Schizophrenia - General Discussion

You’ve completely lost it when it comes to me. Every single time, I end up having to call 911. What are you even talking about?
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briskgull27 said:You’re totally obsessed with me—I feel like I need to call 911 every time you open your mouth.
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Are you really saying that to me? I’m being completely serious here—there are actually people who would vote for that option... at least in my neck of the woods.

Megan Mitchell said:Are you serious? I'm being completely earnest here because there are definitely people who would vote for that option. At least within my own family...

Aha, I see where you're coming from, but that isn't a hospital—it's that assisted living facility you mentioned, the one designed for seniors over 70.
I mean, how could you possibly be in Bonita? Who knows what the situation is really like there.
One of my grandmothers passed away recently, and I absolutely loved her.
She was even talking about all the places she planned to visit once she recovered.
But in her case, she was actually heading out into the great outdoors.

briskgull27 said:I get what you mean—but that isn't a hospital, right? You're talking about those assisted living facilities for people over 70...
I mean, I have no idea what your insurance coverage looks like.
One of my grandmothers passed away recently—she was such a sweetheart.
She was even talking about all the places she wanted to visit once she recovered.
But she ended up being moved to an inpatient facility instead.

No, I actually meant a hospital—like, intensive treatment for maybe 3 to 6 weeks. When my mom (she's 43, by the way) starts getting worse, or really bad, her mother tells me she needs to be hospitalized because we just can't handle it at home anymore...🙄 :

Megan Mitchell said:No, I mean actual inpatient care—like a 3 to 6-week stay. When my mom (she's 43) starts getting worse, or if things get really bad, her own mother tells her she needs to go to the hospital because she just can't handle being with her anymore...🙄

I don't see what the big deal is. You just stay cooped up until you finally have that breakthrough.
After about two weeks, you can even head out for a walk.😂 😂 😂 😂
To be clear: if the psychiatric ward is located in a different hospital, it feels exactly the same. It's an asylum.
What part isn't making sense?

Honestly, look, my family doesn't really vibe with how I am, but in my opinion, they aren't exactly "normal" themselves either.

briskgull27 said:I mean, what’s the big deal? You just stay stuck until things settle down again.
But after a couple of weeks, you can finally get back out for a walk.😂 😂 😂 😂
Just to be clear—if psychiatry is housed in some other hospital, it’s basically the same kind of asylum.
Is that not obvious?

Honestly, my family doesn't really care how I am—but if you ask me, they aren't exactly "normal" either, so there's that.

It's really nothing to worry about... that's just how it goes. Everything makes sense now, sorry for any confusion.😬 😬 😘

Megan Mitchell said:it's really no big deal... things just happen sometimes. everything makes sense now, sorry for any confusion😬 😬 😘

No need to apologize at all! We’re just heading out from Springfield for some fresh air and a nice stroll, so don't worry about it.😘
The only person I actually worry about is my brother.
Honestly, I'd hate to cause him any unnecessary stress.
As for all those selfish people preaching about "love" and "family," I couldn't care less.

Oh man, it just hit me—I suddenly remembered I was actually sent here from outer space to complete some kind of mission! Honestly, I wasn't exactly thrilled about the assignment, but they basically kicked me out of my orbit and told me I had to get to work. So, here I am.☕ 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

I was making lunch for my grandma earlier, and honestly, she ate it like a little kid who hasn't had a meal in days.🙂 🙂 🙂
She just won't stop teasing me about everything.🙂 🙂 🙂

500-i replay

Okay, here's a quick one: A madman escapes from the asylum and finds himself facing 100 walls
He jumps and jumps, finally clearing the 99th wall
Then he sighs and says: "Phew, I didn't accomplish anything, let me head back"
So he turns right around and goes back. 🙂

