Help is

at hand

Schizophrenia

The
1 Royal College of Psychiatrists
 About this leaflet
This leaflet is for you if:
■ you have a diagnosis of schizophrenia
■ you think you might have schizophrenia
■ you know someone with this diagnosis
■ you just want to know more about
schizophrenia.

It covers:
■ what it is like to have schizophrenia
■ what causes it
■ what can help
■ how to help yourself
■ information for relatives.

Why do we use the “S” word?

‘Schizophrenia’ is a word that makes many
people uneasy. The media regularly uses it –
inaccurately and unfairly – to describe violence
and disturbance. So, it’s hardly surprising that
many people with this diagnosis find it
unhelpful. It can feel as though someone has
judged you to be violent and out of control –
when you are not.

We use this word here because there is not yet

a better one for the pattern of symptoms and
behaviours described. Even if you don’t find the
word helpful, we hope that the information in
this leaflet can still be useful.

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 What is schizophrenia?
A disorder of the mind which affects how you
think, feel and behave. Its symptoms are often
described as either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’.

‘Positive’ symptoms
These are unusual experiences which are
common in schizophrenia, but can also happen
in other mental disorders.

Hallucinations
A hallucination happens when you hear, smell,
feel or see something – but there isn’t anything
(or anybody) there to cause it. The commonest
one is hearing voices.

What do voices sound like?

They sound utterly real. They usually seem to be
coming from outside you, although other people
can’t hear them. You may hear them coming
from different places, or they may seem to come
from a particular place or object. Voices can
talk to you directly or talk to each other about
you – it can be like over-hearing a conversation.
They can be pleasant, but are often rude,
critical, abusive or just plain irritating.

How do people react to them?

You may try to ignore them, talk back to them –
or even shout back at them if they are
particularly loud or irritating. You may feel that
you have to do what they tell you, even if you
know you shouldn’t. You may wonder if they are
they coming from hidden microphones, from
loudspeakers, or the spirit world.

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Where do they come from?
Voices are not imaginary – you really do hear
them – but they are created by the mind. Scans
have shown that the part of the brain that is
active when you hear voices is the part that is
active when you talk, or form words in your
mind. The brain seems to mistake your own
thoughts, or ‘inner speech’, for voices coming
from outside you.

Do other people hear voices?

In severe depression, you can hear voices but
they tend to be simpler and repeat the same
negative or critical word or phrase over and
over again. You may hear voices which don’t
interfere with your life. They may be pleasant,
or not very loud, or only happen from time to
time. These voices do not usually call for any
kind of treatment.

Other kinds of hallucination

You may see things that aren’t there, or may
smell or taste things that aren’t there. Some
people have uncomfortable or painful feelings in
their body, or feelings of being touched or hit.

Delusions
A delusion happens when you believe something
– and are completely sure of it – while other
people think you have misunderstood what is
happening. It’s as though you see things in a
completely different way from everyone else.
You have no doubts, but other people see your
belief as mistaken, unrealistic or strange. If you
do try to talk about your ideas with someone,
your reasons don’t make sense to them, or you

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can’t explain – you ‘just know’. It’s an idea, or
set of ideas, that can’t be explained as part of
your culture, background or religion.

How does it start?

■ It may suddenly dawn on you that at last you
really understand what is going on. This may
follow weeks or months when you have felt
that there has been something wrong, but
that you couldn’t work out what it was.
■ A delusional idea can be a way of
explaining hallucinations. If you hear voices
that talk about you, you may explain it with
the idea that a government agency is
tracking you.

‘Paranoid’ delusions
These are ideas that make you feel persecuted
or harassed. They may be:
■ unusual – it feels as though MI5 or the
government is spying on you. You may think
that neighbours are influencing you with
special powers or technology.
■ everyday – you start to believe your partner
is unfaithful. You do so because of odd
details that seem to have nothing to do with
sex or not being faithful. Other people can
see nothing to suggest that this is true.
■ upsetting – feeling persecuted is obviously
upsetting for you. It can also be distressing
for the people you see as your persecutors,
especially if they are close to you, like
your family.

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Making strange connections
(‘ideas of reference’)
You start to see special meanings in ordinary,
day-to-day events. It feels as though things are
specially connected to you – that radio or TV
programmes are about you, or that someone is
telling you things in odd ways, for example,
through the colours of cars passing in the street.

