiencies and require
repeated hospitalizations. In other words, a considerable proportion
of such couples will require a great deal of support from family (be-
coming a burden on the family) and from professional practitioners

Marriage for Schizophrenics 2 211