This study came out of Japan but the recommendations are likely to apply to all countries I suspect. Do what you can to help people with schizophrenia overcome loneliness.
Where this type of service is not provided by public health nurses, families can undertake this themselves when they can by researching activity programs, social skills training programs, and volunteer activities, etc. where the person with schizophrenia can re-engage with people and make new friends.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SUBJECT?:
Loneliness among people diagnosed with schizophrenia is a serious problem. Recent studies have focused on the loneliness; however, no study has examined the relationships between loneliness and both individual and environmental factors comprehensively.
The study recommended:
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?:
Health practitioners, in particular, public health nurses in mental health care, should work to develop a partnership with people diagnosed with schizophrenia, their family members, friends and other community-dwelling people in order to decrease and prevent loneliness.
For individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, interventions by cooperating with community resources and using the technique of nurses to assist them with continuous community activity could be useful.
For environmental interventions, population approach such as developing daily programmes which family members can participate in, and cooperating with educational institutions and community events could have a positive effects.
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