Coping with delusions

■ Delusions may, or may not, affect the way
you behave.
■ It can be hard to talk to other people about
them – you realise that they won’t understand.
■ If you feel that other people are trying to
harm or harass you, you will probably just
keep to yourself. If you feel threatened, you
may want to hit back in some way.
■ You may try to escape your feelings of
persecution by moving from place to place.

Muddled thinking (or ‘thought disorder’)

You find it harder to concentrate – it’s more and
more difficult to:
■ finish an article in the newspaper or watch a
TV programme to the end
■ keep up with your studies at college
■ Keep your mind on your job at work.
Your thoughts wander. You drift from idea to
idea – but there’s no clear connection between
them. After a minute or two you can’t remember
what you were originally trying to think about.
Some people describe their thoughts as being
‘misty’ or ‘hazy’ when this is happening. When
your thoughts are disconnected in this way, it
can be hard for other people to understand you.

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Feelings of being controlled
You feel that:
■ your thoughts suddenly disappear – as though
someone is taking them out of your mind
■ your thoughts feel as though they are not
yours – it’s as though someone else has put
them into your mind
■ your body is being taken over, or that you are
being controlled like a puppet or a robot.
Some people explain these experiences by
thinking it’s the radio, television or laser beams,
or that a device has been implanted in them.
Other people blame witchcraft, angry spirits,
God or the Devil.

‘Negative’ symptoms
■ You start to lose your normal thoughts,
feelings and motivations.
■ You lose interest in life. Your energy, emotions
and ‘get-up-and-go’ just drain away. It’s hard
to feel excited or enthusiastic about anything.
■ You can’t concentrate.
■ You don’t bother to get up or go out of
the house.
■ You stop washing or tidying, or keeping your
clothes clean.
■ You feel uncomfortable with people.

People can find it hard to understand that

negative symptoms are really symptoms – not just
laziness. This can make it difficult for both you
and your family. Your family feel that you just
need to pull yourself together. You can’t explain
that… you just can’t. Negative symptoms are less
dramatic than positive symptoms, but can still be
hard to live with.

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Does everyone with schizophrenia have
all these symptoms?
No. You can hear voices and have negative
symptoms, but may not have delusional ideas.
Some people with delusional ideas seem to have
very few negative symptoms. If you only have
thought disorder and negative symptoms, they
may not be recognised for years.

Loss of ‘insight’
It feels as though everyone else is wrong, that
they just can’t understand the things that you
can. You feel that the problem is with the rest
of the world, not with you.

Depression
■ Around half the people with schizophrenia for
the first time will feel depressed, often before
they get more obvious symptoms.
■ Around 1 in 7 people with continuing
symptoms will become depressed. This can
be mistaken for negative symptoms.
■ Antipsychotic medication has been blamed –
but research suggests that it actually helps
depression in schizophrenia.
■ If you have schizophrenia and feel depressed,
make sure that you tell someone and that they
take you seriously. Our Help is at Hand
leaflet on Depression has more information.

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 How common is schizophrenia?
It affects around 1 in every 100 people over the
course of their life.

Who gets it?

It affects men and women equally and seems to
be more common in city areas and in some
ethnic minority groups. It is rare before the age
of 15, but can start at any time after this, most
often between the ages of 15 to 35.

What causes schizophrenia?

We don’t yet know for sure. It is probably a
combination of several different things, which
will be different for different people.

Genes
Although only 1 in 100 people get
schizophrenia, about 1 in 10 people with
schizophrenia have a parent with the illness.

Twins: an identical twin has exactly the same

genetic make-up as his or her brother or sister,
down to the smallest piece of DNA. If one
identical twin has schizophrenia, their twin has
about a 50:50 chance of having it too.
Non-identical twins have a different genetic make-
up to each other. If one of them has
schizophrenia, the risk to the other twin is just
slightly more than for any other brother or sister.
These findings are much the same even if twins
are adopted and brought up in different families.

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Relatives with Chance of developing
schizophrenia schizophrenia

None 1 in 100
1 parent 1 in 10
1 identical twin 1 in 2
(same genetic make up)
1 non-identical twin
(different genetic make up) 1 in 80

Brain damage
Brain scans show that there are differences in
the brains of some people with schizophrenia –
but not in others. Where this is the case, it may
be that parts of the brain have not grown
normally because of:
■ a problem during birth that stops the baby’s
brain from getting enough oxygen
■ a virus infection during the early months
of pregnancy.

Street drugs and alcohol

Sometimes, street drugs seem to bring on
schizophrenia.

