Posts by Nicole Barrett76

I have a question directed toward all of you who have spent any time in a psychiatric ward. This isn't just about those diagnosed with schizophrenia; rather, I feel it would be unwise to start an entirely new thread for this inquiry given how incredibly active this one currently is...

Consider this scenario: suppose you find yourself admitted to a psychiatric unit. You have brought your smartphone along, much like many other patients do. However, there is another individual on the ward who has become convinced that their phone is being used to steal or manipulate their thoughts, that they are being constantly spied upon, or that the device is being utilized to cause them some other form of harm. It becomes nearly impossible to reason with them. Even if they are on heavy medication, their aggression remains intensely focused on the mobile device; it triggers such agitation and excitement that they simply cannot function. There is a genuine risk that the mere presence of a phone could severely hinder their recovery process.

If the staff decides to temporarily remove the phone from that specific patient's reach or surroundings, does that action infringe upon the rights of all the other patients in the hospital to use their own devices?

What is the standard procedure in these circumstances?

Matthew Castillo5 said:If I recall correctly, ZLR refers to the rehabilitation center. As for ZPP, I'm not entirely sure—maybe it's the psychiatric hospital.

Thanks.

Could someone please clarify what the abbreviations ZPP and ZLR actually stand for?

Laura Castillo6 said:Honestly, if you're dealing with actual psychosis or feeling suicidal, they won't even give you the time of day 😁

Well, now... I find myself struggling to believe this.

Larry Lewis said:I mean, I could if I really felt like it—but honestly, I’m just not going. I’ve actually started getting back into running lately and making an effort to get out of the house more, so there is absolutely no way that
I'll be found moping around some hospital ward right now.

Anyway, what kind of symptoms are you even dealing with that would make you consider checking into a clinic?

If you are asking about my own situation, I am struggling with persistent, chronic depression stemming from my health and my general life circumstances. I have dealt with some respiratory issues that I simply cannot seem to shake, even though my lungs were perfectly healthy before this—knock on wood. Furthermore, I am currently navigating a job search process where my past experiences are really holding me back, which is incredibly taxing. This struggle with employment is constantly weighing on my mind, and I truly believe the stress has weakened my immune system, leaving me vulnerable to this bout of the flu and subsequent lung problems.

Ha! Look who finally decided to show up, David Vaughn75.

What an absolutely delightful surprise!

Bear—if I may be so bold as to call you that—I am afraid I didn't quite grasp the core of your last post.

Because if doctors aren't even engaging in proper conversation with their individual patients, then what is the actual point of checking into a psychiatric hospital unless you've been committed against your will?

The real issue with threatening suicide is that by acting that way, you might actually lead a doctor down a completely false path. Does it truly have to be the case that we must be suicidal or suffering from some other form of psychosis just to receive a modicum of genuine attention, let alone anything else???

Larry Lewis said:Anyway, I’m still undecided. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist on the 16th for a follow-up, so I'll see how things go then.

Once we figure out if this medication actually hits the mark, then—and only then—will I give serious thought to it.

The hospital system has its fair share of flaws—believe me, I know—but I almost checked myself in just the other night.

@Nicole Barrett76, I'm not working right now because, frankly, I am nowhere near being in any condition to hold down a job.

In that case, why not just leave, provided you have the means? Regardless of any negative marks on your hospital record, I would walk away in a heartbeat if I were able, given that I am also currently unemployed. I’ve tried to make a move, but my psychiatrist won't clear me. The screening process for admission to the ward is incredibly stringent because the demand is overwhelming while bed availability is so limited.

In a way, isn't that rigorous selection actually a positive thing? It ensures that psychiatric assistance is reserved for those who truly need it most. However, the fact that doctors seem to focus almost exclusively on mass-prescribing pharmaceuticals rather than engaging in actual dialogue with outpatient patients is an absolute disgrace.

Larry Lewis said:It’s been six long years since I last stepped foot in a hospital—six years of avoiding the sterile smell and the endless white lights—but now, here I am, seriously considering checking back in because this depression is just starting to claw at me again.

If you are currently employed, might it be wiser to attempt to manage this situation outside of a hospital setting? Given how precarious employment can be in this country, could you risk losing your job by checking into a facility? Furthermore, isn't it true that psychiatric stays tend to be significantly longer than those in any other ward?

