Posts by Robin Lopez2

I remember once I cornered my psychiatrist, demanding he give me a straight answer about my exact diagnosis. He just looked at me and said, "Look, we aren't obsessed with labels; our priority is actually getting you healthy."

Jose Ward4 said:I wouldn't call myself an atheist. I truly believe there’s a Creator behind all of this. Now, look, the whole thing could have started with evolution—that part makes sense to me. But when you really stop to look at the cosmos or the sheer complexity of nature around us, everything feels so perfectly programmed and designed. It makes me wonder who exactly sat down and coded all of this. Maybe it's God, or whatever name you prefer to give that force. So, yeah, I believe. I’m not exactly a religious person, but I do have faith. I don't celebrate Christmas or any of those traditions, even though, looking back, they were actually pretty great when I was a kid. Especially Easter.

I just want to tell you: stop dwelling on spirituality and religious topics. Don't talk about them with anyone. Just clear them from your mind and things will get easier. All those demons and other nonsense...

I know myself well enough to realize that once I start getting interested in spirituality and religion, it’s a sign that psychosis is starting to creep in. It always happens right when I stop taking my medication. You have to take the pills; they are our only lifeline.

Jose Ward4 said:Look, nobody even asked for money. Everything is totally free.

That’s always the pitch at the start. My advice? run the other way. Even someone like Ivo Pavić doesn't ask for cash upfront for his "spiritual healing" or whatever magic tricks he's pulling, but if you're polite enough to ask what it costs, he'll say nothing—just so you don't look cheap $167—and then he'll coldly pocket the money for his charlatanism anyway! It’s a business built on fake magic designed to prey on people's emotions, not help them.

My psychiatrist once told me that these types of spiritual retreats, which claim to aid the sick, are defined by three Ps: Primitivism, Prejudice, and Pretense. I attended one myself, so I know exactly what I'm talking about. It’s just pure smoke and mirrors for the gullible.

Jose Ward4 said:I honestly feel like I’ve been possessed by demons, which is why I struggle with schizophrenia. I actually had this one guy—he does that whole "Aunt healing" thing—tell me straight up that I'm crawling with demons and that we really ought to start by exorcising them out of me first. Then, there was another guy who specializes in religious healing for all sorts of ailments, and he also told me I'm just full of demons. I mean, look, I don't look like a demon, and I don't sound like one either, but I guess they can sense it somehow.

Run from those charlatans as fast as you can. Honestly, run from organized religion too. Just stick to being a pure atheist materialist and put your faith in pills—rely on mainstream medicine, it'll actually help you. Demons aren't real! Those people are just looking to get their hands on your cash!

Jose Ward4 said:Maybe these pills have turned me into some kind of monster.

They didn't!

I had surgery for hemorrhoids back around 1998. They were external ones. It was a quick turnaround—one day I was in surgery, and the next I was already back home from the hospital. Everything seemed fine initially, but once I settled in at home, the pain set in. It was nonstop for about a week. Just constant, unrelenting pain, day and night. I ended up popping handfuls of painkillers—didn't really care which brand they were—just until I felt numb enough to finally drift off to sleep. The procedure was just a classic surgery; nothing fancy like lasers or any of those modern methods.

Harold Anderson3 said:Hey there, my fellow enthusiasts, how are we all doing on the weight front?
I have to admit... I’m not exactly having my best moment here.
Right now, I’m sitting somewhere between 185 and 195 pounds, standing about 5'11".
I've definitely had phases where I was much leaner, though I’ve also seen higher numbers—if I recall correctly, my personal "not-so-proud" record was around 210 pounds.
I tend to drink quite a lot of coffee (usually with milk) and sweetened tea, which I'm sure isn't helping me stay light on my feet.
On top of that, one of those pesky side effects from taking certain antipsychotics is significant weight gain.
The official word is that they just boost your appetite, but if you ask me, it feels more like they slow down your entire metabolism.
Plus, when you're dealing with depression, it seems like you end up reaching for food much more often than someone experiencing mania or psychosis might.

About ten years ago, I was 6'0" and weighed 225 lbs. I felt fine then, so I stopped taking my 1mg dose of Risperdal. I went six months without it and dropped 45 lbs, landing at 180 lbs—which was my normal weight before my first psychotic episode. I wasn't even dieting; if anything, I was eating more, yet the weight kept coming off. Eventually, things took a turn for the worse, and I ended up in a psychiatric ward due to another episode. Once I restarted the 1mg daily dose, my weight shot right back up to 225 lbs. Then, about 19 months ago, I quit smoking, and my weight spiked to 258 lbs. Two months ago, I cut out beer, which brought me down to 236 lbs. It’s still trending down, though much slower now. I need to lose this weight because it's driving me crazy. Honestly, the easiest way would be to stop the medication entirely, but that is absolutely not an option for me anymore.

Rebecca Rivera3 said:That’s true... it started manifesting during one particularly stressful period.

