Ann Bartlett of HealthCentral is quoted:

“Healing is as potent a medicine as a cure can be.”

The definition of cure in Oxford American College Dictionary is:

relieve (a person or animal) of the symptoms of a disease or condition…eliminate (a disease, condition or injury) with medical treatment…solve (a problem)…

I submit that with treatment it’s possible for a person to no longer have the symptoms of an illness like schizophrenia. At HealthCentral I had written years ago that “The Geodon is as close to a cure as I’ll get in this lifetime.”

The distinction between healed versus cured is blurred in my estimation.

The goal is to be able to be in remission or to have minimally intrusive symptoms. Getting the right treatment and for a lot of us the right medication can stop the symptoms permanently. This is a noble goal.

For those of us who won’t be cured healing is also a noble goal.

The definition of heal:

(of a person or treatment) cause (a wound, injury or person) to become sound or healthy again.

In this regard it is true: “Healing is as potent a medicine as a cure can be.”

I also submit that a person can be healed from schizophrenia: that a significant number of people can be healed when we get the right treatment–what I call the Triangle of Mental Health: quicker, individualized treatment, appropriate medication, and practical career counseling.

I’m going to talk about The Triangle of Mental Health in the upcoming blog entries. It’s the link to having a full and robust life if you ask me.

The reality is: a person diagnosed with schizophrenia CAN become sound or healthy again.

Becoming sound or healthy again IS a noble goal. And for a lot of us it’s achievable now more than ever.