What does Håkan think about the hope
to sometime in the future really be able to cure schizophrenia?
“Perhaps not cure, but I do think that we will be able to find
better and more efficient treatment methods than those that are
available today,” says Håkan. With better methods for
genetic analysis and with the human genome mapped, it may be possible
to predict whether a person is in the genetic risk zone. With this
knowledge, one can then take preventive measures or be more vigilant
about the development of  symptoms.
It is also important to learn more about the various symptoms and
if possible individually designed treatment plans for each patient.
As Håkan points out, “one patient may need to be on life-long
medication, while another have such mild symptoms that psychotherapy
is enough.”
The problem with psychiatric diseases is
that, even if the situation has become better over the past decades,
they in many cases are associated with shame and feelings of guilt.
Still today, a lot of people does not understand that diseases like
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are biological phenomena and
that the afflicted person actually is sick - not “crazy”
or “mad”. To be mentally ill is in this way no different
than suffering from for instance cancer or a heart disease. This
is where he project HUBIN has an additional purpose. “Within
HUBIN, we think that information is of importance,” says Håkan,
and hopes that HUBIN’s webpage may serve a function. With increasing
knowledge, people’s understanding for psychiatric diseases
and the mentally ill can be improved.
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