Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Eric Mitchell55 said:I’ve actually seen both of them! I can't believe it didn't cross my mind sooner. 🙂
Thanks so much, 🙂

Don't play games with me, kid.
😛

Larry Lewis said:Don't play games with me, kid.
😛

I'm being serious🤷

Eric Mitchell55 said:I'm being serious🤷

Look, movies make it look dramatic—which they do, sure—but the reality is a bit more nuanced than Hollywood would have you believe.

I actually have a close friend—well, a couple of them, really—who lives with schizophrenia. We talk about it, obviously, though maybe not in some deep, cinematic monologue style; it’s much more mundane, you know? It’s just casual conversation... things like, "Man, this specific thing really messed with my head today," or "This medication works wonders for me, but that other one was a total disaster," or even just venting about how awkward a session at the clinic felt. It's just part of our everyday dialogue.

Do you personally know anyone—a friend, a colleague, someone in your circle—dealing with schizophrenia?

Larry Lewis said:Look, movies make it look dramatic—which they do, sure—but the reality is a bit more nuanced than Hollywood would have you believe.

I actually have a close friend—well, a couple of them, really—who lives with schizophrenia. We talk about it, obviously, though maybe not in some deep, cinematic monologue style; it’s much more mundane, you know? It’s just casual conversation... things like, "Man, this specific thing really messed with my head today," or "This medication works wonders for me, but that other one was a total disaster," or even just venting about how awkward a session at the clinic felt. It's just part of our everyday dialogue.

Do you personally know anyone—a friend, a colleague, someone in your circle—dealing with schizophrenia?

It’s true that reality doesn't always match the screen, but there are certain themes that help bridge the gap and give people a little insight into what it's like. 🙂

No, I don't personally know anyone with schizophrenia. I'm honestly not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. 🤷

Eric Mitchell55 said:It’s true that reality doesn't always match the screen, but there are certain themes that help bridge the gap and give people a little insight into what it's like. 🙂

No, I don't personally know anyone with schizophrenia. I'm honestly not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. 🤷

It isn't a bad thing at all. Personally, whenever I find myself hanging out with my fellow mental health warriors, I find myself completely relaxed—there's this sense of kinship, really—because we've all navigated through the exact same kind of absolute shit.

Larry Lewis said:It isn't a bad thing at all. Personally, whenever I find myself hanging out with my fellow mental health warriors, I find myself completely relaxed—there's this sense of kinship, really—because we've all navigated through the exact same kind of absolute shit.

In that case, it isn't a bad thing.
This fall, I’m supposed to start a group therapy session with a small circle of four or five other young people dealing with psychotic symptoms. It'll be a chance to talk openly with folks who are going through similar struggles. I really think it’s going to help.

Eric Mitchell55 said:In that case, it isn't a bad thing.
This fall, I’m supposed to start a group therapy session with a small circle of four or five other young people dealing with psychotic symptoms. It'll be a chance to talk openly with folks who are going through similar struggles. I really think it’s going to help.

Oh, it definitely will; personally, I found it to be a massive help.🙂

Eric Mitchell55 said:Hey there, my dear Sizina crew, your friend Sizina has a quick question for you all 😍

If you were talking to someone who has absolutely no clue what our condition is actually like, how would you explain what’s going on with us using your own words?

Thanks so much, sending my best to everyone.

Honestly, most people couldn't care less about what's actually happening inside the heads of people with schizophrenia; they're just too busy being terrified we might snap at them.

That's why it's actually super helpful to point out that, on average, people experiencing psychosis are only about 3% more prone to violence than the rest of society.

David Vaughn75 said:Honestly, most people couldn't care less about what's actually happening inside the heads of people with schizophrenia; they're just too busy being terrified we might snap at them.

That's why it's actually super helpful to point out that, on average, people experiencing psychosis are only about 3% more prone to violence than the rest of society.

Most people couldn't care less about anyone living outside their little "safe space"...
How much more likely is violence from some "normal teenager" or someone just trashed on booze? Or maybe even a socially acceptable alcoholic...

ironrider11 said:Most people couldn't care less about anyone living outside their little "safe space"...
How much more likely is violence from some "normal teenager" or someone just trashed on booze? Or maybe even a socially acceptable alcoholic...

Look, violence isn't some random accident—it's a fundamental character flaw, basically an utter inability to keep your own impulses under wraps.

Where is everyone at? Is anyone else hearing things—voices, I mean? Anyone else dealing with some delusions lately? Let's get this going!!!

Larry Lewis said:Where is everyone at? Is anyone else hearing things—voices, I mean? Anyone else dealing with some delusions lately? Let's get this going!!!