Amphetamines
can give you psychotic symptoms, but they
usually stop when you stop taking the
amphetamines. We don’t yet know whether
these drugs, on their own, can trigger off a
long-term illness, but they may do if you are
vulnerable. Some people start using drugs or
alcohol to cope with their symptoms, but this
can make things worse.

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Cannabis
■ The heavy use of cannabis seems to double
the risk of developing schizophrenia. New
research has shown that the stronger forms
of cannabis, such as skunk, may increase
this risk.
■ It’s more likely if you start using cannabis in
your early teens.
■ If you have smoked it frequently (more than
50 times) during your teens, the effect is
even stronger – you are 6 times more likely
to develop schizophrenia.

Stress
Difficulties often seem to happen shortly before
symptoms get worse. This may be a sudden
event like a car accident, bereavement or
moving home. It can be an everyday problem,
such as difficulty with work or studies. Long-
term stress, such as family tensions, can also
make it worse.

Family problems
At one time people thought that communication
problems in the family could cause
schizophrenia. This doesn’t seem to be the
case. However, if you have schizophrenia,
family tensions can certainly make it worse.

A difficult childhood
As with other mental disorders, schizophrenia
is more likely if you were deprived or
physically or sexually abused as a child.

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 What about violence in schizophrenia?
A few people with schizophrenia do become
violent – they usually hurt themselves but
sometimes hurt other people. This can be
caused by feelings of persecution or voices
telling them to do it – often a combination of the
two. It is much more likely if drugs or alcohol
are involved.

Outlook
Many people with schizophrenia now never
have to go into hospital and are able to settle
down, work and have lasting relationships.
For every 5 people with schizophrenia:
■ 1 will get better within five years of their first
obvious symptoms
■ 3 will get better, but will have times when
they get worse again
■ 1 will have troublesome symptoms for long
periods of time.

What will happen without treatment?

If you just hear voices, don’t mind them and they
don’t interfere with your life, you probably may
not need any special help. However, if the
voices become too loud or unpleasant (or if
other symptoms develop), then you should talk it
over with a doctor.

Suicide is more common in schizophrenia –

particularly if someone has symptoms, has
become depressed, is not getting treatment or is
getting less help than they used to.

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The evidence is beginning to suggest that if
schizophrenia is treated early:
■ you are less likely to have to come
into hospital
■ you are less likely to need intensive support
at home
■ if you do come into hospital, you will spend
less time there
■ you are more likely to be able to work and
live independently.

Treatment
If you have the symptoms of schizophrenia for
the first time, you should start medication as
soon as possible.

You may not need to come into hospital, but you

will need to see a psychiatrist and a community
mental health team. They will usually be able to
plan your treatment with you at home. Even if
you do have to come into hospital, it will only
be until you are well
enough to manage at home.

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 Medication

This can help the most disturbing symptoms of

the illness – but it is not the whole answer. It
is usually an important step which can make
other kinds of help possible. Other important
parts of recovery are support from families and
friends, psychological treatment and services
such as supported housing, day care and
employment schemes.

Why take medication?

Medication reduces the effects of the symptoms
on your life. Medication should:
■ weaken delusions and hallucinations
gradually, over a period of a few weeks
■ help your thoughts to be clearer
■ increase your motivation and ability to look
after yourself – although too much
medication (or the wrong medication for you)
can have the opposite effect.

How is it taken?
■ As tablets, capsules, or syrup. It’s hard for
anybody to remember to take tablets several
times a day, so there are now some that you
only need to take once a day.
■ If you find it hard to take tablets every day,
you may find it easier to take antipsychotic
medication as an injection every 2, 3 or 4
weeks. These are called depot injections and
are given by a nurse.

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How well does medication work?
■ About 4 in 5 people get help from them.
They control the symptoms, but do not get rid
of them. You have to go on taking the
medication to stop the symptoms from
coming back.
■ Even if the medication helps, the symptoms
may come back. This is much less likely to
happen if you carry on taking medication,
even when you feel well.

How long will I have to take

medication for?
■ Most psychiatrists will suggest that you take
medication for a long time.
■ If you want to reduce or stop your
medication, discuss this with your doctor.
■ Reduce your medication gradually. If you do
this you can notice any symptoms returning
before you become really unwell again.

What happens if you stop medication?

The symptoms will usually come back – not
immediately, but usually within 3 – 6 months.