If you lack any kind words or comfort to offer someone, then I implore you to simply leave them in peace. Is it not true that heightened paranoia is frequently a symptom of schizophrenia? (Such as, for instance, harboring an irrational suspicion that someone is merely feigning their condition)

How can we possibly know if he isn't experiencing a lucid interval—that fleeting moment when hallucinations subside or remain mere whispers—allowing him the clarity to participate in our forum discussions?

Dana Davis5 said:It’s always something, isn't it? One minute we’re complaining about that one consultant charging a fortune for her seminars, and the next, we're giving braco grief because he tries to "heal" us just by looking our way—and then, heaven forbid, he expects a rose as a little thank-you note... Honestly, we crucified Jesus ages ago, so who on earth are we actually trying to please? 😁

Such comparisons are utterly impossible.

ambertinker10 said:And I suppose the internet doesn't numb the brain either...

😁 Read more carefully; I was not discussing my own family, but rather the characters in the series...

I am speaking about the majority, which is why I used the term "us"...

"Dad, Dad, is it true that the internet makes people stupid?" asks a little boy to his addict father.

The father simply replies, "OMG, WTF, ROFL MAO."

---------------

There is also a version where the father responds, "I must Google it."

Ryan Wilson2 said:Hmm, either you’re preparing for a career in politics or you’re getting ready to launch your own series of lectures...😁>

Given the strength of the US Dollar and the average salaries in the country where these lectures are taking place, one could easily calculate what an acceptable price would be for a two-day seminar. Although, as $17 notes, it would still be far too much for something of this nature 😁

Does she really need two whole days just to explain the meaning of life? Why so much time? It seems obvious that she has become entangled in some bureaucratic thicket of spiritual searching; the truth ought to be simple and accessible to everyone. You explain it in five minutes, and that's that. 🧐

I don't have any scruples about saying this, but my opinion of the average alternative consumer is even lower than it was before.😁

And what could possibly be worse than someone seeking enlightenment through
McDonald
?

Perhaps one who pursues McVitis might find an even deeper state of illumination. 🤣 🤣 🤣

Karen Adams2 said:I really loathe starting new threads, I truly do, but this has been weighing on my mind so heavily lately... and I just haven't been able to find a single existing discussion where this would actually fit properly...
We’re talking about Anita Moorjani, a woman who was battling end-stage lymphoma when she unexpectedly slipped into a coma... and it was during that profound state of unconsciousness that she underwent an incredible near-death experience... which completely changed everything...
Here is the link, just in case anyone wants to take a look...

I’ve been sitting here staring at this video, trying to wrap my head around everything being said, and I honestly feel like my brain is vibrating... It’s one of those pieces of content that just hits you right in the gut, isn't it? You start watching thinking it's just going to be another deep dive into spiritual healing or some niche metaphysical concept, but then it evolves into something much more profound about the very nature of our reality and how we perceive suffering... There is such a heavy, beautiful weight to the way they discuss the intersection of consciousness and physical manifestation. It reminds me so much of what Anita Moorjani talks about regarding the shift in perception required to move through intense trauma. It’s not just about "thinking positive"—it’s about a fundamental restructuring of how we relate to the world around us... if we can truly grasp that, everything changes. I was scrolling through some of the comments earlier, and I saw a few thoughts from Karen Adams2 and Michael Gonzalez77 that really resonated with the themes presented here. They were touching on that idea of collective resonance, which is something I think we often overlook in our individual pursuits of wellness. We tend to focus so much on our own little bubbles, forgetting that we are part of this massive, interconnected web of energy that spans the entire country... It makes me wonder if we are all collectively standing on the precipice of a massive paradigm shift. If we actually applied these principles—this level of radical awareness—to our daily lives in America, the social fabric might look entirely different... though I suppose that’s a bit idealistic, isn't it? Still, it’s worth pondering...

