Schizophrenia - General Discussion

So, how's it going, briskgull27?
From what I can tell, you seem to be doing just fine.😘

Honestly, my hands are aching a bit, my back feels numb, and I’ve got this stinging sensation under my ribs along with some intermittent chest pressure. Other than that, I'm doing alright.
I guess I’m just too much of an overthinker—every single time someone asks how I am, I end up feeling terrible about it.
It's hard to find the right words to explain.

How have you been doing?

briskgull27 said:Oh yeah, my hands hurt just a tiny bit, my back is going numb, there's this sharp stinging under my ribs, and my chest pressure comes and goes—but other than that, I'm totally fine.
Since I’m such a thorough person—clearly—I end up feeling like an absolute idiot every single time someone asks me how I'm doing.
I just can't seem to find the right way to say it.

So, how are you holding up?

...one of my friends actually gets offended when people ask her how she is... 🙄 she's just like, "Well, how else would I be? Obviously I'm fine!" 🙄

briskgull27 said:Honestly, my hands ache a bit, my back feels numb, there’s this stinging under my ribs, and this chest pressure that comes and goes. Other than that, I'm fine.
Since I tend to be a bit too thorough, I always end up feeling terrible whenever someone asks how I'm doing.
I just can't seem to find the right way to say it.

How are you doing?

Look, I didn't ask just to be polite or go through the motions😘 so I really do expect an honest answer: how are you feeling at this very moment?😁

That chest pressure sounds truly miserable—it's like carrying the weight of the whole world on your shoulders, making it impossible to catch your breath... but, hey, look at the weather outside—it is absolutely gorgeous!

Brenda Cook4 said:Johnson & Johnson (the ones making schizophrenia meds) put together this multimedia simulation: it lets people experience what it’s actually like to see and hear things through the lens of someone living with schizophrenia.

link

Honestly, I feel for anyone dealing with those kinds of struggles. If that's how reality feels, it's intense—it looks like something straight out of a low-budget Hollywood B-movie.

I've never personally experienced anything like that, though maybe that's just my luck since I tend to deal with brain fog and spontaneous thoughts more than anything else.

All in all, that video is total garbage.
I can tell you one thing: if someone working at Jensen were actually suffering from this, they definitely wouldn't be taking their medication.
It's just poorly made junk.😁 🤣

I was actually really curious to hear your take on this—so you're saying there's absolutely no connection whatsoever?😲

As far as I'm concerned, it’s a total zero percent—it feels like some low-budget sci-fi movie put together by high schoolers.

I can definitely hear the floorboards or the cabinets creaking, but I'm certain that part is actually real.

briskgull27 said:Personally, I’m at zero percent belief here. It sounds like some low-budget sci-fi flick made by high schoolers.

I mean, sure, I can hear floorboards creaking or an old cabinet settling, but I am certain this is actually real..

I wouldn't buy it either... but then again, I'm not the only one hearing it. Other people swear they hear it too...🤣 🤣 🤣 http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/figuren/g010.gif http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/figuren/g010.gif http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/figuren/g010.gif

So now the real question is: why are they presenting it to people this way?
What exactly is their endgame?

I honestly have no idea.

To be truthful, I struggle with a fear of people—specifically the fear of getting hurt by them—though I know deep down it’s somewhat irrational.
I just can't bring myself to get caught up in the rat race for money; it's incredibly difficult for me to embrace that mindset.
I usually only bother getting dressed up when I'm heading out. Otherwise, you might catch me running errands near a Walmart looking a bit disheveled.
(It seems like there are already so many people on this forum who just resort to calling someone crazy whenever they run out of things to say.)

As for voting...
I really don't know how that works.
Could someone who actually understands the process please weigh in?

Two friends of mine mentioned they used to hear voices back when they were younger, even though they don't have any medical conditions or anything else going on.

