I wonder whether that profile is typical of high functioning people with schizophrenia. It is certainly very much a learning difficulty/disability profile and probably ditto for ASD.
My functioning is very mixed ie very high intelligence with areas of cognitive difficulty and definite social deficits ie very poor social interaction/skills.
I do think if you are bright enough you can use your strengths to some degree to mask your weaknesses . Whether that’s always a good thing is debatable. There are times when recognition of your weaknesses is needed.
As for not fitting in,this is one of the closest places I’ve come to doing so.
You’re in my zone, well, not mine, but the same house. We are in “the Goldilocks zone” of mental illness. Not too sick, not too well. Rejected by both parties at times and contexts. Accepted by some outsiders who want us for hell I don’t even know, I guess our skills.
This is why it’s important to allow for differential functioning whether it be cognitively or in terms of functioning in day to day life. Give praise where it’s due. Give support where it’s due.
You’re in the side of the house that looks better in tight clothing. I’m in the side of the house with spare circuit boards and soldering irons laying around.
Hi. NAMI does have walks in Montgomery and Berks counties (I’m not sure of wherever else) for mental health including sz.
I love that you suggested tee shirts. I think I will make one up. I hope that just as cancer and homosexuality were feared not that long ago, that brain health issues will be destigmatized. Love to you:)
The t-shirt reference was in the article, so I can’t take credit unfortunately. If you do make some, I’d love to see them! (Post pics on here?) One t-shirt I have seen and plan to buy and wear proudly when I get back in shape has written on it: “I put the HOT in psychotic” Is that bad? I just love it
hi I’m sole caretaker for my adult stepson 51 also diag as a HF SZ. I’m 75 and working very hard to get him set up to be able to care for himself after me. he has deen on the vitamin/mineral supplements program for sz for 5 + yrs now and it seems to help him out - not a cure!! just an aid for daily survival. like one of the replies totally agree the mental health system is worthless. especially for him who didn’t like initial contact meds at all so I let him avoid as long as he could keep his act together in general. not a great sit but sometimes think he’s doing better than me with daily stress!! he’s st to be sole inheriter of house cars money etc so all I can do is try to help him be ready as best I can. good luck to you and us
I am also high functioning but I need to rest a lot to cope with every day life. My brain easily gets over stimulated. Like yesterday, children’s birthday party i fell asleep at 8 PM.
For me, as mentioned, barely functioning is high functioning. I get to do one productive thing a day, on a good day. It’s a bit of a sore point, as I was high functioning even for a normie before my diagnosis.
thank you thank you man… people doubt this… it’s the worst… take being a normal person + whatever mental illnesses without hallucinations and delusions and then add total effing unreality that you must simultaneously process and keep up with the rest.
Schizophrenia can be loosely translated too… “the broken mind” ■■■■■■■ expect us to just be normal… they got no god damn clue… aside from terribly insecure bipolar people I only know one person who seems to have the legitimate level of insanity inside her as a SZ… constant ongoing contradictions and conflicts… the desire to be righteous and the desire to just be a human… then all the complications of identity issues and what to do with the small amount of time we have while alive… and then everything else…
Wish I could just smoke a ■■■■■■■ joint and drift the ■■■■ away from this ■■■■ like I used to do. That’ll only end up giving the reigns back to the psychotic subconscious and it’s desire to seek vengeance on me for scrambling the ■■■■ out it…
Having grown up with a mother and uncle with severe bipolar one, a grandfather with depression that led to psychosis and catatonia, my own PTSD/ dissociative disorder/ psychosis, the person in our family who suffers most and has the most debilitating symptoms has sz. It’s non-stop. I am profoundly impressed by people with sz who recover and do well in the world. It seems hard enough just to get through a day with sz.
I have had schizophrenia for ten years, however it was only about two months ago that my family and friends found out about it. I kept it hidden, and I lied in many tests, so as to be able to fight it on my own; i didn’t want to take any meds, and I succeeded. I did lots of meditation instead. I have fought a lonely battle, and one that is hardly won; I think it is a daily one, that I’m still fighting. Reading strong individuals like you makes me feel less lonely in my understandings. One thing that I often think is that doctors have so little understanding of the mind… And many times I keep quiet from what I have come to understand of my illness, because I know they don’t want to listen to any ideas that are different than their own. Reading you (and others in this forum) inspire me a lot. Thank you!
I want to say that after being diagnosed for 4 years I could say I’m high-functioning, but I don’t think that’s ever completely true. Even when I am up I hallucinate more. When I am down, I get more catatonic and paranoid. So I guess there are no pros or cons here.
I have always expressed the situation as humans being turned into cattle that need serious ongoing maintainence but i like your machine analogy better i think i will adopt that instead - and your post very well said
This made me laugh so freaking hard. Completely agree. Some days I get this crap from the DSM, sometimes I get others but I’d rephrase, I think we’re not just managers but guardians. No one can touch it, everyone ponders, and the best they can do is tell us that “yes, you experience xyz. Here, lets try teaching you what good behavior looks like.” (Sorry, displeased with CBT).
I consider myself to be a high functioning sza. Although I don’t work for someone else, I do own rental property and am planning on maybe purchasing another quite soon. I do very well for myself. I keep busy everyday with reading, yoga, meditation, keyboard playing, and web surfing.