Apparently, after all that, she finally had this massive epiphany about the true meaning of life—you know, all that stuff about universal love and finding your purpose... and since then, she’s gone on to publish several books and travels all over the States hosting workshops that are supposed to help people find their way...
So, looking ahead to March, they’ll be heading our way, and the cost to attend those two days is exactly $275—not a penny more, and certainly not a penny less...😲
Those who had the sheer misfortune of landing in an oncology ward have been granted a special concession, meaning their cost is reduced to just about $160...
[Applause]

I mean, good grief...?
For some people, that amount represents almost their entire paycheck...
It seems to me that survivors of sexual assault, as well as those who have successfully fought their way through alcoholism or addiction, often feel this deep-seated compulsion to reach back and pull others up behind them... They want to share everything they've learned from their own struggles to help others heal, yet more often than not, they end up doing this work entirely for free...
In this particular instance, I don't necessarily believe it should be offered for free, but the gap between a zero-dollar price tag and a $250 charge is quite literally a massive leap...
It’s honestly so ugly and heartbreaking all at once that this entire situation just feels completely hollow to me...
I honestly feel like that money should be used to just silence the doctors, if only to stop them from continuing to validate her whole miraculous healing narrative...
I honestly just cannot wrap my head around this level of sheer greed... and please, don't take this personally, I truly mean no offense by it—but for me, there simply isn't any other way to describe it...
It is truly heartbreaking to think about how much these poor souls battling cancer have to endure, yet they’re only being charged a mere $160...
And what about those who don't even have access to that? Do they simply have no right to hear this story...?

It’s exactly that kind of mindset that pushes me away from the whole thing... I’m certainly not suggesting that everything comes without a cost, nor am I implying that someone should just ride around on a donkey and live off the charity of others...
That’s one extreme right there... and then you have this other side of the spectrum.
Is it just me, or does this entire situation feel incredibly off-putting?
I would truly love to hear what everyone else thinks about this...

How much do you believe a seminar's actual value truly lies?

In my view, if we consider an average working wage—the amount found in the wallet of some $1167—and we recognize that seminars fall under intellectual services, which are inherently expensive yet profoundly beneficial if they genuinely spark a life change, then I believe it is worth paying up to four times the standard rate for such intellectual or spiritual guidance. However, the instructor must be a true master, and the group should remain relatively small.

To provide a concrete example: if an American worker's eight-hour workday is valued at roughly $150, then eight hours of a specialized seminar should be worth $600. And that is assuming the group is intimate, perhaps limited to fifteen participants. If the group grows larger, the price ought to decrease, because how can one possibly provide the same level of attention to a crowd of fifty people as one could to a tiny circle of five?

Therefore, a two-day session would be worth $1,200$300 at most under American economic conditions.

Laura Castillo6 said:Why does it feel like we’re the most self-aware group of people when it comes to all this mental health BS?

It truly feels as though a profound awareness of this surrounding nonsense comes first, and the mental struggle follows as a direct consequence.

There are verses from the Bhagavad Gita—I can't recall the exact chapter—where "God" speaks along these lines:

The absence of craving, the lack of attachment, the desire to withdraw from the masses, the recognition of the misery inherent in the material world, and the philosophical pursuit of Truth are all considered noble and useful. Everything else is simply worth discarding.

Those battling mental illness often possess maaaany of those very qualities.

Since the words of this divine speaker have endured through countless generations, I find myself believing them far more than I do these modern, incentivized psychologists who claim that if you aren't constantly active on social media, you're somehow mentally misguided.

David Newman11 said:X.61, F 20, wait—is there any chance this post is actually too short? This world just feels... gross. People are so twisted and mean, and life is honestly such a struggle. Every single day I’m scrolling through the news, feeling this weird envy while listening to stories about who died or who got caught in a crossfire. 😁

Do not allow yourself to be so envious. Why not go and witness, for instance, how tank crews suffer in Syria, particularly when those vehicles take a direct hit from indirect fire?

Think instead of the sporadic street riots in Ukraine, where individuals are brutally beaten and bloodied simply because they fell under suspicion of working against Ukraine (and Novorossiya). Or consider that one specific man who took a bullet in a cafe in Mariupol—a man who perhaps could have been saved if only emergency services had arrived in time; his heart was beating strong, yet he took a shot to the temple. And those special forces units carrying out the operation in their body armor? They acted as if they were merely photographing the cafe while they were actually opening fire on it. Then there is the plight of the forty people living up in that building in Odessa owned by the AFL-CIO; even if they don't burn to death, they might break themselves to death jumping from windows just to escape with their lives.