Get outta here with that crap!!! 🙂

David Vaughn75 said:Get outta here with that crap!!! 🙂

Look, there’s just nothing left for us at this point—honestly—because back when I was going through that massive psychotic break, half my brain was basically fried... if I ever slip back into a psychosis again, the other half will be gone too, and then what am I even supposed to do with myself? 🙂

Sorry for just dropping in out of nowhere, but I’ve been scrolling through your posts and really need some advice. My dad has been dealing with schizophrenia for 25 years now. Lately, his diagnosis has been F20.5, but he flat-out refuses to take any meds. Everything goes smoothly while he’s at the hospital—he usually stays for about two months—and then he’ll be home on his therapy for a few months. But after a while, he just stops everything. He shuts down completely. He barely speaks, maybe two or three sentences max, just sits there smoking, and won't leave the house. He won't see a psychiatrist. Since he isn't violent, when we call the hospital, they tell us we have to bring him in ourselves, but he won't go. He won't talk to anyone; he just stays locked in his room, not even answering basic questions. I’ve read some of you saying you're aware of your own condition, so I don't get why he doesn't want to get better? Is he actually more comfortable this way, lost in his own world? How can I help him? Has anyone here dealt with something like this, and what should I do to snap things back into place? This has been going on for two years now with zero progress. He refuses treatment, and his mental state has just totally tanked :((:( please, I need some advice

Rebecca Kim5 said:Sorry for just dropping in out of nowhere, but I’ve been scrolling through your posts and really need some advice. My dad has been dealing with schizophrenia for 25 years now. Lately, his diagnosis has been F20.5, but he flat-out refuses to take any meds. Everything goes smoothly while he’s at the hospital—he usually stays for about two months—and then he’ll be home on his therapy for a few months. But after a while, he just stops everything. He shuts down completely. He barely speaks, maybe two or three sentences max, just sits there smoking, and won't leave the house. He won't see a psychiatrist. Since he isn't violent, when we call the hospital, they tell us we have to bring him in ourselves, but he won't go. He won't talk to anyone; he just stays locked in his room, not even answering basic questions. I’ve read some of you saying you're aware of your own condition, so I don't get why he doesn't want to get better? Is he actually more comfortable this way, lost in his own world? How can I help him? Has anyone here dealt with something like this, and what should I do to snap things back into place? This has been going on for two years now with zero progress. He refuses treatment, and his mental state has just totally tanked :((:( please, I need some advice

That is an incredibly heavy burden to carry. Honestly, you might have to try to reach him on an emotional level—letting him see how much this is destroying you, even if it means breaking down in tears right in front of him. It sounds desperate, I know, but perhaps that’s the only way to pierce through the fog.

Where on earth is that Silver Bear Psychotic fellow, or that totally delusional Alexandria—and don't even get me started on that half-crazed little blur of a woman?? Honestly, what is it with you people? Is there some kind of mass psychosis sweeping through the entire coast?!!🙂🙂🙂

Rebecca Kim5 said:Sorry for just dropping in out of nowhere, but I’ve been scrolling through your posts and really need some advice. My dad has been dealing with schizophrenia for 25 years now. Lately, his diagnosis has been F20.5, but he flat-out refuses to take any meds. Everything goes smoothly while he’s at the hospital—he usually stays for about two months—and then he’ll be home on his therapy for a few months. But after a while, he just stops everything. He shuts down completely. He barely speaks, maybe two or three sentences max, just sits there smoking, and won't leave the house. He won't see a psychiatrist. Since he isn't violent, when we call the hospital, they tell us we have to bring him in ourselves, but he won't go. He won't talk to anyone; he just stays locked in his room, not even answering basic questions. I’ve read some of you saying you're aware of your own condition, so I don't get why he doesn't want to get better? Is he actually more comfortable this way, lost in his own world? How can I help him? Has anyone here dealt with something like this, and what should I do to snap things back into place? This has been going on for two years now with zero progress. He refuses treatment, and his mental state has just totally tanked :((:( please, I need some advice

I wonder if you have considered altering your fundamental approach. Perhaps there is value in showing a deeper interest in exactly what your father is experiencing internally? It might be worth asking him about his thought processes or the specific emotions he is grappling with. You could ask him to identify what he perceives as the primary conflict in his life or the world around him. Have you tried viewing him not through a clinical lens, but rather as a human being whose consciousness is operating on a plane so different from yours that it is nearly impossible to comprehend? It may sound somewhat strange, but I suspect that having someone to share bizarre, cosmic thoughts with might actually help untangle the knots in one's psyche. It is possible that your father has been deeply traumatized by his various hospitalizations, leading to a fear that communicating with you will only result in being sent back to a place he perceives as hell. For me, the hospital feels like pure purgatory rather than a place for healing the soul. I suppose wanting what is "best" for someone can sometimes be a double-edged sword.

