Schizophrenia: “Putting your lover under the glass is a ticking time bomb”

Dr. Nicolas Rainto, a psychiatrist at the University Hospital of Montpellier, published in November 2022, Be rehabilitated. A practical guide to psychosocial rehabilitation (Elsevier Masson). This small 131-page book, intensely personal and pragmatic, is inspired by his experience as head of the Jean-Minviel Recovery and Rehabilitation Center, which accompanies young people with schizophrenia in their life projects. Beyond the specific tools for use by caregivers, the patients he calls consumers, and their families, this dedicated young doctor brings all of care to psychiatry.

“Be rehabilitated”, is it a command, a desire, an incitement? And first of all, how to define psychosocial rehabilitation?

This is a benevolent encouragement, certainly not an order. The purpose of this book is to help, federation. I tried not to get into the divisive wars between professionals. Rehabilitation is a huge tool that should be available to psychiatry user projects. Specifically, it could be support for visiting an apartment, writing a CV, preparing for a job interview… Ultimately, the goal is to equip people so that they no longer need us.

“Let’s get rid of the fact that you have to agree to treatment first to be able to work, go back to school, move . . .”

Psychosocial rehabilitation approaches are developing in France, but, in my opinion, they too often remain at the service of medical recovery. The wishes of the directors concerned and their personal criteria for reinstatement are not sufficiently taken into account. However, customer project support is often the only way to take care of them. This is especially true for diseases where a person has little awareness – we are talking“comprehension” In psychiatry – its disorders. To do so is not philosophy, but pure pragmatism. If the caregiver just doesn’t comply with the user’s request, the latter will manage to do so regardless. What is the point of the educator to say “His request doesn’t suit me, so I don’t help”. Let’s not say you have to agree to treatment first to be allowed to work, go back to school, move…

You insist on what seems obvious to see the person first before they get sick. Do caregivers tend to forget this?