It seems so many more people my age today are opening up about their struggles with mental illness or other awful things, usually on social media or whatever. In person too though. I think it gives a lot of good awareness. I am also very jealous of those people that are able to do that and be so open. I have really tried to change myself and open up more to other people. But it’s so incredibly difficult for me and I don’t know why. I can be as open as I want anonymously on the internet but when it comes to my loved ones, even just random people I know, I can’t say a thing and I just don’t understand.
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I’m pretty open, but also there are thing you can discuss with some people and others don’t want to hear it or maybe should not be hearing it. It depends on the relationship and your friends or family beliefs
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I’m open about the fact that I have schizophrenia, but I dont go into details about unusual beliefs etc with people. Except with doctors.
My “friends” just know when I am in a low mood, furthermore they notice, because I am so distanced, and when I am with them I am most of the time in silence, or saying very little and I don’t feel like doing anything. But out of that, I don’t share with them all my beliefs or crazy thougths.
In social media I don’t relate any content with my mental health, and I also was seeing people in “english language” that have got their own control sharing it with pictures and advances of their mental illnes with their followers, I also admire them to feel good in their own skin and being confortable sharing with society.
Anna, There is a lot of wisdom in your fear. No offense intended to anyone but severe mental illness has not yet reached homosexuality status in society, yet. I’ve had some ridiculous things happen to me because I told the wrong people and I don’t say that to tell you to be afraid but there remains a lot of stigma and fear in society regarding schizophrenia, in particular. I think things are getting safer all the time but if you aren’t quite ready to talk, you might be right on schedule.
About the only times I am really open about it is on here and with mental health professionals. Much of my family and friends know I have sza, but I never talk details with any of them. I just do not think they would understand the crazy thoughts and all of that. Last fall I made a post on fb, coming out of the psychiatric closet, as I called it, but that was it. I’ve never made any social media posts about my illness other than that one time. And that time I was somewhat vague, no details given, and very matter-of-fact.
I don’t think most people can handle hearing about the details of the struggle. I used to think to myself that, for most people, if they could look inside my head what they would see would give them nightmares. A bit dramatic, but there is some truth to it.
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It’s been gradually revealed to me that my relatives or people that I interact with on a daily basis don’t care if I have mental illness or not, so if I want to tell them I tell them. They don’t care. For example, when I shop at Walmart and the cashier has rung up all of the items, she says, “Your total is $160 dollars.” If I tell her I have schizophrenia she says, “Your total is $160 dollars.”
On birthdays and holidays I visit my girlfriend’s relatives. After the meal, I take out my small med box, and take my meds in front of everybody. Nobody cares. They might be concerned if I acted like I was doing something wrong. When someone is there that never met me they’ll usually ask me why I take medications. I tell them I have schizophrenia, but I do it in a way with no shame. They leave to try to get the end piece of the ice cream cake.
I’m not ashamed to tell people I have schizophrenia because nobody cares.
I think this is the same for me, a lot of times I just don’t talk to people in my life about it because I don’t think they would understand. I KNOW they wouldnt. It’s like living on another planet and trying to share struggles of that planet with someone from this one, they are going to have no idea what you are talking about.
The friends that I am more open with also have mental illness. Not psychosis but depression and whatnot so they can understand that at least.
However I also just worry about freaking people out or upsetting them. There’s a lot I will never tell my parents because of that.
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I never told either of my parents, or any other family, about why I fled to the hospital in October 2003. I couldn’t tell them that I thought they were coming after me, that they all were orchestrating a plan to have me killed. It would have pissed my dad off, offended him. Not sure how my mom would have reacted, but I don’t think she would’ve been mad. My sister probably would be understanding if I told her about it, but not so much with my brother-in-law. I think it depends on how well the person understands MI, their level of compassion for the mentally ill.
So yeah, I don’t blame you at all for not telling them details of your struggles.
I wish I could be because having to keep it a secret makes me look like a pretty strange person anyway. Or like a lazy bum or loser. But if they knew I had this I couldn’t feel comfortable thinking about how they might be looking at me and expecting me to act violent or something.
I’ve been semi-open to friends in the past who also have schizophrenia. Swapping war stories of funny or weird experiences we had in the hospital or out of the hospital. I just recently started telling myu sisters about a little about my hospitalizations. I mean at the time, my whole family visited me almost every day when I was locked up for 8 months but I never really went in depth about the day to day life inside and my state of mind while I was in. I really don’t get into my early struggles with mental illness with psychiatrists or therapists. Recently I’ve hinted at it. But usually I spend the time talking about the struggles of just living life.
I try to be as open as possible on forums and social media. In terms of off the internet; I have no friends to tell or not tell.