Schizophrenia - General Discussion

briskgull27 said:So, about ten days ago, I was grabbing coffee with a close friend of mine. Looking at her, you could just tell she’s genuinely happy. She’s totally "normal." Honestly, she looks as radiant and carefree as a slim American woman on vacation.
She just gets it—she knows right from wrong. She has a solid grasp on how the world and society actually work.
The thing is, I can't even share my real thoughts with her. To me, some things feel perfectly fine, but to her, they seem completely broken. Why? Because she’s polite. She’s beautiful. She stays on top of every trend. She loves dogs, and she holds these very conventional, "correct" views on everything. Life is going to be much smoother for her because she isn't stubborn. Plus, she respects her entire family, no matter what they're like. She’s just... normal.

But me? I never once wish to be "normal."

I said to my old man one evening, "Now that I've got this yellow card, I can finally say and think whatever I want."
He just looked at me and said, "You didn't need a card to do that."
And I just laughed. Hehe!

The way you described that friend of yours... who would even dare tell her what they really think? I have a feeling if you tried, she'd be checking her watch pretty fast during that coffee date...😉

Aha, found it! No worries at all, I’ve got F25. Other than that, I think I have just enough common sense left to pull a few pranks without getting caught myself. 😁 😍

Honestly, I’m already fed up with these Fxx—you guys bring them up constantly regardless of the context, yet I haven't the slightest clue what they actually signify. Not that I’m complaining, though—if I were truly interested, some pretentious psychiatrist would likely try to give me an analysis.

I've been doing some reading online regarding schizophrenia—and look, feel free to mock me, disagree, or tear my logic apart if you must 🙂—but I hold a very deep conviction that this isn't an incurable condition, nor does it necessarily have to be progressive. I truly believe that quite a few people have experienced symptoms or an early stage of schizophrenia in their past, only to spontaneously return to what we consider "normal." It's also my belief that we are approaching a massive paradigm shift in how we understand schizophrenia and other mental health issues; once that happens, we’ll see immeasurable possibilities for actual healing, rather than just managing or masking symptoms...

My conclusions stem, in part, from some personal experiences and my own observations of how the mind works.

Furthermore, when we discuss the mind, the concept of "healing" feels—to my way of thinking—somewhat broader than when we talk about recovering from, say, a physical ailment.

Taylor Campbell4 said:Honestly, I’m already fed up with these Fxx—you guys bring them up constantly regardless of the context, yet I haven't the slightest clue what they actually signify. Not that I’m complaining, though—if I were truly interested, some pretentious psychiatrist would likely try to give me an analysis.

Those are just disease classifications from the International Classification of Diseases (the ICD).
The F category covers mental health conditions and disorders, while J refers to respiratory diseases, and so on.
You can find the complete list of codes at the link below.
http://www.who.int/classifications/a...d/icd10online/

briskgull27 said:😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

I honestly can't deal with all this nonsense anymore—this idea that I'm supposed to just "overcome" my illness or somehow magically start producing insulin on my own.

Don't pay much attention to those people who don't understand complex chemical imbalances in the brain. You're doing just fine.
Skip the meditation and just listen to Rambo Amadeus 😎. It’ll definitely give you a good laugh.

Make sure to find a live performance!

Gregory Young3 said:Don't pay much attention to those people who don't understand complex chemical imbalances in the brain. You're doing just fine.
Skip the meditation and just listen to Rambo Amadeus 😎. It’ll definitely give you a good laugh.

Make sure to find a live performance!

I'll give Rambo Amadeus a shot. Lately, I've been turning off everything—TV, radio, you name it. The last thing I listened to was George Michael. That's not because of him specifically, but because of his songwriting quality; in my opinion, if I were to create something myself, no one would care about my Fxx diagnosis because of the work I produced!

I have a question for the atheists out there: If a condition isn't caused by brain chemistry, then what exactly is being "cured" when we talk about treating an illness?

Taylor Campbell4 I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary, so please don't misunderstand me. If anything, I struggle less than most people do. As for living a fully conscious life without medication? I've pretty much given up on that idea. I know there are people who manage without them, but that's their business.
We probably need an Einstein of psychiatry to figure this one out.

Chapter Blocks Title
I A00-B99 Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
II C00-D48 Neoplasms
III D50-D89 Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism
IV E00-E90 Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases
V F00-F99 Mental and behavioural disorders We are hereI'm right here!
VI G00-G99 Diseases of the nervous system
VII H00-H59 Diseases of the eye and adnexa
VIII H60-H95 Diseases of the ear and mastoid process
IX I00-I99 Diseases of the circulatory system
X J00-J99 Diseases of the respiratory system
XI K00-K93 Diseases of the digestive system
XII L00-L99 Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
XIII M00-M99 Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
XIV N00-N99 Diseases of the genitourinary system
XV O00-O99 ICD-10 Chapters
XVI P00-P96 Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period
XVII Q00-Q99 ICD-10 Chapters
XVIII R00-R99 ICD-10 Chapters
XIX S00-T98 ICD-10 Chapters
XX V01-Y98 External causes of morbidity and mortality
XXI Z00-Z99 Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
XXII U00-U99 Codes for special purposes

