I asked him his opinion. That was what he told me.
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My wife hasn’t wanted my opinion since she learned I was a Trekkie. LOL.
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Yep. That.
I made the mistake of disclosing my schizoaffective to someone I get along with at the grocery store, after a really bad euphoric string of several visits back in September.
Now they all look at me funny, and that’s not paranoia. I would have never told them had I not been on a high, but they seemed to need an explanation at the time.
I’m in a recovery group to address my agoraphobia, and all I’ve told them is bipolar, except for my best friend there and my sponsor.
Part of me is like turtle42 and doesn’t care, but I think that’s just a defiant front.
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Dont just say pArAnOID ScHIZOpHrENIA
Say you have a nervous breakdown a few years ago. Its a nonspecific term. You have some mental health isuues.
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I had two friends who made fun of me at first for being schizophrenic. But we always joke around with each other. I was just sensitive and thought they were attacking me. They said they didn’t care I’m still me. My other friends don’t care. I never talk to my friends about my hallucinations or delusions. We just hang and joke around. My family says I shouldn’t talk about my mental illness and I should just try to enjoy my life, so the only one I really talk to is my psychiatrist and on here occasionally.
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Bah I don’t know how you guys pick your friends but mine were already pre-filtered against leaving me for finding out. They may not want to be around me in periods of psychosis but it’s not like they aren’t there if I write or back if I’m better, unless I push them away or put them off while psychotic or manic or whatever may skew my behaviour and inhibitions. People don’t owe us their company, if you wouldn’t want to be around a flat earther talking about his theories non stop likely the experience of dealing with me psychotic while not necessarily similar can have many parallels in terms of how uncomfortable it can be. If we are no longer fun to be around because say I may be conspicuous in public or more erratic and unpredictable in private talking nonsense(I’ve been referred to while psychotic by a friend of mine, and I tend to agree, as acting like a crazy preacher) we can’t blame them for not including us at parties or poker night. They should maintain empathy for us but we should maintain some empathy for them as well.
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I prefer not to tell
My Physician asked me what do I do for a living and I told her I was on disability. She then asked what was my disability. She also wanted to know all my medications I was taking and what they were for.
She put Paranoid Schizophrenia on my current conditions on my patient portal for all to see
I prefer the public not to know but when the issue or question comes up in social situations as to what I do for a living it creates too much internal tension and stress as to what I should say
My Schizophrenia is not noticeable but me living with my parents and having no other relationships or a job or career is very odd for a 53 year old
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I have Done it a couple times, and it made them Ask related questions about it.
but sometimes i would rather say i work part time or something.
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Thank you for all of your responses!
I actually believed that I didn’t have schizophrenia and that my work booked me off coz I was a threat to them hehe. So only recently did I realise that I do actually have schizophrenia.
It’s great to be part of this forum. I appreciate all the support and responses.
I haven’t told many people. But the ones i have told: half are still friends and one or two have stopped talking to me. I’m not sure what happened with the friend last night.
But I agree with you not to disclose. It’s the whole stigma and people don’t understand.
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Same happened to me too
Not seen this friend for years now
Told my employer before I started and they make allowances for me when I am not feeling well
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I generally dont tell people.
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Nope, I don’t tell.
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I slowly lost all my friends during the onset of schizophrenia, which started when I was 24 or 25. I guess I scared people away by talking about the plots against me, the voices, and the conspiracies. Around 2004 was the last time I had a friend. I went on meds around 2008. This didn’t remove the memories of being rejected for a health issue. I don’t take much seriously anymore.
So, I haven’t had friends in a very long time (almost two decades come this summer). I don’t consider anyone my friend. No one. Zero. Dating was a disaster too, but that’s another story.
I’m not currently working, but I’ll tell people at a workplace about the schizophrenia so that they know, because they need to know why I have trouble making eye contact among other things, so I don’t get bullied (and I have no intention of making work place friends anyways).
I try to be kind and listen to others, and try to remain calm. I also try to be nonjudgmental (because I realize how much most people secretly hate critical people), but I don’t bother investing in getting to know anyone anymore. There’s no point.
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That is sad. It says a lot about them, and not much about you. You did not change. You just gave a word to what was already there.
I am fully open about ptsd. It has a lot less stigma.
I am open about psychosis to friends and colleagues. They are non-judgmental types. Most have MI themselves. It is fine.
I am forced to be open to family and helping professionals. That is a problem. They stopped seeing me as a person. And ignore everything I say. “I have thrombosis, my leg is twice as thick, here look” - “Nah, that’s in your mind, take an anxiety pill”. “Kid and I are being abused” - “Nah, that is in your mind, take an anxiety pill”. “I can’t tolerate dairy” - “Nah, that’s in your mind, take an anxiety pill”. “I want to report incest, I have proof” - “Nah, that is in your mind, take an anxiety pill.” 
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All my friends and family know, and it’s been really helpful to be able to be open about it in the past. Nowadays I rarely talk about my schizophrenia with them, it’s mostly in the past. With new people I made it sort of a principle to not lie about it and be open about it when the conversation takes this direction.
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I only tell the closest friends 
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I’m so sorry that that happened to you @TarenS
I have unfortunately had this experience too.
I lost friends over sz. I was sent to state hospital and my friends knew. It was a long time so I had to say something. When I got back they wouldn’t even acknowledge me. It hurt a lot. I considered them to be really close and good friends. It really hurt me a lot.
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yea i told a friend from school and she stopped talking to me too… i don’t know if it’s because of what i told her or if it’s just that she has kids and husband now and i don’t fit in her life anymore or something.
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Yip it’s hard. I haven’t heard from my friend yet but will wait a week and then see what happens.
I’m prepared that he has moved on. Pity cos we studied together and we all had a lot of fun growing up. We also secretly liked each other for many years and I only found out on the night of his wedding. So we have a sweet little story to tell about our friendship. But yip the friendship could be over…
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Give it some time before jumping to conclusions. But if your old friend really is distancing himself from you now that’s kind of fd
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