Medically Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on November 12, 2024

Take a new approach and ask about different schizophrenia treatments

Meet Your Guide
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Lisa Guardiola
Advocate

Lisa Guardiola started hearing voices in the late 1990s and was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2004. Her family encouraged her to get help after she struggled with suicidal ideation. Fast-forward, she now works as the vice president of NAMI South Suburbs of Chicago (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and blogs for WebMD. While treatment is available, she says, recovery after psychotic breaks requires intense work. Drawing on her own lived experience, Lisa helps people find their "new normal" with schizophrenia.

Show Sources

SOURCES:

Lisa Guardiola, schizophrenia advocate, vice president of NAMI South Suburbs of Chicago.

Laura Yoviene Sykes, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; director, STEP Learning Collaborative, New Haven, Connecticut. 

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): “Schizophrenia,” “Types of Mental Health Professionals,” “Wellness Recovery Action Plan.” 

National Institute of Mental Health: “Schizophrenia.” 

American Psychiatric Association: “What is Schizophrenia?” 

FDA: “FDA Approves Drug with New Mechanism of Action for Treatment of Schizophrenia.”

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment: “Current approaches to treatments for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, part II: psychosocial interventions and patient-focused perspectives in psychiatric care.”

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