Gerald Rivera60, please don't be upset 😳 😳 😍

It’s garbage, honestly, but I’d still take it over being stuck in that hellhole between ICD-10 Chapters C00-D48... at least I wouldn't be there... pathetic.

briskgull27 said:Well, while spiraling into depression, I actually stumbled upon this. My goal isn't necessarily to hog the spotlight—trust me, I’m having a blast here—but rather to highlight the fact that schizophrenia only affects about 1-2% of the global population.
And yet, every single one of my friends and acquaintances tells me I should just keep my struggles quiet because people will judge me if they find out.😠 😠 😠 😠

That’s basically how it works with all mental health issues; in some ways, keeping it under wraps is fine... I honestly thought you were being a narcissist for a second there, but then again, whatever, I'm on two different meds anyway... though briskgull27 is quite the breath of fresh air... yeah, it's not just that I love life, I'd damn well control everything if I could, but when it comes to ICD-10 Chapters, everyone loses control... that completely ruins my whole concept... just kidding... sort of... I truly hope you face as few hospitalizations as possible... what a ridiculous word that is...

briskbison27 said:That’s basically how it works with all mental health issues; in some ways, keeping it under wraps is fine... I honestly thought you were being a narcissist for a second there, but then again, whatever, I'm on two different meds anyway... though briskgull27 is quite the breath of fresh air... yeah, it's not just that I love life, I'd damn well control everything if I could, but when it comes to ICD-10 Chapters, everyone loses control... that completely ruins my whole concept... just kidding... sort of... I truly hope you face as few hospitalizations as possible... what a ridiculous word that is...

Don't worry, I was actually starting to believe I wouldn't end up stuck in the hospital ever again.
Do you have any idea what kind of awful stigma I’m carrying around? It honestly makes me feel sick to my stomach. Back in my hometown, there are people who know all about my schizophrenia, yet I don't even recognize them. Isn't it strange how that works?
It feels like some of my friends don't bother inviting me to things because they're worried I might have an episode or something. Look, I'm doing great right now, but if I happen to go MIA for two months, you know I'm still around—it's just that I've had a seizure. Is it fair to be left out just because of something out of my control?

Come on, people, what is the actual purpose of that chatter thread...🙂

Book, you really are a natural psychologist.🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉

I'm not... I am simply the janitor of this subforum 😢

Honestly, you’re a true Renaissance man—and a bit more intense than most, which is exactly my type.😘 😍 😁

So, I actually received some compliments recently: someone told me they were proud of me, that they saw my attitude as a strength, and even suggested that being a self-assured woman isn't necessarily narcissism. 😂 😂 😂

Truth be told, I didn't even head out to McDonald's with my brother because I was just feeling totally under the weather. 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

Anyway, if there are any other crazy people out there, come say hi—otherwise, I guess I'm taking over this whole thread!

briskgull27 said:So, I actually received some compliments recently: someone told me they were proud of me, that they saw my attitude as a strength, and even suggested that being a self-assured woman isn't necessarily narcissism. 😂 😂 😂

Truth be told, I didn't even head out to McDonald's with my brother because I was just feeling totally under the weather. 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

Anyway, if there are any other crazy people out there, come say hi—otherwise, I guess I'm taking over this whole thread!

I'm a bit slow on the uptake here, so I don't quite get the McDonald's thing... are we all about to lose our minds?

Interesting topic, and honestly, even more interesting posts. :-)
I have a buddy who was diagnosed with F20.0 a few years back.
I’m wondering if there's any way I can help him out with the social side of things. It feels like he’s lost his circle, or maybe he’s just actively dodging people. I don't want to force him to hang out if he isn't feeling it, because he probably wants to keep certain stuff private. I don't want him to feel like some specimen I'm studying just to gossip about later. I respect his privacy, I really do, but I also can't just sit by while my friend completely isolates himself because of his health. We're friends, after all.
As for me, I don't know the exact details of his condition (other than what F20.0 means). Maybe he's a risk to others, so his parents are keeping him tucked away to avoid any embarrassment. I know it's been brutal for his folks and they obviously want what's best, but as his friend, I can't just turn my back and walk away. I don't want to be pushy—maybe his doctor actually told him to avoid certain people or social situations to keep things stable. Maybe pushing too hard could make it worse.
I just want to be there for him if I can, even if it's just hanging out, since that's part of having a decent quality of life.
Since we've barely seen each other lately—maybe once or twice a year—I'm pretty much in the dark about what's going on with his episodes, hospital stays, or general state. All I know is that when he's doing okay, he does some group therapy sessions.

briskbison27 said:I'm a bit slow on the uptake here, so I don't quite get the McDonald's thing... are we all about to lose our minds?

I usually get a few compliments here if I'm navigating the forum smoothly—everything seems to be going great on my end.

Dude went to McDonald's and asked me:
"Want to come along?" So I pictured the whole trip and told him: "I can't."
He was like: "I don't get it,"
And I said: "I'm scared to go because I'm not exactly a genius sister."
So George and dude just headed out, leaving me at home waiting for my homemade fries.