Would you personally want a close friend or even a family member living with schizophrenia?
Look, I have a family member dealing with schizophrenia. It wasn’t exactly my choice, nor is it some "blessing" in my life, but let me tell you—every single time he hits remission, it feels better than any promotion at work or any relationship milestone I've ever hit. Honestly, those moments of stability mean more to me than anything else. My little brother was diagnosed when he was seventeen, so there's a significant age gap between us, and seeing him go through that sent my parents into such deep depressions they're still fighting through today. Schizophrenia has basically become an uninvited guest in our house—it's this entity that torments us, wears us down, and just hurts... but we aren't backing down. We refuse to break.
Even though I never asked for this kind of chaos in my family, if there's a silver lining, it's that this entire experience has forced me to grow. It pushes me to be more compassionate and to dig deeper into my own humanity so I can actually understand people facing all sorts of struggles.
He even poked fun at my writing earlier and gave me a laugh; since he's in remission right now, the illness has taken a temporary leave of absence, but we aren't naive... we know it could come back at any time. But we're ready. We'll be ready.🙂

feraleagle24 said:Would you rather have a close friend or a family member who lives with schizophrenia?

I have a family member living with schizophrenia, which certainly wasn't a choice or a happy circumstance for us. However, every time he enters remission, I feel a sense of joy similar to any major career or romantic milestone. In fact, his remission brings me more happiness than anything else. My little brother fell ill when he was 17, making him quite a bit younger than me, and my parents went through some very heavy bouts of depression at the time. We live with schizophrenia as if it were a member of the family—it’s something that torments, wears us down, and causes pain, but we don't let it break us...
Even though I never wanted this in our family, today it is actually the awareness of this illness that motivates me to work harder on my own humanity and to be more understanding toward people facing all kinds of struggles.
He even peeked at my writing and shared a laugh; since he's in remission right now, schizophrenia has stepped away for a while, but we know it might return... and we are ready!🙂

Oh, we definitely don't have much "relaxing" time since we don't have a mom around, but thank God my brother is doing well. Honestly, I am just grateful that I am the one struggling instead of him.
For me, "remission" basically means any time I'm not stuck in a hospital bed.
I'm also happy that my family has been able to detach themselves from my situation; they are happy, even if I'm not fully healthy myself. I am completely prepared for whatever comes, and I really don't mind taking Haldol.
Best wishes to everyone😘
And as for being compassionate, those grandmas over in Springfield are just the sweetest!!!

briskgull27, I have a question for you regarding hallucinations. When you experience one, such as the one you described about the atomic bomb, I assume that while it is happening, it feels completely real—much like how our dreams feel entirely authentic while we are immersed in them. However, once the hallucination subsides, are you able to recognize it for what it was? In other words, can you distinguish reality from the hallucination the same way we separate dreams from waking life?

mistybison said:briskgull27, I have a question for you regarding hallucinations. When you experience one—like the one you mentioned about the atomic bomb—I assume that while it's happening, it feels completely real to you, much like how dreams feel real while we're actually in them. But once the hallucination passes, are you able to recognize it for what it was? Can you distinguish reality from the hallucination, the same way we separate dreams from waking life?

It’s definitely not like a movie scene.
I remember standing right there in my kitchen, feeling like the whole room was swaying and everything was swirling around me.
The thought about the atomic bomb wasn't even a visual thing; it was just a heavy thought. I could see the window and everything outside perfectly clearly.
In the moment, I'm aware of it, but otherwise, no.
Well, except for when those bombs are actually being dropped...
If I ever have a hallucination where my husband suddenly turns into John Cusack, I just try to say it out loud. That way, I can kill the hallucination with a little joke.

There's also this other thing: sometimes he wants to talk about serious, real-world stuff, and I just don't.
I honestly prefer being in my own little world.🙄 😲 😍

briskgull27 said:It wasn't quite like a scene from a movie.
I was just standing there in my kitchen, feeling this sensation of swaying as if everything around me was spinning.
The thought of an atomic bomb was just a thought, without any vivid imagery. I could see the window and everything outside perfectly clearly.
Looking back, I realize it happened, but at that moment, it didn't feel real.
Well, except for the fact that they actually drop those bombs...
If I ever have a hallucination where my husband turns into Quentin Tarantino, I make sure to say it out loud; I kill the hallucination by joking about it.

