I don’t, i would rather identify as anything other than Schizophrenic but i know people who say ‘that is what i am’ , That’s who i am.
I want to be known for something good not something bad, When you say ‘i am schizophrenic’ what does that mean? I think its just a diagnosis i got given to describe my symptoms of my illness but it is not me, it is not my true self.
A man with depression would not be called depressenic or someone with Diabetes would not be diabetenic,
Seriously though, “Do you identify as Schizophrenic”? Yes, I identify as a schizophrenic, I also identify as a diabetic, and a dog owner. It doesnt have to be your full identity, but it is PART of who you are.
Oh that’s silly I have schizophrenia whether or not I choose to acknowledge it.
I know the whole identifying thing makes perfect sense for some things but it doesn’t work universally.
The best answer to this question is that I tell nobody about my disease outside of family. As far as the outside world knows I’m healthy. This is the best way to avoid stigma, but requires you to have your symptoms under control so that you don’t display as sick in public. I’m 95% recovered thanks to meds and time, but I’m still technically a schizophrenic, I’m definitely not cured. The voices occasionally flare up to remind me of that.
I sometimes identify as such but only to close friends, i certainly dont talk about my schizophrenia to people, especially probable enemies or people against my grain, they will use it as an excuse to violate my sole livelihood. I find most people useless to help me with my delusions, even some people on this forum seem to go against the grain of my delusions and simply push it aside or push it downwards instead of helping me.
But hey i cant blame them, noone can help me.
But also i find my own post here insensitive, i feel like i should delete it.
Might as well if i see people say so.
I am openly schizophrenic. Outside of the forum no one really understands the difference between sz and sza, so I just say sz when explaining.
Luckily my disorder is well controlled and I have a very good reputation in the community. That is thanks to my job. I’ve grown in the position and am considered indispensable now. Which really helps.my mental health and self esteem.
Also, being open allows me a bit more freedom and understanding on my “weird” days or for small habits (symptoms). Because I am careful with my treatment, people trust me and give me a lot of understanding
People with diabetes aren’t called diabetenic… they are called diabetic pretty close…
But seriously I don’t care much about the diagnosis except for the degree to which it affords me language to describe my symptoms.
