Page 60 - Vision Manual
P. 60

Coping with Persistent Symptoms and Common Problems
Mental health symptoms come with all sorts of common difficulties that make life challenging. This section is focused on some of the problems that people commonly encounter, including problems related to persistent psychiatric symptoms. When these problems are not addressed, they can cause distress, contribute to stress, and increase the risk of relapse.
Persistent Symptoms
What do we mean by persistent symptoms? Some symptoms of a psychiatric illness occur much of the time, although their strength may vary over time. Many people have some form of persistent symptoms. Common ones include distressing anxiety, hearing voices, depression, and having suspicious thoughts about others. Persistent symptoms can be distressing and at times may get in the way of doing what you want to do or enjoying life. This section will teach strategies for dealing with and reacting to persistent symptoms so that you can pursue important goals and have a higher quality of life in spite of experiencing symptoms that might not go away.
While persistent symptoms usually do not signal an approaching crisis, it is important to know that occasionally a persistent symptoms can change or worsen to the point of becoming an early warning sign of relapse. Being able to tell the difference between a persistent symptom and an early warning sign of relapse is not always easy. Warning signs are symptoms that tend to come before a relapse such as disturbed sleep or eating patterns, increased isolation, or intrusive behavior towards others, or a considerable worsening of usual symptoms. In contrast, persistent symptoms are more constant and usually have not led to past relapses. Working together with staff members and other important people in your life to help you recognize the difference between these two types of symptoms is an important skill.
Several coping strategies are suggested for each problem listed in the Common Problems and Persistent Symptoms section. It is important to keep in mind that if any of the following problems described begin to worsen or interfere significantly with your life in a new or different way, then you may be seeing signs of an impending relapse. In such situations, it is suggested that you contact your doctor or practitioner to help you evaluate what steps to take.
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