Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Briskgull27, you’re going to make me cry! Now I can finally see things from a whole new perspective—I’ve got all the proof right here to back it up.😳

When describing how Bleuer ended up with that nickname, he refers to a hypothetical illness called Schizophrenia.

By the way, I have to give props to that Japanese macrobiotist for what he’s achieved—he can talk about aliens all he wants.
Honestly, seeing that kind of lifelong energy and dedication is just beautiful.
But then you jump over to the politics section of this forum and run into people who make you wonder if you've wandered into the
Twilight Zone.

I've been thinking about how we approach these kinds of shifts in our daily routines. It’s much like when you decide to switch from a local coffee shop to a massive chain like Starbucks—suddenly, everything feels different, even if the caffeine hit is the same. You have to adjust to a new rhythm. I feel like we often overlook those small, incremental changes that eventually lead to a total overhaul of how we operate. It’s less like a sudden lightning strike and more like the slow tide coming in at Malibu; you don't notice the water rising until your feet are already wet. We need to be more mindful of those subtle transitions. kaže:
Brenda Cook4, you’re going to make me weep! Honestly, I feel like my entire perspective has shifted. I finally have all the proof I need to see the world through a completely different lens.😳

Forget all those "official documents"—if you ask me, they don't mean a thing. What I’m seeing here is a highly vibrant, genuinely intelligent personality who clearly has a lot to contribute. Honestly, I’m just eager to hear what she actually thinks.😘

briskgull27 said:When describing how Bleuer ended up with that nickname, he refers to a hypothetical illness called Schizophrenia.

By the way, I have to give props to that Japanese macrobiotist for what he’s achieved—he can talk about aliens all he wants.
Honestly, seeing that kind of lifelong energy and dedication is just beautiful.
But then you jump over to the politics section of this forum and run into people who make you wonder if you've wandered into the
Twilight Zone.

No need to even wonder—it's definitely the Twilight Zone...🤣

I don't really feel comfortable when someone tries to be affectionate with me the way you are. I have some fears regarding intimacy😍

briskgull27 said:I don't really feel comfortable when someone tries to be affectionate with me the way you are. I have some fears regarding intimacy😍

Maybe she’s actually just terrified of being alone.🙄

Finding that middle ground isn't easy!
Especially when you're just starting to navigate your sex life!😈

Hey there!
I just wanted to give some props to our brave briskgull27. I’ve been following all her posts about her illness, and honestly, I’m speechless. Mad respect 🙏 for how you’re handling all this heavy stuff. I guess thank God you have a husband who loves you and has your back through it all.
I hope you stay strong and can somehow deal with this whole situation, even though it's anything but easy.
Wishing you nothing but the best!!!!

😘

I wouldn't call myself brave, and honestly, it’s almost funny how much easier the illness seems compared to everything else.
I really don't think I have much courage in me.
But when you look at psychoses, they span such a wide spectrum—manic depression, schizophrenia, clinical depression, and so much more...
Did you know that about 1-2% of the population worldwide deals with schizophrenia?
Live long and prosper. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

restlesstrucker86 said:Hey there!
I just wanted to give some props to our brave briskgull27. I’ve been following all her posts about her illness, and honestly, I’m speechless. Mad respect 🙏 for how you’re handling all this heavy stuff. I guess thank God you have a husband who loves you and has your back through it all.
I hope you stay strong and can somehow deal with this whole situation, even though it's anything but easy.
Wishing you nothing but the best!!!!

😘

Well, he wasn't sent by God—he was sent by my libido, and vice versa!👍

Since I'm healthy and that disease is a total nightmare, you're basically a hero to me, I guess.

restlesstrucker86 said:Since I'm healthy and that disease is a total nightmare, you're basically a hero to me, I guess.

Why does it feel so scary to you?

I've always been kind of terrified of mental health issues, I guess...
Not sure why, but those illnesses where you look fine on the outside while everything is falling apart inside just freak me out.
Luckily, none of my inner circle—family or friends—have ever dealt with anything like that.

I suppose it’s just my luck when it comes to my close and extended family. Someone has to be the outlier, right?

If we were living back at the turn of the 20th century, we wouldn't even have access to basic medicine today.
It’s truly frightening...
For me, the scary part is simply knowing that I’m different, and acting in total alignment with who I am.
My friends over in Queens spend half their time wandering the city just like everyone else; you could never tell by looking at them or how they act that they're anything but ordinary.

I can always just tell myself that I’m a complete outsider in America, and I can live perfectly fine with that mindset.

restlesstrucker86 said:I've always been kind of terrified of mental health issues, I guess...
Not sure why, but those illnesses where you look fine on the outside while everything is falling apart inside just freak me out.
Luckily, none of my inner circle—family or friends—have ever dealt with anything like that.

If I'm being honest about my fears—and I have been quite fearful at times—it’s more that I worry about a child being born with severe physical disabilities or developmental delays. While I know some people are terrified of mental illness (honestly, everyone is afraid of something; I was browsing an American health forum recently and seeing why people go to the doctor actually made me feel sick myself 😬), that specific fear isn't really something I resonate with.

