National Schizophrenia Awareness Day 2022

Thousands of people within the UK live with schizophrenia or may know somebody who does, and there’s millions more around the world in a similar position. National Schizophrenia Awareness Day is an annual event that was started to break down the stigma surrounding schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is more common than people might think, with around 1 in every 100 people being affected. It’s a mental health condition which can impact how a person feels and thinks, and can change how they experience the world around them. There are a number of symptoms a person might experience, and not every person with a diagnosis will have the same symptoms. Some possible symptoms are:

• Disorganised thinking
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Changes in emotions or body language
• Lack of motivation
• Change in sleeping patterns
  
  

If a person has been experiencing symptoms, they may then speak with a psychiatrist who would consider making an official diagnosis of schizophrenia and think of the best treatment or course of action going forward. Some people might have medication whereas others might take part in talking therapies, and some may have both. Thanks to the research and efforts that go into schizophrenia, 1 in every 4 or 5 people are thought to go on to recover.

Though not every person will ‘recover’, schizophrenia isn’t a barrier to living life to its fullest. Many people still have a great quality of life with good personal relationships and employment.

Access to insurance

The insurance world can be confusing at times, and even more so if you have a past or present health condition too. This is where our advisers really stand out in their expertise not just of the insurance world, but in their many years of experience helping people with health conditions to get fair access to insurance.

Life insurance

As with any other health condition, an insurer will want to know more details to be able to make a decision on your application. Some of the questions you can expect to see are:

• When were you diagnosed with schizophrenia?
• Do you take any medication for this?
• What symptoms do you experience?
• Does it affect your ability to work?
  
  

It’s also more than likely that the insurer will request a medical report from your GP surgery (with your consent) so that they can get a clear picture of the condition and your overall health. We like to think of this as a good thing, as there will be no missing information to impact any potential future claims on the policy.

It’s common for a person who has been living with schizophrenia and responding well to medication to receive terms for life insurance, but the policy will usually come with a price increase. This doesn’t mean that the life insurance is suddenly going to be a silly price, but we think it’s important that you know that you probably won’t end up paying the monthly premium that you might have seen on price comparison sites.

Where there has been a recent psychotic episode or any suicide attempts, some insurers might postpone the application until a certain amount of time has passed. In this instance, it could be that we decide to approach a specialist insurer for you. 

Critical illness cover and income protection

Critical illness cover isn’t usually available to people with active schizophrenia on the standard insurance market, but there are some specialist insurers that we have access to that should accept an application. This also applies to income protection too.

It’s always important to know exactly what your insurance policy covers you for, which is why we recommend using a protection insurance adviser.

Group protection

Some people might be fortunate enough to have group protection available to them through their employer. Group protection has its advantages, one being that there are many instances where medical underwriting isn’t required. This means that people with health conditions can be covered by the policy, even if they can’t access life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection on a personal basis.

When you are applying for personal protection insurance and you have schizophrenia, it’s sensible to expect to see a price increase or possibly exclusions depending on the policy you have taken out. Knowing what you are and are not covered for is important, and using a protection insurance adviser may give you access to specialist insurers which you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

Related blogs

5 Tips on how to choose the right protection adviser

Access to insurance

Applying for protection insurance with a mental health condition