Marriage Between Chronic Schizophrenic Patients: The Main Value is such Individuals Finding Mutual Support and Companionship in Marriage

Abstract

For more than 10 years, as of Septemder 1979, we have treated 501 chronic schizophrenic patients at Karasuyama Mental Hospital, affiliated with Showa University. Among these, 14 chose to marry. Five couples among them are still married to date, and 2 of these couples have since divorced. The lengths of their married lives range from 3 to 15 years. In this paper, we take up these couples and investigate marriage between schizophrenic patients, mainly the relationship, if any, between their conditions (that is the degree of schizophrenia) and the states of their marriages. We judged the degree of schizophrenia based on 3 items, mental condition, adaptability to society and the capacity to carry on normal daily life. And these items were each rated in 3 ways: “favorable”, “ fair “ and “unfavourable “, but these three ratings are related to one another. 1) On the average, husbands were judged to be “ favorable “ and wives to be “ intermediate “. At any rate, the husband played the role of stabilizer to the same degree as the wife or to a greater degree. 2) Each one of the couples was respectively labelled as “ favorable “ or “fair “ when they made the decision to marry and were able to maintain their unions. It is not anticipated that both individuals in the couple would always be simultaneously in full control or able to deal effectively with life. 3) Even when married individuals fall under the “ fair “ category of the foregoing 3 items, it is quite possible for them to live normally with the support of mental health workers and other concerned individuals. 4) In the event that both married schizophrenics are judged to be “ unfavorable “ considerably more support is needed from mental health workers, but, with the worsening of their disorders, the chances for them maintaining any sort of fulfulling marriage are poor. © 1983, The Showa University Society. All rights reserved.