Posts by granitefalcon9

No, thank God, I certainly hope I never have to go through that again. Still, I find myself curious about other people's experiences. From what I can gather from my time here, there aren't many people dealing with schizophrenia—it seems they're either already tucked away in psychiatric wards or they're simply too terrified to step out into the world and join the conversation.

in Chicago

Carol Palmer66 said:The first place is a disaster, but the second one is basically for people who can barely string a sentence together. I went there with my mother about 15 years ago with a referral, and she told me straight up she wasn't leaving me there.

Well, it sounds like your mother was a sensible woman. Personally, I’ve never felt the need to engage in such nonsense, and I doubt I ever will; I prefer to avoid making foolish mistakes whenever possible.

Well, I spent an entire month checked into a psychiatric ward before they finally managed to get my medication dosage right.

Well, if it actually works, fine by me. I recall hearing some folks say things were a total disaster over in Seattle, while everyone else claimed Portland was heaven on earth—or maybe I had those two flipped, I can't quite recall precisely.
As for myself, I’m still stuck in the middle of my recovery program, so I’m staying far away from the bottle.

Carol Palmer66 said:I’ve practically lived in every psychiatric ward or facility out there. It started when I began using drugs at fourteen; they tell me all these disorders stem from that. They tried everything—every antidepressant imaginable, various injections, you name it. These days, I've been doing great for about a year. Just taking Effexor and cruising along.🙂

I have no idea what exactly you’ve been taking, but I can't help but wonder. As for me, I’ve only ever messed with marijuana, and even then, it was maybe ten times at most. It certainly wasn't that. Besides, I carry a genetic predisposition for these things, which adds a rather grim layer to the whole situation.
What exactly is AD? It’s one of those acronyms that gets tossed around in medical circles and online forums with such casual frequency that people often forget how heavy the reality behind the letters actually is. If you're asking about Alzheimer's Disease, we're looking at a progressive, neurodegenerative condition that essentially rewires—or rather, unravels—the brain's ability to hold onto itself. It isn't just "forgetfulness" or losing your keys, though I suppose that's where the frustration starts. It’s a systemic breakdown of cognitive function. I remember an old colleague of mine back in Chicago; a brilliant man, a real stickler for detail, who began to lose his grip on even the simplest sequences of thought. Watching someone of that intellect drift away is a quiet, slow-motion tragedy. Of course, depending on the context of your question, you might be referring to something else entirely, but in most clinical discussions, we are talking about the gradual erosion of memory and identity. It's a heavy subject, to be sure.
Have you ever found yourself wandering through those sleepy little towns out in the Midwest, like maybe some quiet corner of Iowa or rural Nebraska? I can't recall if I've specifically set foot in places like Vrabčac or Popovača—not that they'd be on my radar, given how much more interesting the outskirts of Chicago or even a small town in Ohio can be. I tend to stick to more established routes, though I do occasionally find myself drifting through those nondescript suburban stretches when I need to clear my head.
Are you still smoking weed? Honestly, if you ask me, it only serves to make everything worse.
I used to be on a regimen of Moditen, Akineton, and Normabel, but I’ve since transitioned over to Zyprexa. It turns out that when my doctor prescribed the Zyprexa, the Normabel had to be phased out entirely.

Carol Palmer66 said:After seven suicide attempts, I was diagnosed with manic depression, though they ended up treating me with antipsychotics instead.🤷What specifically are you looking to know?

That sounds harrowing. I’m dealing with Type II bipolar disorder myself, complete with psychotic episodes that mimic schizophrenia, though there is always that looming possibility of developing schizoaffective disorder.
I am curious about your current status—what medications are you currently on, what has your journey been like from the beginning to now, and which facilities or doctors handled your care?

If there happens to be a schizophrenic out there who isn't currently confined to some psychiatric ward and actually feels like talking, I would genuinely welcome your perspective

Carrying the gene certainly means you have a higher predisposition, but it doesn't mean you're destined to actually fall ill.

Look, the moment someone falls ill, it implies there was some underlying predisposition at play, regardless of what the immediate trigger might have been.

In my experience, a distant cousin of mine once came down with shingles, and naturally, I ended up catching it too. My mother is just a bit overly paranoid about these things, so she didn't think it was wise to 🙂

It hardly matters whether it’s passed down from the father or the mother, though it is quite unfortunate that the trait remains so stubbornly hereditary.

I believe there’s some statistical data floating around somewhere, though if I recall correctly, the probability for a cousin being diagnosed with schizophrenia is roughly 3%
whereas for a twin it jumps to 50%, and for a parent it sits around 10%, or something to that effect.

I didn't go through medical school, so I can't claim any expertise here, but there is definitely a genetic component at play—though I'm struggling to find the right clinical terminology to describe it properly.

I find all of these posts quite compelling, in a way.
My diagnosis is currently F23, though I suppose that’s subject to change. I have some history with hallucinations; they tend to creep up on you quite stealthily at first, almost like someone shadowing you from behind. Even back when I was just finishing middle school, I experienced certain hallucinations, though they felt fundamentally different from what I deal with now. Since I am under medical treatment, they stay at bay, appearing only occasionally when I slip into an episode.
In those early stages—though my memory of them is a bit hazy now—concentration becomes an impossible task. You might pick up a book, only to realize it would have been better left untouched, because you'll find yourself convinced that the letters are physically drifting off the page, along with your own thoughts.
Then, everything begins to lose its color, fading into these dull, gray tones. For no discernible reason, you start spiraling into these paranoid narratives, convinced that the person sitting next to you might actually be a plant, hired specifically to cause you harm.
But generally speaking, everything is a mess once the dust settles, leaving you to deal with the aftermath of a total catastrophe.