Weekly Prompt #4: What are some common misconceptions about schizophrenia,
Hello everyone and I hope you are all having a bit easier week. How are you all feeling?
Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. It's important to talk about your experiences and it can help you process your emotions and cope with the challenges that come with living with schizophrenia.
Given that, this week's prompt is: What are some common misconceptions about schizophrenia, and how do these misconceptions affect individuals who have been diagnosed with the disorder?
@ASilentObserver I think some stigmas that surround schizophrenia are that people who suffer from it are violent and that they can't function in everyday life. In reality, schizophrenia can be treated with therapy and medication and people can live a very fulfilling life, just like everyone else!
@fruityPond7887 Thank you pond. I agree with you. You have a lot of empathy for those living with it.
That schizophrenics are crazy and harmful to society and must be kept isolated.
The reality is that they are struggling to lead a life free from stigma due to which they may not even open up about their mental health concerns. They are very safe and that's why they may remain undiagnosed or untreated for too long as their being schizophrenic isn't mostly evident and can go unnoticed.
@ASilentObserver
@lyricalAngel70 I hear you angel. That must be difficult when facing stigma and a lack of understanding. One deserve to be seen for who they truly are, free from labels and judgment.
@ASilentObserver One thing I find frustrating is the idea that we only experience positive symptoms, such as Delusions, and Hallucinations
The negative symptoms is a whole other half of it, and perhaps, at least for me, the part that we most struggle with even with meds. Negative symptoms include little to no facial expressions, difficulty concentrating or memories, disorganized thinking, avolition, anhedonia, and some others cant recall off the top of my head. These make even the most simple tasks actual *** most of the time.
I feel like this misconception only furthers peoples confusion and stereotyping about this illness
@TwoFacedTim That must feel very frustrating. How do the negative symptoms impact your daily life? I hear your desire for more awareness of this important part of the illness.
@ASilentObserver For me at least, symptoms as well as severity can vary widely between patients, can be debiliating. For one the lack of facial expressions, its like everyone else xan move freely, while you are being wrapped in plastic, trying to break through. Unable to express how you really feel, not only through emotional expression but also through speaking. The Disorganized Thinking part makes it hard for me to explain my own thoughts and ideas, and put them into words. All this makes attempting to interact with others relatively disappointing, and particularly frustrating. I usually just mimic the other person, rephrasing whatever they say as a response. And usually when I do speak I notice I speak strangely, in a manner others usually dont speak like, and it often doesnt make sense, to others at least. This also affects simple tasks such as studying or reading, I often have a hard time making sense of the info in my head (i have no clue how i am passing high school rn). It can also make doing things hard. Like for example, I am sitting down, and want to get up to go brush my teeth. My mind just cannot connect the steps, if that makes sense, like it cannot figure out how to get from sitting down to brushing my teeth. For this I have found a remedy, of taking it 3 steps at a time, and very simple short steps. Example, place feet on ground, lift torso, shift weight onto feet, and so forth. There are also other ones I used to deal with, but the antidepressants help a lot with them. Avolition, or lack of motivation, can make it incredibly hard to finish something, or even get started in the first place, anhedonia which is basically lack of pleasure, can pretty much take away all joy from your hobbies, and Alogia, which makes it so that you barely talk, giving often short one word answers, or not being able to speak at all.
Sorry for the info dump, I have been doing research and conducting research/experiments on myself ever since I got the official diagnosis. Though frustrating and debiliating to no end, this disease can also be incredibly intriguing, especially with so little known about its cause, or cure, and even smaller amount of stories of people with this disease. Did you know Albert Einsteins son, Eduard Einstein had developed Schizophrenia, and yet I cant find anything about his actual experience/story about with the disease itself
@TwoFacedTim Thank you for sharing your experience and information with me. It sounds like living with schizophrenia has presented many challenges for you both emotionally and in daily life. I can understand how frustrating it must feel to struggle with a lack of motivation or inability to experience pleasure from activities you once enjoyed. You also mentioned finding the disease intriguing - has learning more about it helped you in any way? You're very courageous to conduct your own research and experiments to better understand yourself. Please keep up with your research and small steps and do share your learning and experiences more with us.
@ASilentObserver That we are dangerous. I'm SO tired of that stigma. I'm not dangerous. I'm not violent. Yes, I can get angry, but so can everybody else! I would NEVER hurt anyone. Most of the time I suppress every bad feeling in my body. And sometimes it comes out. If you call me an idiot though I only give as good as I get.
@TheMadHatterWasHere It sounds frustrating to constantly face stigma around anger. Most people experience anger at times, yet some faces more judgement than others. It feels tired of unfair assumptions that do not reflect who you are - a person with feelings like everybody else. Suppressing things can be difficult. How does living with that perception affect you in your daily life?
@ASilentObserver I makes me constantly (when I'm psychotic or just paranoid) question whether I'm dangerous or not. It's exhausting :(
@TheMadHatterWasHere That sounds like an exhausting situation to be in. Constantly questioning yourself can be draining.
one that I often see is people tend to think schizophrenics just hear voices say mean things to them. in reality sometimes they say nice things, sometimes they say intellectual things, you might sometimes see things, sometimes you might experience really trippy reality breaking stuff, etc. it's just not a very simple thing.
@MooRooster Thank you for sharing your perspective. It sounds like experiences with schizophrenia can vary widely from person to person. You're right that the situation is complex with many possible experiences. What feelings have these realizations brought up for you?
@ASilentObserver to me the schizophrenic is one of shaman blood with no guidance from any lineage, destined to wander the spirit world blindly, and forced onto zombifying drugs. most of what you see about it in the media is fear mongering, and propaganda against our kind.
@MooRooster Thank you for sharing your perspective. It sounds like experiencing schizophrenia without proper support or understanding has been challenging.
