Posts by Mark Baker17

Anyone hanging out in KC?
Grabbing coffee, hitting some bars...

Robert Torres2 said:Hey there. My aunt has schizophrenia. She’s 65 and living alone. Her ex-husband usually helps her out, but he’s starting a new family and moving away, so he won't be able to look after her anymore. Things have gotten pretty intense—she actually attacked him with a knife a few months back, and she’s constantly getting into trouble. She’s already been declared legally incompetent. Honestly, social services aren't doing much to help; they're just hoping the ex-husband stays responsible, but he's leaving soon. She deserves a life, but my mom can't step in because she's elderly and struggles even to walk, so we really need an alternative. Does anyone know of any specialized care facilities for people in her situation? What’s the move here? It's just not safe for her to live alone or rely on one person, especially since she gets violent and loses touch with reality.
I'd love some advice. Please help.

One such facility could be...
https://www.mayoest.org/

Anyone from around Seattle? Coffee, maybe some small talk...

Chloe Flores83 said:Hey, flying lady... how do you actually deal with all this stuff disappearing from the house, or things moving around and then random new items just showing up? Everyone assumes people with schizophrenia are just doing it themselves and forgetting, or they straight up don't believe it even happened. Do you have any other take on it?

They notice things are missing and/or they don't see things that are supposedly "there."
An object might be physically tangible and "move" through space (or just vanish), when in reality, it was only ever visible to that one person. (Though, I guess it could also be a collective hallucination)
It’s actually pretty interesting that it’s (almost) never anything complex, like some high-end electronics; it’s always something simple in terms of shape and function that has changed position.
Someone brought up security cameras... but what if it’s actually caught on camera? That doesn't mean the hallucination theory is automatically ruled out, I suppose.

Adam Morris4 said:It's not like I'm hearing an audible voice, though—you know, like in those movies about schizophrenia... It’s more like this *other version* of me—someone a bit tougher, maybe a little more cynical—is checking in. This "inner me" addresses me directly, almost like a coach, and we end up dissecting a situation or a person together. Or if I'm at the gym pushing through a heavy set, he’ll give me that mental nudge to hang in there. Honestly, I really hope I'm not dealing with some mild version of a mental health issue... I definitely don't want to end up being prescribed heavy-duty antipsychotics over some internal pep talks!

So, are you experiencing any other symptoms? Because honestly, what you’re describing isn't particularly specific to schizophrenia, nor is it enough to warrant a diagnosis.

Mark Baker17 said:There’s still a massive amount of nuance to consider—everything from vaccine quality and storage protocols to general health,
immune system strength, and so on.
But, say you get vaccinated today, and then a few months later you actually get bitten by a rabid dog; well,
you'd likely just receive a couple of booster doses as a precaution... Five years is a rough estimate, I suppose, and
it's highly variable, because even after, say, twenty years, you might still have enough antibodies
to prevent the disease from taking hold if the viral load is low enough...

Well, yeah, the cost of immunoglobulin has skyrocketed over the last decade or so...
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/...rviving-rabies

And then you have these people popping up who think they can just go out and vaccinate themselves... just to avoid an early grave, I guess.

Harold Anderson3 said:Well, I was under the impression the vaccine lasted about a year, but now Mark Baker17 is claiming it lasts five years.
I suppose things probably changed again in the meantime, right?

@Mark Baker17/">@@Mark Baker17 thanks for filling in the gaps, anyway. 😉

There’s just so much nuance involved here—stuff like vaccine quality, storage conditions, general health,
the state of your immune system, and all that.
But, say you get vaccinated today, and then in a few months you actually get bitten by a rabid dog...
you’d likely still receive a few booster doses just to be safe. I guess saying five years is a decent ballpark figure, though it’s
highly variable. I mean, even after, say, twenty years, you might still have enough antibodies left over
to prevent the disease from taking hold if the viral load is low enough...

Harold Anderson3 said:Exactly. About ten years ago, I actually got bitten by a bat on my hand. They told me I’d accidentally killed it, and if I hadn't, they would have sent it off for testing to see if it was rabid or not. But since I did, they had to force the treatment on me, even though it most likely wasn't infected. The post-exposure vaccine is incredibly pricey, but then again, rabies is basically a 100% death sentence, so my doctor wasn't about to take any chances.