-------------------------------------------------------

I believe that life is only truly difficult when it becomes genuinely unbearable. Is life not hard enough when you lose more than one immediate family member to war? Is it not difficult enough when you can no longer move or feed yourself independently, or when your mental faculties decline to the level of a three-year-old due to Alzheimer's? When you fall ill with cancer, and that disease slowly ravages your insides until only a massive dose of morphine offers any relief—if it helps at all? Or when you are drowning in depression, or hearing voices despite being on heavy medication?

David Vaughn75 said:Nicole Barrett76, honestly? The best cure for losing your mind is just staying busy and keeping some damn order in your life.

But we live in America, so good luck with that—it’s basically impossible here.👋

And then there are those antipsychotics and various other psychiatric medications.

Laura Castillo6 said:My pharmacist actually told me the other day that I could bump my Omega-3 intake up to three capsules a day if I wanted to. Right now, I’m just sticking to one daily, mostly because I’ve been reading up on all those studies suggesting it can help prevent certain psychotic symptoms from developing in the first place. It's pretty fascinating stuff when you dive into it.

I understand completely. I used to take two 1000mg Omega-3 capsules myself, yet I found absolutely no relief from them. Is it any wonder that I felt a much more significant improvement once I started taking 200mg of Vitamin B complex twice a day?

The amounts of Vitamin B complex typically found in standard multivitamins are often laughably low, serving merely as a bare minimum to prevent things like beriberi rather than providing actual therapeutic value.

Laura Castillo6 said:I hear you. That whole experience is just brutal. I actually read somewhere that taking Omega-3 fatty acids can help act as a sort of defense against psychotic disorders, so I think I'm going to start taking some soon.

I certainly would not wish to disappoint you, but the EPA/DHA dosages required for actual therapeutic healing are truly massive. Depending on how severe the symptoms are—and yours are currently mild—dosages can reach anywhere from 25 to 35 grams when treating Alzheimer's, severe schizophrenia, or other profound psychoses.

Furthermore, such immense quantities of these acids can have a negative impact on one's immune system. If you feel inclined to delve into the English literature, you might simply copy and paste these specific terms into Google. "Omega-3" "rob paul to pay peter".

Or perhaps "Omega-3" immunity
.
Because of the vast amounts of Omega-3 naturally consumed by the Sami, their immune systems are nearly non-existent; however, they do not require a robust immunity, given that microorganisms reproduce much more slowly and weakly in the freezing cold of the northern hemisphere.

If I were in your position, I would first attempt taking at least 1000mg of niacin combined with 200-300mg of all other B-complex vitamins, along with two or three milligrams each of biotin, cobalamin, and folic acid. While the standard recommended doses are significantly lower than this, please do not let that discourage you, for it is only the high doses that truly take effect.

Additionally, one should consider Vitamin C in the form of calcium, potassium, or sodium ascorbate (though calcium is superior), in amounts ranging from 500 to 1000mg.

Laura Castillo6 said:So, does someone actually need to be on antipsychotics for the rest of their life, whether we're talking about schizophrenia or just a single episode of acute psychosis?

I don't believe that is necessarily the case, though I cannot say with absolute certainty. Is it not more likely that the dosage required is significantly lower than what one would see in cases of schizophrenia? Perhaps Larry Lewis would be able to provide a more thorough and detailed explanation regarding this distinction.

Laura Castillo6 said:So, I was thinking about this the other day—what’s actually the real deal when you look at the difference between acute psychosis (like a brief psychotic disorder) and schizophrenia? On paper, they seem almost identical since both involve losing touch with reality, dealing with delusions, and experiencing hallucinations. Even the medications used for schizophrenia are typically the ones prescribed for acute psychosis. If the treatment is basically the same, why do we bother making such a distinct split in the terminology and the diagnostic codes? It always felt a bit redundant to me.

It would seem that the fundamental distinction lies solely in the duration of the symptoms. Brief psychotic disorder typically lasts less than a month, whereas schizophrenia persists far beyond that threshold.

Is it not remarkable that some patients can fully recover from brief psychotic disorder in as little as a week?

Even individuals who have attempted suicide—despite having no prior history of mental illness—can be stabilized through just three to seven days of inpatient care at a facility like Mayo Clinic. Of course, extended treatment remains an option should the patient choose to accept it.