Taylor Campbell4
Megan Mitchell actually befriended his hallucinations. He had a wonderful wife—who, let’s be honest, was quite large in real life—and two sons, and he managed to transform himself so effectively that he actually overcame his illness.
The hallucinations didn't ever go away, though.😍 😛 🤣 🤣 🤣

briskgull27 said:Taylor Campbell4
Megan Mitchell basically befriended his hallucinations—plus he had a wonderful wife, who was actually quite stout in real life, and two sons... he changed enough to eventually overcome the illness.
The hallucinations didn't really go away, though.😍 😛 🤣 🤣 🤣

Two women, actually🙂—I don't know all that much about him, what was this second one like?

Brenda Cook4 said:Johnson & Johnson (the ones who make schizophrenia meds) put together this multimedia simulation designed to let people experience what it's actually like—both visually and auditorily—to live through the lens of someone struggling with schizophrenia.

link

Honestly, isn't that video just blatant discrimination? It feels like we're drawing the same kind of comparisons used against Black Americans.🙄

Megan Mitchell said:there were actually two women🙂 I don't know all that much about him, what was this second one like?

One was a physicist and the other was a nurse.
Does he favor his son, who struggles with schizophrenia, over the physicist because of his intellect?
Both of them are named John.

Here’s a really fascinating blog I stumbled upon. It was written by someone who lived through a long struggle with schizophrenia... if you scroll all the way down, there is so much detail about the illness itself—medications, periods of remission, potential causes, and his own condensed yet deep personal history. He’s been updating this since '97, so it’s a goldmine if you're interested.

The blogger himself even puts a face to the words here...

briskgull27 said:I honestly have no clue.

I find myself fearing people—specifically, the fear of being hurt by them—and I know it’s completely irrational.
I just can't bring myself to participate in the rat race for money; it's incredibly difficult for me.
I only bother getting ready when I actually head out. I'm perfectly fine walking through Walmart in dirty clothes.
(It seems like plenty of people on this forum just resort to saying "you're crazy" whenever they run out of things to say.)

As for voices...
I haven't the slightest idea what that's like.
I hope someone who actually knows will chime in.

wow !! You're such a slob😲 🤣 :😬 🙂

Just kidding—honestly, what does it matter if you go to Walmart in dirty clothes or if you only dress up when you leave the house? I mean, whatever, I think people should just have a bit more self-confidence and do what they want instead of worrying so much about everyone else.

The same goes for the other things you mentioned. Look, I know I can't fully grasp what it's like for someone dealing with a certain type of schizophrenia (though I can empathize with a lot of those struggles, having dealt with my own issues), but it feels to me... well, better if I just keep quiet.😁

Just go out in dirty clothes; that might just cure you of all this nonsense.😁

briskgull27 said:Taylor Campbell4
Megan Mitchell befriended his hallucinations—he had this wonderful wife, who, let's be honest, was a bit heavy-set in real life, and two sons—and he changed his approach so much that he essentially overcame the illness.
The hallucinations stayed, though.😍 😛 🤣 🤣 🤣

I'm not so sure about that...
I’ve only seen the movie, but my take is that his visions faded because he learned to live alongside them—or perhaps he just developed a mindset where they stopped being such a massive disruption. Maybe it isn't even about whether they vanished or stuck around, but rather how a person chooses to relate to them.
(There was this one American TV movie—not a huge blockbuster—about a woman dealing with an imaginary daughter alongside her actual kids. Everyone in the family played along with the delusion, but it eventually culminated in them having to hold a funeral for this non-existent child. The core idea—and I'm just offering this as a thought, not claiming to know the definitive answer—was that by providing her with unconditional love and support, her husband and children helped her move past it without needing intense hospitalizations or anything. I'm not certain if that's how it works in the real world, but I think there's some truth to it.)

Take fear, for instance. We all have different fears, some more intense than others. But everyone deals with them. A person can choose how to face that fear; they can make a conscious effort to act despite it. If you stop giving fear so much power, it starts to lose its grip.