The vaccine itself is actually pretty cheap... it's the immunoglobulin that's the killer, costing around $1,100 per dose.
One shot of the vaccine provides coverage for about five years, but if someone gets exposed to the virus without being previously vaccinated, they have to get both the IG and the vaccine.

If the person has been vaccinated at any point within that five-year window prior to exposure, then they just need the vaccine (though, in extreme cases, maybe they'll get the IG too).

So, I guess it really does make sense to "preserve" the animal if you possibly can.

velvetmoose9 said:Basically, this is just the standard protocol we should be following 👍

Well, actually, if you get bitten by an animal where there's zero data available, or maybe the creature isn't even accessible
for quarantine purposes, the recommendation is to go ahead with the rabies vaccine...

neonsailor26 said:Good morning, everyone.

So, two days ago, a tiny kitten gave me a little scratch (it’s a wound smaller than a millimeter—honestly, it’s basically gone already).

Now I’m sitting here wondering... what are actually my chances of catching rabies from this?

Is there any legitimate reason to be panicking right now?

And more importantly, can I just walk into a clinic and demand the rabies vaccine on my own initiative?

Thanks in advance for the help!

You can't just go in and ask for it on your own; besides, the odds of you getting rabies are practically non-existent (I mean, it's a tiny kitten, right? A rabid kitten?).
I guess you'd have to be the unluckiest person in the entire galaxy to catch it that way....
But, if you know what I mean, you probably still have some reason to be a little concerned. 🙂

swifttrucker13 said:When you say it's "probably predetermined," does that mean there's actually a chance it isn't? Look, don't kill me, I'm no physics expert—I'm just trying to find some shred of proof that free will actually exists! xD

I totally get that, except for me, it’s turned into a full-blown obsession because of PTSD, and I’m genuinely worried I won't be able to snap back to "normal." If you don't mind me asking, what's your take on the whole free will thing?

I mean, sure, we don't *act* like robots, but that’s exactly how it plays out when you look at it through the lens of determinism. Honestly, everything just feels... colorless now. I'm seeing the world through a totally different filter and it's stripped away all that beauty—though, God, I really hope it doesn't stay this way forever. I've even scrolled through some forums where people argue that pride and guilt are completely meaningless under determinism, which just leaves me wondering... what kind of feeling actually matters anymore? If nothing counts, then what does? I feel like I'm literally losing my mind over this, if I haven't already..

I suppose what I mean is that "probably" suggests we lack a concrete way to prove it using
pure math or logic—whether it’s true or not—mostly because of the weird implications
that even an attempt at a proof might itself be... determined. For instance, someone could theoretically construct a proof
showing that superdeterminism (does/doesn't) exist, but that very proof might just be "pre-served" to us by the system.

swifttrucker13 said:Fair warning: this might trigger an existential crisis for some of you!

Hey everyone... I wanted to lay out my situation pretty quickly, and if anyone out there thinks they can offer some advice on how to snap me out of this current headspace, I’d really appreciate it. 🙂

So, here’s the deal—I’ve been dealing with OCD for as long as I can remember. I’ve cycled through basically every obsession and fear in the book, but this one feels... different. It feels worse. These days, it isn't even about the physical compulsions—like, I'm not necessarily tapping things or checking locks a dozen times—it's more like these constant mental rituals (pure O style). My brain is currently stuck on determinism and the whole "free will" debate. From what I've read online, most people seem to agree that free will is a myth, though there are always those outliers who argue otherwise. Personally? I think we probably don't have it, but there's still this tiny, nagging chance that we do. And that's the thing... it's all I've thought about for the last few weeks, and honestly, I'm terrified I'm going to lose my mind if I don't stop. I know, I know—I should just let it go because philosophers have been banging their heads against this wall for centuries without a real answer. But it feels so incredibly vital, like I *need* to solve this puzzle to move on. To make matters worse, I'm also struggling with depersonalization and derealization right now. I'm scared that I won't be able to look at the world or the people around me the same way anymore... like I'll just see them as these biological robots with zero agency. The determinists just have such much stronger arguments than the free will crowd, you know? So, yeah... if anyone has any tips on how to escape these existential loops, or if anyone else has been down this rabbit hole before? Thanks in advance.. 🙂

The answer exists, but physics mostly points toward total determinism, since the fundamental
equation (Schrödinger's) is purely deterministic, although
superdeterminism remains a massive question mark.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdeterminism

So, I guess your question—and your crisis over finding the "ultimate truth"—was likely predetermined from the start. Just like my response was... 🙂

George Collins71 said:Look, I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone in the elite class during a Cross Country race. I'm just trying to put my best foot forward 😁 while actually giving your suggestion some thought... well, I suppose we'll see how it plays out, one way or another.🙂

If that knee issue is the real deal—like actual arthritis or something similar,
maybe you should look into an e-bike.

