Therapy and medications are core management strategies, but lifestyle adjustments, stress reduction, and community support can also improve your quality of life when living with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a complex mental health condition that features symptoms of altered reality perception known as “psychosis.” You can experience hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and changes in your mental and physical function that make everyday activities challenging.

Antipsychotic medications can help you manage symptoms of schizophrenia, like hallucinations and delusions, but many people continue to experience some level of cognitive and functional impairment even with prescription medications.

A comprehensive treatment plan that incorporates therapy, lifestyle changes, community support, self-education, and stress management can help improve the quality of your life.

This article reviews each facet of treatment and how it can help.

The goal of psychotherapy in schizophrenia is to help reduce symptoms while improving your cognitive functions and overall quality of life.

Therapy can teach you ways to recognize and cope with distressing thoughts and symptoms. It can also help you improve mental functions related to memory, decision making, and attention.

In addition, psychotherapy can help you build interpersonal relationship skills and can help improve your family dynamics when you live with schizophrenia.

Common psychotherapies used for schizophrenia include:

Antipsychotic medications are the cornerstone of schizophrenia treatment. They work by regulating neurotransmitters in your brain to control symptoms like hallucinations and delusions.

First-generation antipsychotics, also called “typical” antipsychotics, were the first antipsychotics developed. They focus primarily on the neurotransmitter dopamine and include medications like:

Second-generation antipsychotics were developed more recently and focus on dopamine and serotonin. They’re also known as “atypical” antipsychotics and include medications like:

Not every antipsychotic works the same for each person. You may need to try more than one.

If you’re still experiencing significant symptoms after trying two or more antipsychotic medications, you may be living with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Sleep and schizophrenia have a bidirectional relationship. This means that schizophrenia can negatively impact how well you sleep, and not sleeping well can make symptoms of schizophrenia worse.

Improving your sleep may lessen psychotic symptoms. Your doctor might recommend cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to help reduce behaviors that interfere with sleep, but sleep hygiene is also important.

Sleep hygiene tips include:

  • keeping a consistent sleep-wake schedule
  • making sure your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet
  • avoiding screen time at least 30 minutes before bed
  • limiting consumption of stimulants like caffeine
  • not eating large, heavy meals right before bed

There’s no specific “schizophrenia diet,” but eating a balanced diet is key to maintaining overall health and reducing complications like obesity and metabolic syndrome.

According to a review from 2020, people living with schizophrenia often have unhealthy diets high in sodium, saturated fats, and sugars and low in fiber content. This can contribute to chronic health conditions and potentially worsen symptoms of psychosis.

While there are many different healthy diet plans you can try, general guidelines suggest prioritizing:

  • fruits
  • vegetables
  • lean proteins
  • unsaturated fats (like those in avocados)
  • fiber

The guidelines also recommend reducing added sugars, saturated fats, and excess salt.

Exercise is another lifestyle habit that supports your overall health and function. Exercise can help boost your mood, manage your weight, and reduce the risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease.

It can also strengthen your muscles and bones, improving your ability to function.

According to a meta-analysis from 2024, aerobic exercise (sustained activity that elevates your breathing and heart rate) may be an effective add-on therapy for managing symptoms of schizophrenia.

Stress can negatively affect anyone’s well-being and ability to function.

In schizophrenia, stress can affect the severity of symptoms. Research suggests it may even be the initial trigger of psychosis for some people predisposed to the condition.

Strategies for stress management include:

Stress management also involves making changes to your daily mindset and habits, such as setting realistic goals, focusing on your strengths, and practicing self-compassion.

People living with schizophrenia have an elevated risk for substance use disorders.

Not only might substance use increase your chances of developing schizophrenia if you’re predisposed to the condition, but using substances, like alcohol, to cope with schizophrenia may make some symptoms worse.

If you’ve been given a diagnosis of schizophrenia and don’t agree with it, or if you disagree with your medical team and support system about your need for treatment, you could have anosognosia.

Anosognosia can make managing schizophrenia difficult and is associated with:

  • lack of treatment adherence (such as inconsistent use of medications or substance use)
  • increased chance of relapse
  • less favorable quality of life

Whether you have anosognosia or not, you might consider getting a second medical opinion.

It may be helpful to see if a different doctor agrees or disagrees with your original diagnosis, and understand why. It may also be useful to learn what their recommendations are in terms of treatment.

You don’t have to navigate the symptoms of schizophrenia on your own. It’s OK to seek help and support from your loved ones and community. Many supports exist to help you thrive in your everyday life.

These include:

  • peer support groups
  • case management (one-on-one health management support)
  • independent living programs and housing assistance
  • job placement services and on-the-job accommodations
  • day programs for social outings and wellness support

For round-the-clock support, you can participate in an assertive community treatment (ACT) program where a case manager provides daily support and connects you with services and medical care.

To fund an ACT program in your area, talk with a doctor or use this online tool to find a program near you.

Schizophrenia is a complex mental health condition, and it’s natural to have questions. Here are some frequently asked questions about schizophrenia.

Certain factors can negatively affect your quality of life with schizophrenia. While everyone is different, situations and behaviors to avoid include:

  • high stress
  • substance use
  • isolation
  • skipping treatments or stopping medication on your own
  • unhealthy lifestyle habits (such as eating processed or sugary foods or not getting enough exercise)

Yes! Many people living with schizophrenia can function independently. Schizophrenia affects everyone differently, and some people may need more or less support than others.

Hobbies that support health and well-being are ideal for people living with schizophrenia. These could include:

  • sports
  • hiking
  • cycling
  • swimming
  • yoga
  • reading
  • creative writing
  • journaling
  • painting
  • drawing
  • crafting

Schizophrenia is a complex mental health condition. It involves symptoms of psychosis that alter your perception of reality and negatively affect your cognition and mental functioning.

While medications can help improve symptoms of psychosis, therapy and multifaceted daily living strategies are often needed to manage symptoms and improve your quality of life.