Case study: schizophrenia

My 27 year old son Christopher is once again in hospital undergoing drug based treatment for a severe schizophrenic condition. Many attempts have been made over the years to help him using such drugs. None has achieved anything other than limited and temporary success; he has made repeated attempts at suicide.

In 1991, Christopher was given nutritional supplements while still at a hospital. He improved sufficiently to be released.We then took him to Princeton Biocenter in the US where he was assessed and nutritional treatment prescribed. After returning to the UK he continued with this treatment (plus, of course, the specified drugs) for some six weeks and continued to show steady improvement. After some three months, he had become, for him, remarkably well. Then Christopher concluded that he was well enough to stop taking both supplements and drugs. He remained well for three months, then went steadily back downhill and was admitted to hospital last October.

Once again, Christopher is being treated with drugs alone. His psychiatrist refuses to consider nutritional treatment. Meanwhile, there is minimal improvement in his condition.

His consultant has agreed to give nutritional treatment provided Christopher asks for it, but refused, in spite of our experience, to prescribe it herself. Christopher, meanwhile, is too ill to decide whether he needs it or not.

Because your son is over 21, you may face difficulty in "forcing" this doctor to change her position , according to our panel member, psychologist Vickie Rippere. Rather than antagonize this doctor, the best approach is to convince your son (or have someone he loves visit and convince him) to ask for the diet. Get through to the sane portion of his personality. Remind him of how well he did on it previously.

Use as a carrot the notion that if he does try this diet, he won't have to take so many drugs and probably will be able to leave the hospital.