Nicole Barrett76 said:If someone receives a diagnosis of schizophrenia only after multiple visits to a psychiatrist, I believe the likelihood of an error is relatively slim.

Then again, the soul is such an abstract concept, isn't it? It isn't like a physical ailment where you can point to a specific millimeter on your body and say exactly where it hurts and why, only to have it confirmed by an ultrasound or an X-ray.

However, if the diagnosis is made quite early—say, after only three or four appointments where the patient remains fully conscious and oriented—then I suspect the possibility of a psychiatrist making a mistake is significantly higher than in the previous scenario.

But please, do seek out someone with more experience than I am.

but biomarkers aren't really that abstract; even today, you can actually suspect schizophrenia from
blood work results...
for instance http://preview.tinyurl.com/y82784jv

Rebecca Rivera3 said:Which essentially means we can't effectively treat that specific subtype of schizophrenia where negative symptoms dominate and positive ones are almost non-existent.

Yeah, I guess that's the reality of it for now, unfortunately.
But, obviously, that doesn't mean antipsychotics aren't useful in these cases...

Rebecca Rivera3 said:Eglony is an antipsychotic, but I only take it some days and skip it others... I honestly don't know if I'll even go back to my psychiatrist. They want to switch me to different antipsychotics and seem to think I've completely lost it😵. Do you think the meds actually help? How can we ever tell if it's just a placebo effect that we're enduring all those side effects for?

Well, they go through rigorous FDA clinical trials... and honestly, you can look up the data for any specific medication to see exactly how much better it performs compared to a placebo regarding individual symptoms.
The real issue, I suppose, is that most of the meds currently on the market don't show a particularly strong effect when it comes to those "negative" symptoms.

Rebecca Rivera3 said:Interesting... when I first joined this forum, I wasn't expecting such silence. I'm not quite sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm trying to engage and stay busy with my daily routine... even posting here. I'm sharing my situation just to feel, for a moment, like it isn't actually happening. :-)

There isn't much left to say, really. And what you don't know yet—well, I guess it's this: people living with that specific diagnosis rarely function at your level. Usually, it "hits" them much earlier, and after that, it’s basically just a slow, lingering agony under medication for the rest of their lives.
Though, from what you're describing, it sounds more like depression to me. Not that one rules out the other, obviously; I mean, there's hardly ever a case of schizophrenia that doesn't involve depressive symptoms.

Anyone looking for some casual chatting or maybe even building a friendship? I'm 25+...
Located near Indianapolis.

One would expect those "negative" symptoms to start easing up eventually. If they claim their mental state is
stable, then they probably aren't dealing with any hallucinations.

Laura Castillo6 said:Look, it’s true that antipsychotics hit everyone differently, but if you ask me, you two might have been slapped with a schizophrenia diagnosis based on some pretty shaky evidence. Honestly, though, even if the diagnosis is accurate, it doesn't seem to be having much of an impact on you guys, which is actually a good thing. You're going to recover; it just takes a lot of patience. I’ve always felt the brain does its best healing while we're asleep. Once you get back into a steady rhythm—you know, hitting that 10 PM to 6 AM sleep schedule, eating three solid meals a day, and getting some light walks around the neighborhood—your body will naturally start to bounce back. Antipsychotics can definitely drain your energy, but maybe try taking them only in the evening? On a side note, I personally tried Ginkgo Biloba extract and found it really helped my focus. You can find similar supplements at any local pharmacy, so why not give them a shot? Since you're already managing psych meds, I don't see what the harm could be in trying a little something extra.

It happens all the time where psychiatrists can't even agree on a diagnosis, let alone a treatment plan. And for the record, it's definitely not true that 'APs' are only taken in the evening.