I also had intense episodes of twitching and muscle tremors, uncontrolled head shaking, jaw spasms, and then I would just end up stuck in some incredibly unnatural, rigid position, especially with my arms twisted in ways that made no sense. And I'd stay like that for hours...
It actually subsided about a month and a half ago.

I remember lying in a psych ward about ten years ago. During rounds, I sat on the bed talking to the doctors when suddenly my left leg just went wild. It was shaking so hard it was practically bouncing off the floor, and I couldn't make it stop. I tried using my hands to steady it, but nothing worked. The doctors didn't say anything at the time. But when rounds came around the next day, I was sitting on that same bed, and the head doctor looks at me and says, "Alright, show us that trick with your leg again." I just stared at him. I told him it wasn't a trick; it just happened out of nowhere. I tried to shake my leg on purpose, but it wouldn't happen like it did yesterday. You simply can't force it to happen like that. It never happened again, and it had never happened before either.

Harold Anderson3 said:I've heard that story before. 🤣🤣 So you're actually that legendary Pokemon!! 🙂 🤣

Well, I ended up confessing everything in court later on, and they declared me incompetent. 😁

Harold Anderson3 said:What’s the absolute craziest, most nonsensical thing you’ve ever done during a psychotic episode?
For me, I decided I was just going to walk from Washington, D.C., all the way to the coast, wearing nothing but a T-shirt and shorts.
I genuinely thought to myself, "Hey, I'll be at the beach in maybe three days tops."
The girl I was doing all this for, well, she turned me down, naturally. ☕
I'm being completely honest about everything I wrote here.

My first episode back in '99: I actually walked up to a police officer, snatched the hat right off his head, and told him, "You're fired from the Department of Justice effective immediately." Naturally, as the invincible master of the universe, I ended up getting absolutely wrecked by the rest of the officers. As for the guy I "fired," he was pretty shaken up.

Laura Castillo6 said:People tend to overthink the diagnosis part. Honestly, if it’s just pneumonia or a bad cold, nobody gives it a second thought once they're feeling better. These days, the diagnoses that really stick with you—the ones that actually haunt people—are cancer. I personally know someone who managed to pull through that whole nightmare, and they don't talk about it much. With psychiatric labels, though, it feels like the diagnosis is mostly about how the people around you react; most folks just stare at you blankly, totally clueless. Everyone assumes that kind of stuff only happens to other people, thinking it'll never touch them, which is exactly why the stigma is so heavy. In the end, those same people often wind up in a psych ward themselves—maybe because of a bout of pneumonia, or even because of heart issues, like some of the folks I was on the ward with back in the day. About 30 or 40 years ago, if you slipped out of touch with reality, there was a good chance you'd never be brought back. But Dennis, somehow, everyone eventually finds their way back to reality.

You're talking nonsense!

John Martin18 said:I didn't quite follow you there... You're posting about schizophrenia, yet you say you don't want to see a doctor despite all the symptoms you described and everything you've been through. You mentioned your mother is ill, so there could be a genetic component involved, but what exactly are you afraid of regarding testing? If you have an aversion to pills, perhaps herbal remedies might help? (I'm not trying to be a counselor or anything, but it feels like you're stuck in a shell, just trapped...) Best...

Best regards. Reverend Zlatko Sudac is also excellent at what he does, especially his work with the veteran community... Good luck!

Zlatko Sudac is a total fraud. You'd better stay at least 200 miles away from him—he's nothing but a con artist.

Casey Bennett said:@Robin Lopez2/">@@Robin Lopez2 - if a coffee shop doesn't meet your standards, just go to a different one. I don't see the issue, and I certainly don't understand why anyone would stay silent and just take it. It's exactly what you admitted in your own last sentence.

The reality is, we've never seen a situation here where genuine suggestions from members to improve this community are actually taken seriously. Every single time a thread like this starts, the moderators swoop in, tell us regular users that we're wrong, and shut the whole thing down. I expect this thread will follow that exact same pattern.

Casey Bennett said:I have to address this completely flawed comparison. Here is how things actually work:

Imagine you walk into a restaurant on Reddit and sit down to chat peacefully with your friends—whether they’re refugees from Syria or Black Americans, it doesn't matter where they're from—while waiting for your food. Suddenly, a KKK member and a Neo-Nazi burst in, screaming that every Black person and Muslim needs to be kicked out of the country or worse.

The owner, along with his staff, grabs those loudmouths by the collar and kicks them out so the guests can continue enjoying their meal in peace.

Now, try to find anyone on this forum who got virtually attacked just for being civil, avoiding hate speech, and trying to maintain a normal conversation.

As for me, I have to point out why your comparison misses the mark. My version goes like this: I walk into a bar and order a cold beer. The bartender brings me a warm one. I complain that the beer isn't cold, and the bartender tells me: "Screw you, go somewhere else if you want it cold."

So, Joshua Clark7, you're wasting your breath. Either shut up and deal with it, or go somewhere where you'll be more comfortable.

bluecyclist64 said:I haven't really noticed any attacks on veterans that weren't already thoroughly debunked. Besides, there’s no point closing this thread; if the Democratic Party swings back into power, people are going to start acting up again anyway.

