11 posts shown.
David Vaughn75 said:Spot on.
People have this huge misconception that medication just turns your brain into mush or tanks your IQ. Look, meds might slow you down or make you feel a bit numb, but all those nasty psychological symptoms? Those usually stem from the fact that the medication isn't hitting the mark for certain people. It's not about losing intelligence; it's about the treatment not working effectively enough.
And at the end of the day, it all boils down to quality of life.
Think about it—if someone is battling schizoaffective disorder and hasn't held a job in ten years, doesn't hang out with anyone, and just sits there staring at the TV all day... honestly, anyone would be mentally checked out after a decade of that lifestyle.
That makes perfect sense to me. I was actually asking because I was digging through some of those older threads regarding Risperidone. 🙂
David Vaughn75 said:Residual schizophrenia is basically what happens when the illness... eats away at your brain over a long period of time.😬 Like, if you've been battling it for 20 or 30 years, you end up slowed down, emotionally blunt, pretty much wiped out. As for what triggers schizophrenia in the first place, science hasn't quite cracked that code yet.
As for that poisoning theory... honestly, it sounds a bit shaky to me, but hey, if the guy is better, then whatever works, works.
So, what actually causes that decline? That mental slowing, the numbness, the lack of emotion... Is that just the nature of the illness itself, or is it the side effects from the medication? 🤔
Melissa Sanchez59 said:I’ve never really understood the struggle, honestly. I can be quiet with pretty much anyone—silence rarely feels awkward to me. It actually feels way more uncomfortable having to force a conversation or hunt for things to say.
Look, I don't have an issue being quiet with certain people either, but I see most people struggling with it, so they overcompensate by forcing small talk. It’s just common sense to most: if you’re hanging out, you usually talk.
There is nothing quite like having someone by your side where the silence doesn't feel heavy or awkward. It’s that specific kind of companionship—where you can just sit there, maybe watching some show on Netflix, enjoying the quiet without feeling that desperate need to fill the air with mindless chatter 😁 The problem is, people like that are incredibly hard to find.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the sanitized version of the truth. There’s something about those polished, sugar-coated lies that feels much more comfortable than the raw, jagged edges of reality. It’s like choosing a high-definition Hollywood remake over a gritty, low-budget indie film—one is designed to entertain you, while the other is just there to kick you in the teeth. Personally? I’ll take the comfort of a well-packaged deception any day.
There’s a certain value in letting the truth reveal itself piece by piece. It’s better to uncover the reality slowly than to be blindsided by a sudden, overwhelming wave of facts all at once.
Sometimes, a little white lie is actually the more ethical choice. Let’s be honest: total transparency isn't always a virtue; sometimes, it's just being tactless. There are moments when telling the unvarnished truth serves no purpose other than to cause unnecessary friction or hurt someone for the sake of being "right." In those cases, a strategic omission or a gentle falsehood is far more compassionate. It's about weighing the impact of your words against the value of the truth. Sometimes, the truth is just a blunt instrument used to bruise people, and I don't see the merit in that.
There are three ways to look at this. Sometimes, you really do need to be blunt and hit people with the cold, hard truth right out of the gate—but let’s be honest, those moments are rare. You have to exercise some level of discretion when you're about to say something that is almost certainly going to hurt someone. Words have teeth. If you aren't careful about how you pick them, you're just causing unnecessary damage.
Look, we all know lying is something you should generally steer clear of. It’s bad practice, plain and simple. But let’s be real for a second: sometimes, it actually is the most practical way to handle a situation. There are moments when we feel this overwhelming urge to spill the truth, but usually, that's just us being selfish. We want to unload the facts just so we can clear our own conscience and feel lighter. We need to stop being so self-centered and start considering the impact on the other side. Sometimes, keeping quiet—or even bending the truth—is the more responsible choice for everyone involved.
crimsoncanyon2 said:I’m starting to get back into chatting again, but not about those topics that just fry your brain,
more like just some casual, lighthearted small talk 😁
From where I’m sitting, that’s pretty much all you ever do on this forum anyway.😬
I’m feeling the exact same way about wanting to avoid people, even though my job requires me to be around them for eight hours a day 🙄
It used to be different; I was constantly out grabbing coffee, glued to my phone, texting, hopping on Skype—you name it. Now? I don't even have a Facebook account. If someone calls me out of the blue, I’ll cook up any excuse in the book just to get out of it. Honestly, I just don't have the energy. I know deep down that if I keep this up, I’m going to burn through my entire social circle pretty fast, but at this point, I truly couldn't care less 🙂
Maybe it’s just a phase. I really hope so.
I don't think you should be categorizing this as "normal" versus "abnormal." Honestly, if the condition is under control, the label doesn't change the reality of your life. It’s a shame to see you, David Vaughn75, limiting your social circle to just hospital staff or people on this forum who share the exact same struggle. When your entire world shrinks down to just those dealing with the same diagnosis, you lose perspective. It isn't the illness that defines your identity. Not for any of you. We are all significantly more than our physical setbacks.
On another note, it’s actually refreshing to see how much optimism there is here. It’s not as if everyone is lucky enough to have a space where they can speak this openly—even if it is just through an online forum.
David Vaughn75 said: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. 😬
😂
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.
David Vaughn75 said: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.
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.
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?