I was talking with my dad the other day and he said something that struck me as important for us. He said that people don’t have to understand what your going through. To me this takes a load off my shoulders, because I’ve always thought that the best way to fight stigma was to get people to understand what it’s like to have a diagnosis, especially SZ. They don’t have to understand us. We’re not responsible for their intellectual capacity. They just have to respect us.
This goes both ways though. I might not be able to understand what it is like to be a different color or come from a different country, but I should respect those who do and give them a fair chance. You don’t have to adopt this way of thinking. It is your choice about what you should do. It is best to demand respect from others about your diagnosis or anything that makes you different. They don’t have to like you. You’ll run into people who hate, dislike, like, or love you. It is hard sometimes, but centering yourself around your reality and not someones biased perception of you is the key to being at peace*.
*peace, brought to you by Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Lol you insult me
I am deeply offended
Lol… @metime
On merit though, your dad is incorrect.
You didn’t say that explicitly, but it may be that you took it seriously because its
your dad.It happens sometimes.
Practically, healthy people should understand that people with schizophrenia are suffering
and their functioning problems, so that they have a motivation to develop cures.
Respect is not enough, they have to understand the problem.
If they don’t understand how bad schizophrenia really is, they don’t have the motivation
to find a cure.
These are my thoughts.
I feel that I am sometimes the only one in this forum to inject reason into the debate.
I don’t think that I have reading comprehension problems.
If you agree with me, that’s not evident from the post you wrote.
On the contrary, those reading your post may get the wrong impression that you think
that just getting respect is enough. You write:" It is best to demand respect from others about your diagnosis or anything that makes you different."Banging on about people not being
able to understand.
I think that if you think really that people should really understand what its like to have schizophrenia,
you should make this clear cause the impression I got( and beams from your text!) is that you changed your mind and now think that people shouldn’t understand.
I think that what you originally thought is correct, and your dad is absolutely wrong,
and perhaps you agree, but your message says otherwise. @metime
I will qoute your message in case you edit:
I was talking with my dad the other day and he said something that struck me as important for us. He said that people don’t have to understand what your going through. To me this takes a load off my shoulders, because I’ve always thought that the best way to fight stigma was to get people to understand what it’s like to have a diagnosis, especially SZ. They don’t have to understand us. We’re not responsible for their intellectual capacity. They just have to respect us.
This goes both ways though. I might not be able to understand what it is like to be a different color or come from a different country, but I should respect those who do and give them a fair chance. You don’t have to adopt this way of thinking. It is your choice about what you should do. It is best to demand respect from others about your diagnosis or anything that makes you different. They don’t have to like you. You’ll run into people who hate, dislike, like, or love you. It is hard sometimes, but centering yourself around your reality and not someones biased perception of you is the key to being at peace*.
*peace, brought to you by Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
It isn’t in my power to make people understand. It is not my job. I don’t cater to ignorance and hate. That is just who I am. I’m not the ambassador to SZ. You do you, including your own research.
I very much regret your approach @metime.
Of course you can do whatever you like.
I think that it should be done.
If you don’t think so that’s too bad.
I think that if you don’t want to explain thoroughly you can say something more superficial,
like a cure for schizophrenia is in order, that would be awesome.
Of course you can do whatever you like.
Best wishes,
Erez.
@Erez_Shmerling
Well, I’m not always sure about how to add on to my explanations of things. Sometimes I don’t like to show weakness. Let me explain myself further. I won’t really be able to understand the entire experience of someone who is black. The fear, pain, and other struggles I know I won’t ever be able to change my skin color and understand. So I feel it is with SZ.
What is your diagnosis? I have SZ, but my medication helps me to function pretty well.
This might sound strange, but I’m not really sure. When I was in prodrome I still held down a retail job even when I went beyond and into psychosis. I hid my true thoughts and occasional voices from my dad and the pdocs at my first hospital. They diagnosed me with anxiety. I don’t remember exactly though. The shorter version is that I had delusions and hallucinations for a while (much longer than most people) before I was put on medication. After getting on the right meds it was like what I imagine people in comas go through – a slow awakening of my functioning. I think medication probably calmed down all the noise that kept my cognition stifled.
I apologize for being offensive. I was in a situation at where I volunteer. That is no excuse for being cranky to you. I don’t edit unless I make a negative comment, because sometimes I forget that what I say might hurt someone. I don’t edit to fake win an argument. Haha!
idiom
noun [ C ] US /ˈɪd·i·əm/
a group of words whose meaning considered as a unit is different from the meanings of each word considered separately:
Mastering the use of idioms can be hard for a learner.
“Shoot yourself in the foot” is an idiom that means to do something that hurts yourself.
I dont want to take any sides, and I admit I have not read the whole thread, I just think that people can in fact try to understand what its like to be sz but its very difficult. If you want to understand the life of fat people you can wear a fat suit and walk around town. You will notice how people stare at you and discriminate you and also how tiring it is to walk around wiht the extra weight. For understanding old age you can wear also a kind of old age suit, I have seen this before being used in schools and nurses schools for them to undertand whats its like to be old and frail. Now, with sz you could make people wear a virtual reality glasses and headsets that shows them what its like to have voices berate you and see your environment full of dangers and people prosecuting you etc. The positive symptoms lend themself quite well to be experienced in such way. If they understand the hadycap by people with sz better AND respect it, then sz people could have an easier time getting disability and other forms of support suited for them. This I find equally important as the argument about companies looking for cures or medicines for sz. Also, its a shame that people with sz end up on the street and fall though the cracks with no help from society. its one of the most debilitating and harsh illnesses one can have if you have it accute or in a bad way and society should understand this and in consequence offer help and support for them.
Fix their TV, home radio, and car radio to be a tape that was specially recorded for them, playing in ‘secret’, overriding the regular shows.
Say things exclusive to what the person worries about, says out loud, and work it into fake commercials with special meanings just for them.
Say, for instance…the commercial in your car comes on and says something along the lines of…
Feeling FLAT? Les Schwab Tires, will help you out.
then another,
New fall line up, (sings chorus) “Liars~and~Criers”…staring Dr. Leebman!
and one more,
Hey, Watch OUT, Don’t use your turn signal, or your CAR~JUST~MIGHT~BLOW~UP!
see, easy peasy pudin pie.
Now ya’ll can pack up and go home,
we got us a war going on here.