I find myself much more preoccupied with those small, everyday anxieties 😬 🙂

I’ve been "playing around" with your posts for a few days now—honestly, I even logged in just for this reason😉. I don't want to be repetitive, though, because I see briskgull27 has already been flooded with support and compliments for being so brave with such an honest, open, detailed, and relatable... public statement. So, I figured I’d officially join the club of your fans too😍
. I seriously love reading your stuff. It sounds so optimistic, full of life, inspiring, and honestly, almost poetic. You’ve definitely got a right to be heard—take it from your favorite uncle in Canada—so get those "lucky" thoughts down on paper, because I truly believe you have something worth saying😉... unlike that whole bunch of quasi-normal human beings🙂
. The human mind is just fascinating to me. There are as many different perspectives and minds out there as there are stars in the sky... it’s just a shame how the ones that shine brightest tend to overshadow the smaller lights. It’s the same deal with people: those more powerful, often labeled as the "normal" ones, are the ones who end up dictating the rules for what "normal" actually is
.

I’ve never been much of a rule-follower when it comes to authority figures, to be honest.
It really warms my heart that you took the time to read it.😍 😍 😍 😍
Thank God we have the internet to keep us connected.
To be completely candid, I sometimes feel like people are just messing with me when they offer their congratulations.
I mean, what is there actually to celebrate?🙂
If you want a textbook example of paranoia, look no further.🙄 😲

briskgull27 said:Check this out—the last time I was in the hospital, back during the summer, a group of my girlfriends came to visit me. There were four of them, all around 25 years old.
They showed up looking totally put together, wearing all sorts of trendy graphic tees and those cute sandals with the little pearls on them.
Then one of them looks at me and says, "Jesus Outoftheblu, I would drink absolutely anything they give me just to never have to be stuck in a place like this again. Seriously, whatever you need, I'll drink it."

And honestly? I drank it.
On another note, I’ve actually sought help from about ten different holistic healers over the past year and a half—I've been seeing one almost every single day!

In my opinion, taking lithium instead of some other heavy antipsychotic medication has been a really good move for me.👍

Based on everything I've read, this all sounds more like schizoaffective disorder to me... basically bipolar mixed with schizophrenic symptoms...
And that explains your treatment.
Have you considered asking about alternatives to lithium to help manage the mood swings? (Just so everyone knows, lithium isn't technically an antipsychotic, though I know you already realize that.)
But you can't really switch easily. It’s not recommended or safe to stay on it indefinitely because it affects everything... blood, liver, kidneys... that much is certain.
Also, from what I understand, people with issues like yours have done better on it. In the sense that they didn't make huge mistakes. But honestly, they weren't exactly feeling fully alive either.
Under lithium, people become different. Some even deal with physical changes to their appearance.
It probably has something to do with the dosage.😉
I thought it wasn't prescribed nearly as often lately. Instead, they tend to use anticonvulsants for the same purpose, like Carbamazepine.
I don't read every single comment because I just don't have the time.
But I truly believe you'll be okay one day. For good.
The schizophrenia I saw through a close friend was something completely beyond her control while it was happening. That doesn't seem to be the case with you. You don't have that disconnect where the healthy part of your mind can't reach or see the illness to heal it.
I see an advantage there. And she ended up figuring herself out, too. She's doing great now—work, career, personal life... everything is fine.
But with her, the mood swings weren't quite as intense as yours (which is why I reached my conclusion earlier).
It's all just so complicated...

I'm following this thread, but I admit I'm inconsistent and miss a lot of replies... I just don't have the time.
That's all for now.
Sending big hugs...😘

Yeah, doctors tend to just copy the initial diagnosis onto every follow-up visit after that first hospitalization.
No, I’m not saying you don't have something else going on.
I'm talking about that bit of laziness—where they take the easy way out instead of really digging into the whole picture, even though every single encounter is a new situation...
I mention it because that one habit reveals how much they miss through oversight.
When someone actually tracks your progress and studies each episode closely, even if the diagnosis stays the same—which doesn't mean much anyway, since you just have to live your life regardless of whether they call it schizophrenia or something else entirely...—there's a much better chance they'll understand what's truly happening deep down...

That’s true—there are milder stabilizers out there, but given my schizophrenic tendencies, Lithium is better because it’s more potent.
When I’m in a manic phase, I don't feel "dead inside" at all; honestly, I feel incredibly alive!
I suppose you could call yourself a psychiatrist if you know all this, but it doesn't really matter.😁 😁 😁
Look, saying I'm neither dead nor alive is accurate, though weight is a factor.😍Right now, I weigh 75 pounds, and I'm 5'5".
Since Lithium dosage is heavily dependent on body weight,
it makes sense. Six months ago, I was 70 pounds.
A year before that, I was b>😁 😁 😁
. After undergoing ECT, I was up to b> pounds.
But after going on a diet later that same year in 1998, I dropped to b> pounds.
Honestly, though, I couldn't care less about the scale right now.
I have two weddings coming up, so maybe I'll just use some shapewear to smooth things out.

The toughest part is that these medications are designed to numb you; without that numbing effect, would I even be here?