A lot of things—even for someone diagnosed with schizophrenia—can be navigated first through basic common sense, and then through courage and being honest with oneself.

Being truthful with yourself is a massive undertaking. And frankly, we could all use a little more common sense. It's something we lack far too often. Then there's courage—that inner strength—which is something you earn as you go through life. If you spend your life shrinking away from everything, you aren't going to build much of it.

I think you might be heading in the wrong direction here. You have a diagnosis, and if I'm reading you right, it feels like you're expecting everyone to walk on eggshells around you. Try not to blame every single setback on the schizophrenia.

Even with a diagnosis, it doesn't mean you can't work on self-improvement just like anyone else.

We all struggle with laziness, being dishonest with ourselves or others, taking the path of least resistance, or letting our fears run the show. I know I certainly do. That isn't necessarily tied to a mental illness; it's just part of being human, and something we all have to strive to overcome...

Personally, I've gone through phases where I felt like any psychiatrist I saw would probably slap me with all sorts of labels. There was this one incredibly rigid, condescending doctor I saw about seven years ago during a checkup to get my driver's license back (she was one of those people who acts like she's superior to everyone and lacks any real empathy, you know the type). She told me straight up that there was no way I'd ever be getting my license back. 🤣Honestly, there’s just so much to deal with. Thank goodness she wasn't the one making the final call—if she had been, I would have just walked out and gone to a different clinic to get things sorted. When I finally got back from the lab with my psychological test results, she just gave me this cold, disapproving stare 🤣

Anyway, if I could offer some advice to anyone dealing with a diagnosis—don't let those labels swallow you whole. Don't let them become your entire identity; that's your call to make. And God forbid you let them become an excuse to give in to habits that everyone struggles with, whether we see them or not...

That chest pressure is genuinely uncomfortable—it feels like you're carrying the weight of the entire world on your shoulders and can't even catch your breath... but then again, just look at this weather—it's absolutely incredible!

And now you're all making this gorgeous weather out to be the bad guy 🙄
😁

mistybison said:You aren't actually leaving, are you? 😢 You’ve been such a breath of fresh air around here. 🙂

Then again—now that I think about it—we're all just forum addicts, and let's be honest, we aren't exactly the best crowd to hang out with. 🤔 😁

blue bird said:You?
No dramatic exits or grand farewells happening now.😘

Heh, it seems everyone completely misread what she was actually getting at—except me. 🙏I'm just standing there with my hands raised in victory, celebrating the win.😁
🙄

Mad Scientist said:He might have picked up the gene, or he might not...
Even if just one parent has schizophrenia, the odds are 50/50—assuming one parent is actually a carrier.
But what you didn't mention is what medication they were on; you might not even know.
There’s a big difference between schizophrenia and something else entirely.
On the other hand, the fact that his aunt and her kids all needed treatment points toward genetics, though environmental factors could also be at play here.
Bottom line: it's 50/50.

As for this guy...
First off, you’re viewing him through this specific lens, which means you might be seeing signs of pathology where none exist. Some people are just more stable than others. The question is—have you seen him in enough different situations to know if he’s always like this? We often see people in the same context, so we assume they’re always the same, then we're surprised when we see them somewhere else and they act differently.
If he really does have blunted affect, that could be a symptom, but it doesn't have to be—it could just be a side effect of meds (maybe he's already on something?).
In short, it's hard to draw conclusions based on such thin data... Have you actually talked to him? Is he employed? How does he get along with coworkers? Does his speech fluctuate, or is he monotone? Can he stay on topic? How is his relationship with his family or his community? Have you even been to his house? ...etc., etc.

I don't know what kind of "treatment" he needs, but I'm trying to get her to look at this realistically.
When his pay gets cut, his reaction is basically: "whatever." Then the next day, his boss yells at him and he gives the same "whatever" response.
He picks fights with my sister—well, she argues with him, and he just sulks.

I don't know, but to me, this isn't normal.

I think he lacks basic social skills, among other things.