You should probably change your handle to "Predicting the Future Milan."

What does some tent setup in Mexico have to do with this discussion? Or is this supposed to be a universal topic about tents everywhere?

Moderators, just shut this thread down already!

Over the last few days, I’ve been intentionally trolling this thread just to see how far things would go. I actually just got a warning, and I'm not even complaining about it—I'm just pointing out that this entire topic is useless for both the trolls and the moderators. You can post absolutely anything here. For instance, if I needed to find a bike tent, I could post that right now and nobody would blink. Even a moderator like Pizvo wouldn't get flagged for asking about a camping tent in Mexico, since it has nothing to do with veteran support tents.

You all know how it is. Just close this thread. It serves no purpose other than providing a platform for people to disrespect veterans.

Jeremy James3 said:Well, just like you mentioned, seeing those lights and figures in black... I guess you can only really experience that when you're right on the edge of life itself. I don't think it's about hallucinations at all; it's more like your brain becomes way more sensitive due to some kind of underlying damage, which lets you perceive much more subtle things. Honestly, if you went to a psychiatric ward, they might just try to steal your soul while you're there. That's what happens to people in that state. It's like the connection between your subtle body and your physical body gets interrupted, so you could just exhale and lose your soul entirely, or whatever—because once that subtle body detaches from you, you'll never be able to heal that soul again. Just, please, don't go to any psychiatrists, because they are practically just waiting for someone in your exact position. I really hope you haven't gone already.

You're talking nonsense!

For most of my life, from 1999 until just last year, they were only renewing my driver's license every one to three years. But last year, they finally bumped it up to a five-year term. I take 1 mg of Rispolept in the evening.

Betty Myers6 said:Got a few questions here—really looking for a kind soul who can help me out. Honestly, I’m not interested in any trolls or drama. Just looking for real answers.
First off, a bit of a crazy question: can schizophrenia actually have a good side? Look, I know no illness is truly "good," but is there some kind of edge or advantage that people living with it possess—something others just can't see or feel?

Second: can someone explain to a total layman—skip all the medical jargon, please—how schizophrenia actually starts to show up? What does it look like in the beginning? Is it just total mental chaos or a complete loss of focus? Does it mean the person just can't concentrate and ends up feeling constantly lost or scattered?

There really isn't a positive side to it. During my last recovery from a psychotic episode, I actually convinced myself there was one, and I even brought it up during a session with my private psychiatrist.

Jeremy James3 said:And honestly, don’t go thinking modern medicine is clueless about this stuff; they actually understand the mechanics of it all pretty well, I guess.

I mean, psychiatry definitely understands it. To me, the soul and spirit are really just about those deep feelings—that capacity to feel things deeply—which so many people seem to have lost entirely. It’s actually kind of heartbreaking. You see people who are technically alive, but they’re essentially walking ghosts, totally devoid of any real emotion inside. Honestly, I think it would be better to just be dead than to live like that.

You should probably try to resolve whatever is bothering you as soon as possible, maybe before you end up caught in the gears of "the system"... because, I guess, that’s all they want—to try and fill their own voids using yours. If you handle it now, it won't feel like such a loss later. There are some good people out there, but most aren't. Personally, I think heading out into nature somewhere is way more healing than visiting any kind of institution.

But hey, there is one bit of good news; God exists, and there's life after the body finally gives out. 😉

Back in 1999, when I hit my first psychotic break, I was absolutely convinced I was God. If we had met back then and I told you, you would have thought I was losing my mind, but at the time, I was certain.

You're alive while you're living; after that, it's just billions of years of darkness.

Jeremy James3 said:And honestly, don’t go thinking modern medicine is clueless about this stuff; they actually understand the mechanics of it all pretty well, I guess.

I mean, psychiatry definitely understands it. To me, the soul and spirit are really just about those deep feelings—that capacity to feel things deeply—which so many people seem to have lost entirely. It’s actually kind of heartbreaking. You see people who are technically alive, but they’re essentially walking ghosts, totally devoid of any real emotion inside. Honestly, I think it would be better to just be dead than to live like that.

You should probably try to resolve whatever is bothering you as soon as possible, maybe before you end up caught in the gears of "the system"... because, I guess, that’s all they want—to try and fill their own voids using yours. If you handle it now, it won't feel like such a loss later. There are some good people out there, but most aren't. Personally, I think heading out into nature somewhere is way more healing than visiting any kind of institution.

But hey, there is one bit of good news; God exists, and there's life after the body finally gives out. 😉

Modern medicine knows absolutely NOTHING about the soul and spirit!

Jeremy James3 said:You could end up turning into a monster. Schizophrenia is essentially a split in the soul, and once that happens, something else takes its place. You should seriously never mess around with that.

I am reposting my entry from 2013:

A few years back, there was a psychiatry symposium held on the coast titled "For soul and spirit." My own mind told me that was a terrible theme for a group of psychiatrists. They don't have a clue about the soul or the spirit; they know nothing about it.

As far as I am concerned, the soul and spirit simply do not exist.