I recently drank to much and told everyone at a BBQ that I am diagnosed with paranoid sz. Before that I’d just told people that I had bipolar which was my first diagnosis. My reasoning was that bipolar seems less scary to the lay person and still explains some of my behaviour and why I go to bed early and don’t want to stay over at peoples houses etc.
I was just wondering how many people here are completely open about their diagnosis. After getting drunk and telling people I think I might as well just tell peoplebe completely open about the fact that I have sz and that I have to manage it in certain ways which ‘normals’ don’t.
Most folk at my cricket club know. I’m pretty open about it but I present well and it’s often a weird thing with folks. Often they have other issues from mine so it all evens itself out.
Still. You tell who you can if you can get away with it. Other than that…don’t tell. You get a feel for it!
Thanks for the advice. I must admit that now I’m stable on the meds I feel pretty normal and have started feeling like it’s no big deal. I still get some breakthrough symptoms but generally it’s all managable with that and self care.
Yeah take it as a needs only know basis and your doing well. I don’t work. I just sick and tired of explaining to people why I’m on a disability pension! If I was working then I wouldn’t tell anyone unless necessary or comfortable. It all depends on your life and what you get out off it!
I know that sounds a little mercenary but you’ve got to look out for yourself and a large percentage of people just don’t deal with anything like mental illness well!
That’s the thing, I’m not working, but do a bit of voluntary work, the negative symptoms are really messing with me still and I’m doing my best to push through it. People always want to know why you don’t work, like you owe them an explaination. You’re right about telling people on a need to know basis. The people at the BBQ didn’t really need to know. I was mortified and hope that they just think I was talking rubbish as I was really drunk.
Unfortunately there’s a lot of people who don’t deal well with mental illness and sz seems especially bad for that.
I’m always open with people about it, i don’t really pass well as a ‘regular’ person so i just tell people. if they have a problem with it then i don’t need them in my life.
I don’t tell most people. When I was around people, they probably assumed I was a lazy moocher. I’d rather that then they know the truth. I don’t trust people around here to be open minded. I’ve seen how some people talk about a trans woman we have here. I mean, they don’t assume she’s evil but they use slurs and stuff. This is the very rural north. I don’t think too many people even think of calling her a her.
If someone called me crazy or a lunatic or something, to my face, maybe I’d tell them just what I think, but it wouldn’t be like that. They’d just say ■■■■ to each other about me around me, and since I’m by myself I couldn’t do the same without talking to myself. That’s how that works. I was bullied for 6 years in school.
I’m not inviting that kind of thing again.
To be honest, bipolar scares me more than schizophrenia.
Maybe because my own emotions are so flat, it frightens me when people go from 0-100, happy to sucidially depressed to raging angry, in 5 seconds.
But to stick to the topic, yes, I am open about schizophrenia. It’s a big part of my life, and if it becomes relevant to the conversation, I’m not afraid to mention it.
I dont shout it to the world but i definitely mention that i got something going on right now. But i make it clear that its nothing with my mood but with how my brain works. I technically dont even have to say anything like i dont mention it on instagram but in YouTube comments if i see i can relate to about sz then ill reply or give my 2 cents. But in public sometimes just depends
I think with neurotypicals it’s partially because they can relate to mood swings more than hearing voices. A staggering number of people have had depression temporarily. Plus, everyone knows someone who is kind of emotionally turbulent.
Horror movies written by people who don’t know anything don’t help.
Everyone has been very supportive and understanding, and appropriately curious. Oddly enough, most of the stigma I’ve encountered thus far has been from doctors and pdocs. Is that weird? It seems weird.
According to dsm iv you need 2 symptoms to be diagnosed or one if the voice is commenting or if you hear conversation about you in the 3rd person. I have running commentary and i dont believe that normal people have it