You can find more information about

antipsychotic medication on our website:
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info

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 Getting back to normal
Schizophrenia can make everyday life hard to
deal with. This may or may not be due to the
symptoms. Sometimes you may just get out of
the habit of doing things for yourself. It can be
difficult to get back to doing ordinary things like
washing, answering the door, shopping, making
a phone call or chatting with a friend.

Psychological (or talking) treatments

This can be done by clinical psychologists,
psychiatrists or nurse therapists. It helps you to:
■ concentrate on the problems that you find
most difficult. These could be thoughts,
hallucinations or feelings that you are
being persecuted.
■ look at how you tend to think about them –
your ‘thinking habits’.
■ look at how you react to them – your
‘behaving habits’.
■ look at how your thinking or behaving habits
affect you.
■ work out if any of these thinking or behaving
habits are unrealistic or unhelpful.
■ work out more helpful ways of thinking about
these things or reacting to them.
■ try out new ways of thinking and behaving.
■ see if these work. If they do, to help you use
them regularly. If they don’t, to find better
ones that do work for you.

This kind of therapy can help you to feel better

about yourself and to learn new ways of solving
problems. We now know that CBT can also help

16
you to control troublesome hallucinations or
delusional ideas. Most people have between 8
and 20 sessions, each lasting about 1 hour. To
help the symptoms of schizophrenia, you may
need to carry on with ‘booster’ courses from
time to time.

Counselling and supportive psychotherapy

These can help you to:
■ get things off your chest
■ talk things over in more depth
■ get some help with the daily problems of life.

Family meetings
These try to help you and your family cope
better with the situation. They can be used to
discuss information about schizophrenia, how
best to support someone with schizophrenia
and how to solve the practical problems that
can crop up. Around ten meetings happen
over a period of about 6 months.

Support from the Community Mental

Health Team (CMHT) or Early
Intervention Team
■ A mental health worker from your local
team (your care coordinator) should see
you regularly.
■ Community psychiatric nurses can give you
time to talk and can help sort out problems
with medication.
■ Occupational therapists can:
■ Help you to be clear what your skills are
and what you can do.
■ Show you how to improve things you
aren’t doing so well.

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■ Work out ways of helping you to do more
for yourself.
■ Help you to improve your social skills
(how to get on with other people).
■ There may be help for families, with
regular meetings for a while. These can
help a family to learn more about the
illness and treatment and can help them to
sort out some of the practical problems of
day to day living.
■ The psychiatrist will usually organise your
medication and take responsibility for
your overall care.
■ The care coordinator is responsible
for making sure that you get the care
you need.
■ Vocational rehabilitation or recovery
workers can help you to get back into
work, education or some sort of activity
that you find rewarding.

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 How treatments compare
■ Apart from clozapine, there seem to be few
differences in the effectiveness of any of the
antipsychotics. Treatment should usually start
with one of the newer drugs – an ‘atypical’.
■ It is also not possible to say in advance
whether one antipsychotic will work better for
you than another. You may need to try one
antipsychotic and see how you get on with it.
If it doesn’t help you, or if the side-effects
are a problem, discuss trying another with
your psychiatrist.
■ Clozapine does seem to work better than
other antipsychotics for some people.
However, its side-effects can be dangerous,
so it can only be prescribed by a specialist
after other treatments have failed. If you have
had both a ‘typical’ antipsychotic and an
‘atypical’ antipsychotic for 8 weeks without
real help from either, clozapine may be
worth trying.
■ CBT seems to be helpful in people who are
taking medication, but we don’t know how
well it works if someone is not taking
medication. It may be particularly helpful in
very early schizophrenia.
■ If you want further information about
treatments, see the NICE guidelines (listed
at end).
■ If you are unhappy with your treatment,
you can ask for a second opinion from
another psychiatrist.

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 Social help
Day centres
You may not be working, or may be unable to
go back to work. Even so, it’s good to get out
and do something every day.

Many people go regularly to a day hospital,

day centre, or community mental health centre.
These have a number of things you can do –
keep fit, creative pursuits like painting and
pottery, education or getting back to work
activities. You can get active again and spend
some time with other people.

These facilities don’t exist in some areas where

there is, perhaps, more emphasis on helping
people to be included in ‘mainstream’ activities
for everybody, whether or not they have had
psychological difficulties.

Work projects
These can help you develop your skills for work.
They will often have contacts with local
employers and can support you when you go
back to work. If you are unwell for a long time,
you may need a specialist rehabilitation service.

Supported accommodation
This could be a bedsit or flat where there is
someone around to help you with day-to-day
problems.

