I have a faint perception that treatment and life experiences of schizophrenia sufferers has been made worse by the global trend of becoming more rational.
schizophrenia is what it is, but I remember being formally introduced to it in a negative and fearful way in introduction to psychology course in highschool. It kind of made me hide it and fear that I had it, until it became clear that I had it.
I wonder if instead of learning about it in the heritage of psychiatric culture, it was looked at in the lens of the relativist stipulation all intro psych textbooks make about cultural exemptions from psychiatric diagnosis.
I can imagine a bunch of peers in the intro class all clamoring to have schizophrenia appealing as the broader sphere of nonsanctioned schizophrenic culture is, that involves philosophy, art and media . As well as tolerance of less cold and intensely rationalized cultures that still exist that can’t relativisticaly be judged to be schizo but have similarities.
I think it would not be difficult to both treat the profoundly negative symptoms but at the same time accept schizophrenia as part of humanity, after all it certainly didn’t help me fearing and hiding something at 17 years old which seems to be avoiding a cold psychiatric culture rooted in western rationalism.
I believe an advanced society would have an interactive support system to help with recovery and stabilization. Along with an understanding and compassionate people.
Hard to image bridging that gap right now, when the overall entertainment themes are of abominable actions and negative verbal displays which no one would want to have really happen in their lives.
I didn’t know there was a global trend of people becoming more rational? When I was younger I made the mistake thinking people thought how I thought. I realize as I get older the world is full of all kinds of thinking people. Some dictators and presidents
College degree only teaches memorization same with highschool that’s why the world is full of people that don’t think before they do things. People are good at googling and memorizing what they read. I question if anyone really thinks now a days.
No, they have certain cultural practices like repetitive behavior, delusional /superstitious beliefs, inducing dissociative states through certain behaviors including repetitive actions, nonsense talking and really bad grammar by western standards etc.
Pacific islanders are underdiagnosed for schizophrenia due to cultural acceptance of things like demonic possession as it has been interpreted.
So again, no, it doesnt mean they dont get schizophrenia but they are likely underdiagnosed due to lack of aggressive psychiatry
So depending on these social culture and belief and without definition.
Those with schizophrenia even if socially withdrawn and isolating, are integrated supported by the family / community which helps
Well even in western cultures, early schizophrenic perceptions were being docile and non-threatening, not til the 60s when it was associated with violence and race.
theres things nobody knows about it. its reported that auditory hallucinations in african patients tended to not be distressing, while in western patients they are usually distressing. its speculated to be cultural differences, but it is not understood.
having schizophrenia has never really been good in the west or even in china where there was ancient antipsychotics that killed the patient quickly We can only speculate that a 60’s change of attitudes was because of psychiatric mandate for treatment due to first modern antipsychotics and possibly withdrawal effects that worsened psychosis
Not many people take the time to study the quality or the nature of the voices’s content. We just get medicated.
I saw a TikTok video recently of a guy that was talking about how cogently presented some ‘auditorial hallucinations’ are. He questioned whether we should categorize the experience as hallucination, given the complexity and nature of the presentation. We just don’t know anything about it fr.
Many of my delusions ended up revolving around the Nation of Islam and Islam in general. I was not brought up Muslim. So many of mine ended up being outside of this realm.
But I would agree that usually this is the case.
I’m just an oddball even in delusional terms .
Because, as whoever changed my title knows, I’m a rebel, a loner .
Thats prolly the most relevant item to encourage a paradigm shift in acceptance from the current zero tolerance towards symptoms. If culturally we tolerate them then perhaps individually we will as well, but not in lieu of treatment
Sometimes I wonder though if attempting to unravel the origins of messages and themes of delusions and hallucinations would convolute treatment, or do more harm than good… Maybe it’s case-dependent.
Sadly, most pdocs and therapists just don’t give two shits one way or the other— they have their own schools of thought on the matter, haha.
I will say that I’ve tried figuring out some of my own symptoms and where certain phrases and themes have played out in my life before. Overall it’s been interesting and a little illuminating piecing and stringing things together, but that’s all done and in the past now.
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