Apologies if this is insensitive, but I was wondering if you consider yourself disabled, neurodiverse, both or none of the above. I tend to think of schizophrenia as a disease as well as a personality thing (in fact one of the labels I’ve been given is schizotypal personality disorder, which is a schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorder). However, when people who are autistic talk about being more understanding of people who are neurodiverse, I don’t know if that counts people with mental disorders that affect ones thoughts and behavior. I tend to view myself as having a mild disability because the side effects of the meds + my emotional limits require me to have a little accommodation with everyday tasks, but not much. However, because I’m doing so well on meds, I’ve had multiple people (a doctor included) say “you just have a mental health concern, you’re not disabled.” Legal status aside, do you consider yourself disabled? And, the issue of whether you need meds aside, do you feel a connection between the cause of autism acceptance and acceptance of people with schizophrenia, or do you think it’s bad to equate the two?
Yes, I do consider myself disabled. With the cognitive symptoms like difficulty concentrating and problems with planning and the negative symptoms like avolition it is very difficult for me to function. My positive symptoms are mild and very much under control, it’s the negative and cognitive symptoms that are disabling.
I’m affected by both negative and positive symptoms and yes I consider myself disabled.
I don’t consider myself disabled.
no
take care 
i feel a little disabled both in functioning and in emotional wavelengths so to speak.
judy
If I’m not disabled then I function badly for a person who’s not disabled.
My life has become very limited, as I am not able to do many basic tasks like go to a grocery store. I guess that would make me disabled, as an abled-bodied person could do a lot more than I can.
I do. I am on many different meds and my symptoms from various illnesses can surface anytime.
I’m not disabled as long as I can take Latuda. Although I wish I could shower and especially brush my teeth I still have negative symptoms
I hate words like ‘neurodiverse’ and ‘neruotypical’. I’m a person like anyone else. I think a lot of people would benefit if they stopped thinking of ‘us vs them’. We’ve just got an illness, we’re not aliens.
I consider myself disabled/crippled mentally, but I just finished two classes last semester and started working as a administrative assistant the22nd of this month. Even on the meds though I’m still a terrible driver and barely make it to the grocery store and school and back.