It sounds like your dreams, imagination, and reality tend to blur together, meaning your boundaries aren't as distinct as they are for most people.
When you have a thought—for instance, that your husband is suddenly Quentin Tarantino—do you realize it isn't true right then, or do you only realize it later once the moment passes and he goes back to being himself? I am trying to wrap my head around that, but it's a bit difficult for me to grasp. 😁

He sometimes wants to discuss more serious topics, but I don't.
I prefer staying in my own little world.🙄 😲 😍

We all possess internal mechanisms that allow us to escape into a world of imagination where we feel happier and more carefree. Or, at the very least, it's more interesting. 😁 However, that retreat needs to be balanced; otherwise, one risks getting stuck in their inner world and losing touch with actual reality.

Maybe John Cusack is just bored, so my brain is busy inventing a whole new reality
that would actually be exciting. We’re talking about a one-minute hallucination here.

As for me, I don't really have a filter.
It might sound pretentious, but I’d much prefer a more harmonious world, something like the Vulcans, for example.
But I force myself to do everything else the rest of the world does.
Unfortunately, that's where it ends—I only ever do things
so that I can claim to have accomplished something in the "real" world.
The real struggle is that I just can't bring myself to accept societal norms.

briskgull27 said:It sounds idealistic, but I’d personally prefer a more harmonious world, like one inhabited by the Vulcans.
I try my best to follow along with everyone else,
but unfortunately, that's where it ends—I only play the part so I can have something
from the "real" world to show for it.
The real issue is that I simply don't want to conform to societal norms.

It isn't just wishful thinking. I would also embrace a perfectly orderly world like the one in Star Trek. 🙂 Very few people find reality, in its current state, to be an ideal choice. We all have different needs, and we would all thrive in differently structured societies; consequently, we all sacrifice a piece of our individuality to live within the society we know. It is impossible to be "entirely yourself" while still belonging to an environment. Life is a series of compromises. Otherwise, society tends to marginalize you. It sounds harsh, but it is the truth. You can see this playing out in your own experience.

mistybison said:It’s not just an illusion. Honestly, I could also see myself enjoying the sterile, organized perfection of Star Trek. 🙂 Very few people actually find reality—as messy as it is—to be their ideal choice. We all have different needs, and we’d all prefer slightly different ways of organizing the world. At the end of the day, we all sacrifice a piece of our individuality just to function within the society we know. It's impossible to be "entirely yourself" while still belonging to a community. Life is essentially a series of compromises; otherwise, society tends to push you out. It sounds harsh, but that's just how it works. You can see that playing out in your own experience.

True, but what do you think about this? I wasn't always this sensitive or craving that kind of sterility.
Sure, society pushed me out, I get it, but humans have an incredible capacity to adapt.
It's like when someone thinks they're the toughest person on the block; if I had to force myself to be the "social butterfly" I was twelve years ago, I'd probably lose my hair from the stress.
And why would I even want to be part of a society that discards anyone it deems "inferior"?
What kind of superiority is left once a perceived defect is gone?
No thanks, that's just not for me.

outoftheblue said:True, but what do you think about this? I was never so sensitive before that I felt the need for total isolation.
Society pushed me out, sure, but humans have an incredible ability to adapt.
Just like someone who thinks they're the best carpenter in town, my hair would fall out if I suddenly had to be the social butterfly I was 12 years ago.

People evolve. No one is the same person they were 12 years ago.

Why would I ever want to belong to a society that discards anyone it deems inferior?
And what kind of superiority vanishes just because of a defect?
I won't accept that.

Fair enough, if it's not for you and you don't want to. 🙂

Maleficent said:People change. Nobody is the same person they were 12 years ago.

Fine, if you don't want to or feel you don't have to. 🙂

But I've been on medication for 11 years.

I don't need them right now.

But when I really feel the urge, I take something to take the edge off.😍