Posts by David Vaughn75

Hey everyone, I’m finally heading to the coast!! We should probably start touching base in about a month or so 👋

ruggedtinker9 said: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.

Maybe wait until you have a medical degree in psychiatry before you start dropping these kinds of analyses.

I’m on antipsychotics too, and I still feel love, I still feel happy, my intelligence hasn't tanked, and I managed to finish tech school. Everything has side effects—for instance, I take Zyprexa and I've put on some serious weight, plus my blood sugar is up... but other than that, nothing stops me from living a totally normal life just like everyone else.

And you? Stop taking your meds and you'll end up in a psych ward before you can blink.

As for those alternative cures... first off, hemp extracts aren't illegal. Second, just like Big Pharma wants to rake in the dough, alternative medicine peddlers want to profit too, so they push these narratives. Third, think about it logically. If some company actually found a definitive cure for schizophrenia and patented it, they’d be making enough money to rival three Bill Gates.

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: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!!! 🙂

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.

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.

ruggedtinker9 said:I suppose one might wonder how it is even possible to decide to maintain a positive outlook when you are gripped by such a profound sense of misery. This feeling isn't something rational that you can simply reason away; it is an immutable state of being, an internal reality that exists regardless of logic. If it were actually within anyone's power to simply choose happiness and decide to feel good on command, life would be significantly less complicated. In such a hypothetical world, I imagine we wouldn't have any need for medications, controlled substances, psychotherapy, or all those other various interventions used to make people feel slightly more tolerable.
When your brain's reward centers are essentially numbed by medication, it seems almost inevitable that a person would end up feeling utterly wretched.

Look, we actually *can* control our emotions, because our thoughts and feelings are basically just side effects of how we act. So, if you change what you're doing, you eventually change how you think and feel.

At its core, depression is really just an addiction to negative thinking.

Noah Garcia4 said:Sure. Low blood pressure and night terrors aren't exactly the dream scenario. Honestly, switching over to Rispolept has been a massive improvement. ☕

Oh yeah, real great... seriously. I took that stuff once and my head literally twisted 180 degrees—I’m not even kidding. I actually had to go get an injection of Cogentin just to get my neck to snap back into place properly. 👎

Harold Anderson3 said:I thought I’d switch things up for a moment... while I could certainly dive into a discussion about medications, what I really want to talk about is how the negative symptoms have been absolutely washing over me these past couple of weeks. It feels like I'm just retreating further into myself and my own dark thoughts; I struggle with this heavy sense of worthlessness, and whenever I actually need to get something done, my brain just shuts down—I end up just staring blankly at the floor, lost in thought. Unlike a lot of other people dealing with schizophrenia, I feel like this was always part of my makeup, even back in early childhood. I started withdrawing into my own little world when I was just a kid, whereas most of my peers seemed to be functioning pretty normally before they were diagnosed. Because of that, it feels more like a slow, creeping progression for me, which makes me wonder if there's even much that can be changed at this point. I suppose I’d love for someone to try and convince me otherwise, but honestly, I'm feeling pretty pessimistic about how well I'll ever be able to function in society again.

Once you decide to spiral into the negative, there isn't a soul on this planet who can talk you out of it. 😉 So, just try to lean into the positive for once. 👍

Well, look, I've got people actually taking this stuff telling me firsthand.

You really think being sleepy is some kind of freak side effect? Please. Every single antipsychotic on the market knocks you out if you take it.

Everyone keeps preaching about how Seroquel is some kind of miracle drug... like it’s got the fewest side effects out there

Larry Lewis said:The bio was actually decent—enough to land me another hundred bucks worth of therapy sessions☕

Empty?

Honestly, you guys are right—I've got nothing left to lose here.

Noah Garcia4 said:Honestly, that specific label feels pretty insulting; they really ought to rename it to something that sounds a little more dignified.

🙂

And don't even get me started on that "paranoid" schizophrenia prefix—it makes people think I’m out here eating bars of soap and banging my head against the wall. 🤣 🤣

I’m honestly starting to wonder if I’m way too late to let the crew know I’ve been dealing with schizophrenia😢

It hit me about 7 years ago

Eric Mitchell55 said:There are some people out there who go out of their way to avoid us on purpose, but honestly, it doesn't really bother me. I tend to just give them the same courtesy and steer clear of them too. 🥳

But let me ask you this—are the ones avoiding you actually people you used to give a damn about?

Lawrence Reyes46 said:😂
I assumed that was the case too, but I figured I’d better ask just to be sure. 😁 I know a few people living with schizophrenia, and let me tell you, they don't exactly have huge social circles. It’s honestly painful to watch how many people intentionally steer clear of them. Such a shame.

I mean, you can still find some decent, normal folks if you're in a big city... but in my tiny little town out in the sticks? If I said anything, I'd be a total outcast before I could even finish the sentence.👎

Lawrence Reyes46 said:Look, you can't change people. They are who they are.
I used to wonder if things would be different—if someone knew about the illness and still didn't care, would we still end up being guarded? How hard is it to actually build a real connection? I know plenty of you lost friends right at the start, and obviously, that leaves scars.

Man, that really depends on who you're dealing with.
Personally, I'm a total social butterfly—I make connections pretty fast.

But nowadays, I mostly hang out with the crew I met while I was stuck in the hospital and the folks on this forum. It’s honestly great because they already know I'm a complete nutcase. 😬

Lawrence Reyes46 said:I’m curious—how much of a struggle is it for you guys to actually unwind when you're hanging out with a new crowd? I know all too well that people often look at those living with this diagnosis through a lens that is anything but appropriate. It's usually just a mountain of unfair prejudice.
Let's say someone new approaches you. They already know your diagnosis, whether they're looking to be a friend or perhaps something more. Would you immediately go on the defensive? To what extent would you be feeling skeptical?

Some of us haven't told anyone about our condition

But man, I really regret keeping it under wraps.
Now I’m stuck sitting there in social circles, constantly having to cook up excuses for why I don't have a steady job or why I'm not married, which just makes me look like some lazy bum in their eyes. I should've just laid it all out there from the jump—that way, you see pretty quickly who's a real friend and who's just a total fake.

Larry Lewis said:I hear you.
Exercise helps me quite a bit, though it’s a struggle—I wake up most mornings and the anxiety just hits me like a freight train, and then I’m immediately reaching for my 0.5 Xanax and 50mg Faverin just to level out; once those kick in, I can finally sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee in peace.

The real kicker is that this anxiety can push me toward these ultra-light psychotic episodes—but since I'm already on antipsychotic medication, I can't really increase the dosage.

It is incredibly frustrating when you feel this way without any clear reason; you can try to think positive or whatever people suggest, but honestly, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and endure it—there isn't much else to be done.

Look, if you can actually talk your way out of it or manipulate the situation, it isn't a full-blown psychotic break.

When a real psychotic episode actually grabs you by the throat? You're screwed. All you can do is pray to God it passes.

Larry Lewis said:The absolute worst part of this whole existence—the real kicker—is that you never actually know what kind of day is waiting for you around the corner. It’s completely unpredictable. Take today, for instance; I was dealing with this crushing wave of anxiety, though honestly, yesterday was just as bad—maybe even worse—and it just keeps circling back like a bad habit. It is utterly exhausting. After a few days of riding that emotional rollercoaster, I find my willpower just... evaporates. And that's where the danger lies—when you lose that drive, things can spiral quite quickly.

When you're dealing with anxiety, you've gotta stay busy with something, anything, to keep your head above water.

You know how they say it—idle hands are the devil's workshop.