环球英语 — 253：Open the Doors

　　Voice 1

Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight 1 program. I’m Liz Waid.

Voice 2

And I’m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 3

“I experienced 2 homelessness at one time coming out of the hospital. I had nowhere to go.”

Voice 1

A woman from New Zealand describes her experiences. She suffers from the mental disorder 3 schizophrenia.

Voice 3

“I had no choice. My family at that point was struggling with their own opinions of my condition. There was no place in my family for me. If my family had been educated, taught how to help me, if they had supported and helped me, then my story would be very different.”

Voice 2

Sadly, this situation is common. People do not know how to react to people with mental sicknesses - especially sicknesses like schizophrenia. They may fear people who suffer from schizophrenia. They do not know how to support sufferers of the disorder. Often, this means that people suffering from schizophrenia do not get the help or care that they need.

Voice 1

Today’s Spotlight is on the group Open the Doors. This group is trying to change these kinds of fears and opinions about mental sicknesses - especially schizophrenia.

Voice 2

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder, or mental sickness. This disorder interferes 4 with a person’s ability to recognize what is real. A person suffering from schizophrenia may see something that does not exist. For example, he may believe someone is talking to him, even if no one is there. Schizophrenia interferes with a person’s ability to manage his emotions. It prevents him from thinking clearly, making judgments 5, and communicating.

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The World Health Organization says that schizophrenia affects about twenty four million [24,000,000] people worldwide. Many of these are young people.

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People can receive treatment for schizophrenia. Medicine can help. So can talking with a therapist 6, a person trained to help people with mental sicknesses. These treatments can help a person recover and live a fully 7 normal life. However, the WHO says that more than fifty [50] percent of people suffering from schizophrenia do not receive treatment.

Voice 1

Many people suffering from schizophrenia often face prejudice and lack of information in the public. Often, people fear schizophrenia and people suffering from schizophrenia. The World Psychiatric Association 8 is working to end this fear. In 1996, they began the Open the Doors program. This program aims to fight the prejudices and unfair treatment people suffer because of schizophrenia. Twenty-seven [27] countries have already established Open the Doors programs.

Voice 2

One of these countries is Germany. Seven project centers in Germany exist to change prejudices about schizophrenia. Open the Doors workers in these project centers wanted to understand people’s ideas about schizophrenia. They asked particular questions to groups of people in six cities. They asked people:

Voice 1

Would you marry someone with schizophrenia?

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Would you feel concerned about sharing a room with someone who has schizophrenia?

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Would you feel afraid to talk to someone who suffers from schizophrenia?

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Would you feel shame if people knew someone in your family had schizophrenia?

Voice 1

About ten percent of the people said they would be afraid to talk to someone who had schizophrenia. More than forty [40] percent of people in the study did not want to share a room with a person who had schizophrenia. Over seventy [70] percent said that they would not marry a person with schizophrenia. How would you have answered these questions?

Voice 2

Open the Doors says that many of these fears of schizophrenia lead to prejudices. Prejudices are opinions people make without getting all the facts. These prejudices about mental disorders 9 and schizophrenia are similar worldwide. Open the Doors says that prejudices are the biggest barrier to preventing and treating schizophrenia.

Voice 1

These prejudices can separate a person from his community. People may fear a person with schizophrenia or believe he is violent. They may separate themselves from him. This can make it difficult for a person with schizophrenia to find a home, a job, or friends. People often do not give people with schizophrenia the same chances that they give healthy people. These prejudices can also affect the family and friends of a person with schizophrenia. It can mean that they are unable or unwilling 10 to support a person with schizophrenia.

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So, how can people get rid of these prejudices? Open the Doors has three suggestions. First, the media must improve its representation 11 of people with schizophrenia. Magazines, newspapers, television and films should present correct ideas about schizophrenia.

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Second, all people must receive information about mental disorders. Often, people do not know the facts about schizophrenia. People fear what they do not understand. So, if people know more about mental sickness, they are less afraid of it.

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Third, people must have the chance to meet and spend time with people who have mental disorders. Many Open the Doors projects include people who have schizophrenia or have had schizophrenia in the past. By meeting people with schizophrenia, people feel less fear.

Voice 1

Zoe* is from the United Kingdom. She suffered from schizophrenia. She describes a few of her experiences.

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“My life was turned upside-down 12 by a form of schizophrenia. I heard voices. I did not trust anyone - including the police and doctors. I believed they were all working against me. I thought my family had been murdered.”

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Zoe finally received treatment for her schizophrenia. She says that her family and friends helped her get through her sickness. She believes it is important that people know the facts about mental sicknesses - especially schizophrenia. She says:

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“That is what it is - a sickness. And people do recover from it. Why then are there so many prejudices? Many people falsely believe that all sufferers of schizophrenia are dangerous. Others believe that schizophrenics never recover from their sickness. How untrue. The recovery 13 rates are getting better all the time.

That is why I am speaking out. I need to tell my success story to help other sufferers understand that there is hope. I want to prove to non-sufferers that I was only sick for a short time. Like many others before me, I have recovered.”

Voice 1

Zoe offers this advice:

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“When someone says they have a mental disorder do not turn away from them. Find out what it was like. Respect us for surviving with such a difficult life-changing experience. Learn from us.”

Voice 1

If you would like to learn more about schizophrenia, you can find a link to the Open the Door program’s website on our website. Look on the script 14 page for this program.