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CPA – Care Programme Approach
(England & Wales only)
This is a way of making sure that people with
schizophrenia get appropriate care and
support. It involves:
■ a care coordinator who is responsible for
organising all the different parts of your care
and treatment.
■ regular meetings every 3 – 6 months. These
involve you, your care coordinator, your
psychiatrist and any other people who are
giving you care or support. This can include
your family or carers.
■ a care plan that is checked at the regular
CPA meetings. It is re-written each time and
you will have a copy to approve or change.
■ plans are made with you at these meetings
about what to do if you find yourself
becoming unwell again, or run into
difficulties.
■ carers can have an assessment of their
needs every year.

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 Self-help
Learn to recognise early signs that you are
getting unwell, such as:
■ everyday things like going off your food,
feeling anxious or not sleeping.
■ other people may notice that you stop
bothering to change your clothes, clean your
flat or cook for yourself.
■ mild symptoms – you feel a bit suspicious or
fearful or start to worry about people’s motives.
You may start to hear voices quietly or
occasionally, or find it difficult to concentrate.

Try to avoid things that make you worse, such as:

■ stressful situations such as spending too much
time with people (although being with people
can be helpful).
■ using street drugs or alcohol.
■ getting anxious about bills, but not asking
for help or advice.
■ disagreements with family, friends or neighbours.

Learn relaxation techniques.

Make sure you regularly do something you enjoy.

Find ways of controlling your voices:

■ spend time with other people
■ keep busy
■ listen to a personal stereo (TV and radio also
work but may annoy your family or neighbours)
■ remind yourself that your voices can’t harm you
■ remind yourself that your voices don’t have any
power over you and can’t force you to do
anything you don’t want to.

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Join a self-help group for people with similar
experiences to yours.

Get someone you trust to tell you if you are

becoming unwell again.

Learn about schizophrenia and your medication:

■ talk it over with your nurse, mental health
worker, psychiatrist – or someone else
with schizophrenia.
■ ask for written information about your
diagnosis and treatment.
■ if your medication is not working well, ask
about other medications.

Look after your body:

■ try to eat a balanced diet, with lots of fresh
vegetables and fruit.
■ try not to smoke – cigarettes harm your
lungs, your heart, your circulation and
your stomach.
■ take some regular exercise, even if it’s only
20 minutes out walking every day. Regular
vigorous exercise (double your pulse rate for
20 minutes 3 times a week) can help
improve your mood.

If there is an inaccurate or abusive item about

schizophrenia in the press, a radio talk show or
on TV, don’t get depressed, get active. Write a
letter, e-mail them, phone them up and tell them
where they are wrong. It works!

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 For families
It can be hard to understand what is happening
if your son or daughter, husband or wife,
brother or sister develops schizophrenia.
Sometimes, no-one realises what is wrong.

What do you see?

Your relative may become odd, distant or just
different from how they used to be. They may
avoid contact with people and become be less
active. If they have delusional ideas, they may
talk about them but may also keep quiet about
them. If they are hearing voices, they may
suddenly look away from you as if they are
listening to something else. When you speak
to them, they may say little, or be difficult to
understand. Their sleep pattern may change so
that they stay up all night and sleep during
the day.

You may wonder if this behaviour is just

rebellious. It can happen so slowly that only
when you look back can you see when it
started. It can be particularly difficult to
recognise these changes during the teenage
years, when young people are changing so
much anyway.

Was it my fault?
You may start to blame yourself and wonder
‘Was it my fault?’ You may wonder if anyone
else in the family is going to be affected,
what the future holds or how they can get
the best help.

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Can I talk to the mental health team?
Families have often been left out of discussions
because of worries about confidentiality. This
should not be the case now. People with
schizophrenia are often living with or being
supported by their family. So, their family should
have the information that will allow them to care
most effectively. Even if the person does not
want their family to be involved, the family can
still tell the mental health team about what is
going on.

Families deserve the help and information they

need, and mental health teams need to listen to
their worries and concerns.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and the

Royal College of Psychiatrists have published a
checklist of questions for families, to help them
find out what they need to know (see
www.partnersincare.co.uk). Several voluntary
organisations concerned with schizophrenia
(see list at the end of this leaflet) provide useful
information and support.

What can we do?

Families also need advice. What do they need
to do? Schizophrenia makes you more sensitive
to stress, so it is helpful to avoid arguments and
keep calm – perhaps easier said than done!

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 Some myths
Isn’t schizophrenia a split personality?
No. Too many people have the idea that
someone with schizophrenia can appear
perfectly normal at one moment, and change
into a different person the next. This is not true.

