A little of this is repetitive from me but this represents my thought process on everything. I didn’t have the strength to “publish” this but I’d like to share it here.
People don’t like what they don’t understand. But at the same time people do find people interesting. So at this moment, I want to share something. I have schizophrenia. I want to put a face on it, because I know from reading, that doing so is persuasive.
I want to “cast my vote” to lessen stigma toward schizophrenia. It’s debilitating on it’s own, and the misunderstanding doesn’t help. It is a strong word, but I think it has received a bad rap.
I heard that the Parkland shooter claims to hear voices. Maybe he does, but I also think in many cases people flock to “schizophrenia” for leniency, and this sullies the reputation of those who are innocent, genuinely have it, and are struggling with isolation. I think that it’s sort of a phenomenon at play and perhaps an algorithm will come along that explains this better than I can.
The word get’s used improperly in movies. Even the Netflix hit show Stranger things failed to do it justice somewhere in the middle of season 2. And in politics, Anthony Scaramucci said Reince Priebus was acting schizophrenic, which was intended to be a strong put down and not break any new ground for those who struggle.
It affects 1% of the global population, and pays no attention to gender, race, or creed. It’s a quiet disaster because 5% of us choose to end our own lives. That’s a lot of people. Probably many others contemplate it, but I won’t try to attach a number to that. It tends to afflict the young, when we are just starting out, so we tend not to have a lot of socioeconomic pull. Maybe it’s too provocative to say, but if this “quiet disaster” caused property damage like a hurricane, perhaps the media would educate people more.
It’s the aspect of me where I fall into a minority group. And there is an oppression out there. But so far I’m at a loss for how to proceed. Spirits out there are broken, and despair is prevalent. Many are afraid to come out of the closet so we can’t get strength in numbers.
Perpetuating this behavior is the psychiatrists’ promise of confidentiality. It could be a disservice, maybe we shouldn’t insist everything be so hush-hush. Perhaps those who struggle should get out in front of it and wear it proudly. Because it’s a fascinating disorder. And besides if something isn’t working, you need to make a change.