I honestly don't think she views him as some sort of broken patient—after all, he’s her father. And let's be clear: a hospital isn't some hellscape for people who actually have a shred of common sense left in them. I’ve been hospitalized three separate times myself, and frankly, it was never an unbearable ordeal. You just find someone you actually click with, someone to hang out with, and suddenly the time passes much faster and feels a lot more tolerable. I even know a couple who ended up getting married after meeting in a psychiatric ward.

Her dad has certainly lived through more than we younger folks have, but that doesn't mean he should be allowed to just completely unravel. She ought to approach him as a daughter who loves him—that kind of connection might be exactly what helps pull him back toward some semblance of normalcy.

And look, they are absolutely going to admit him if he refuses his medication and just sits there wasting away in his room. It's a well-known fact that psychosis causes far more physical damage to the brain than any medication ever could. Not even kidding—my own psychiatrist, who is a top-tier professional and has even presented at conferences, told me that many antipsychotics actually work by helping to forge new neural connections in the brain.

Larry Lewis said:I honestly don't think she views him as some sort of broken patient—after all, he’s her father. And let's be clear: a hospital isn't some hellscape for people who actually have a shred of common sense left in them. I’ve been hospitalized three separate times myself, and frankly, it was never an unbearable ordeal. You just find someone you actually click with, someone to hang out with, and suddenly the time passes much faster and feels a lot more tolerable. I even know a couple who ended up getting married after meeting in a psychiatric ward.

Her dad has certainly lived through more than we younger folks have, but that doesn't mean he should be allowed to just completely unravel. She ought to approach him as a daughter who loves him—that kind of connection might be exactly what helps pull him back toward some semblance of normalcy.

And look, they are absolutely going to admit him if he refuses his medication and just sits there wasting away in his room. It's a well-known fact that psychosis causes far more physical damage to the brain than any medication ever could. Not even kidding—my own psychiatrist, who is a top-tier professional and has even presented at conferences, told me that many antipsychotics actually work by helping to forge new neural connections in the brain.

Exactly.
New scientific studies are looking incredibly promising for those of us dealing with Silver Bear Psychotic stuff, because it turns out the brain is super plastic. You can actually change and adapt throughout your entire life, rather than everything being set in stone once you hit your teens. Glial cells can basically step up and take over for failed neurons, building out those new connections we need.

Larry Lewis said:I honestly don't think she views him as some sort of broken patient—after all, he’s her father. And let's be clear: a hospital isn't some hellscape for people who actually have a shred of common sense left in them. I’ve been hospitalized three separate times myself, and frankly, it was never an unbearable ordeal. You just find someone you actually click with, someone to hang out with, and suddenly the time passes much faster and feels a lot more tolerable. I even know a couple who ended up getting married after meeting in a psychiatric ward.

Her dad has certainly lived through more than we younger folks have, but that doesn't mean he should be allowed to just completely unravel. She ought to approach him as a daughter who loves him—that kind of connection might be exactly what helps pull him back toward some semblance of normalcy.

And look, they are absolutely going to admit him if he refuses his medication and just sits there wasting away in his room. It's a well-known fact that psychosis causes far more physical damage to the brain than any medication ever could. Not even kidding—my own psychiatrist, who is a top-tier professional and has even presented at conferences, told me that many antipsychotics actually work by helping to forge new neural connections in the brain.

I suppose it is true that new connections are formed, so I won't argue with that.
However, it might be worth looking over this
http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v3.../1300710a.html
if one reads closely enough, you eventually reach the section stating that antipsychotics can reduce overall brain mass by about 8-11%. It is certainly encouraging news.
I mean, when your brain shrinks by a tenth, I assume that is just wonderful for you.
Honestly, I find it difficult to believe that some people genuinely think antipsychotics are beneficial for the brain.
If that is truly your perspective, then I am somewhat at a loss for words.
Hello? You are essentially blocking dopamine and serotonin, which are practically the neurotransmitters responsible for love and feeling good.
Even though I take antipsychotics myself, I am fully aware that they are not good for the brain in any capacity.
I can feel it, and I know my own mind better than most. But, unfortunately, I don't have an alternative within this broken system.

There is a certain natural antipsychotic that none of us can obtain (at least not currently), nor will Big Pharma ever release for sale, nor can we legally extract it ourselves. It is called cannabidiol (CBD), and it is found in—you guessed it—hemp.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3316151/

Nature provides a remedy for everything, I think, but the interests of pharmaceutical corporations lie in turning a profit and keeping you tethered to medication, rather than curing you, because a cured patient is no longer a source of revenue.

Still, I suppose it is fine to seek comfort where you can when there are no other options left... hope is perhaps all that remains.