The next Coffee and Culture will focus on schizophrenia, an often misunderstood mental illness, at its meeting on April 16.
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that does not allow people to properly interpret reality. People with schizophrenia often experience delusions or hallucinations, making them behave differently.
Jason Siewert, licensed psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, will present at the meeting and aims to help people better understand schizophrenia.
“I want to make sure that people have a sophisticated understanding of the mental illness in general,” Siewert said.
Siewert hopes to emphasize the individual experience a person suffering from schizophrenia has. He also wants to discuss the science behind the illness.
“It’s a complicated condition that consists of both environmental and neurological factors,” Siewert said.
Siewert believes the reason mental illnesses create stigmas are because some people do not understand them.
“Whenever I have an opportunity to clarify what an experience is for somebody with a mental illness, I always try to do that,” Siewert said.
Mariah Pfundheller, Coffee and Culture organizer, felt it was important to cover the topic of mental illness because she wants the program to address diverse topics. She hopes this presentation will give attendees the chance to learn about something new.
Siewert added that when people imagine a person with a mental illness, they often think of someone with schizophrenia.
“I think that it does create a lot of interest for people because it’s such a severe condition,” Siewert said.