People can misuse the word ‘schizophrenia’ in

two different ways to mean:
■ having mixed or contradictory feelings about
something. This is just part of human nature –
a much better word is ‘ambivalent’.
■ that someone behaves in very different ways
at different times. Again, this is just part of
human nature.

Doesn’t schizophrenia make people

dangerous?
People who suffer from schizophrenia are not
often dangerous. Any violent behaviour is
usually sparked off by street drugs or alcohol.
This is similar to the situation with people who
don’t suffer from schizophrenia.

Although there is a higher risk of violent

behaviour if you have schizophrenia, it is very
small compared to the effects of drugs and
alcohol in our society. People with schizophrenia
are far more likely to be harmed by other people
than other people are to be harmed by them.

Schizophrenia never gets better

1 in 4-5 people with schizophrenia recover
completely, another 3 out of 5 people with
schizophrenia will be helped or get better
with treatment.

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 Further help
Rethink: www.rethink.org
National voluntary organisation that helps
people with any severe mental illness, their
families and carers.

National Schizophrenia Fellowship

(Scotland): www.nsfscot.org.uk

Shine: supporting people with mental ill health

(Ireland): www.shineonline.ie

Mind: www.mind.org.uk
Mindinfoline: 0845 766 0163. Publishes a
wide range of literature on all aspects of
mental health.

Mind Cymru: www.mind.org.uk

Saneline: www.sane.org.uk
Helpline: 0845 767 8000. A national mental
health helpline offering emotional support and
practical information for people with mental
illness, families, carers and professionals.

27
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Appleby L. et al. (1999) Aftercare and clinical

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Bebbington P. (2001) Choosing antipsychotic

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Bebbington P. et al. (2004) Psychosis,

victimisation and childhood disadvantage:
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Di Forti M. et al. (2009) High-potency cannabis

and the risk of psychosis. British Journal of
Psychiatry, 2009; 195: 488 – 491.

Fanous A. et al. (2001) Relationship Between

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Loebel, A. D., Lieberman, J. A., Alvir, J. M., et

al (1992) Duration of psychosis and outcome in
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Psychiatry, 149, 1183-1188.

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Mulholland, C. & Cooper, S. (2000) The
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newer atypical antipsychotic drugs in
schizophrenia: NICE guidelines, 2002.

Spencer, E., Birchwood, M. & McGovern D.

(2001) Management of first-episode psychosis.
Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 7:
133 – 140.

Tarrier N. et al. (2004) Cognitive-behavioural

therapy in first-episode and early schizophrenia:
18-month follow-up of a randomised controlled
trial. British Journal of Psychiatry, 184:
231 – 239.

Walsh E, Buchanan A. & Fahy T (2002).

Violence and schizophrenia: examining the
evidence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 180:
490 – 495.

This leaflet is based on the NICE guidelines.

29
 Further reading
Fast Facts: Schizophrenia.
S Lewis and RW Buchanan

Living with schizophrenia.

N Burton and P Davison

The Mind: A User ’s Guide.

Consultant Editor: R Persaud

30
The Royal College of Psychiatrists produces:
■ a wide range of mental health information for patients,
carers and professionals
■ factsheets on treatment in psychiatry, such as
antidepressants and cognitive behavioural therapy.
These can be downloaded from our website:
www.rcpsych.ac.uk

A range of materials for carers of people with mental health

problems has also been produced by the Partners in Care
campaign. These can be downloaded from
www.partnersincare.co.uk

For a catalogue of all our available materials, contact the

Leaflets Department, The Royal College of Psychiatrists,
17 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PG. Tel: + 44 (0)207
235 2351 ext. 6259; Fax: + 44 (0)207 235 1935;
email: leaflets@rcpsych.ac.uk.

This leaflet was produced by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’

Public Education Editorial Board.
Series Editor: Dr Philip Timms
Janey Antoniou

This leaflet is made possible through the generosity of the

Charitable Monies Allocation Committee of the mental health
charity, St Andrew’s, Northampton.

Illustration by Lo Cole/eastwing.co.uk
© February 2010 Royal College of Psychiatrists, all rights
reserved. This leaflet may not be reproduced in whole or in
part without the permission of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
This leaflet is due for review in February 2012.

NO HEALTH WITHOUT MENTAL HEALTH

www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is a charity Registered charity number 1104951
registered in England (228636) and in www.stah.org
Scotland (SC038369).