Hello with all the high functioning threads and groups starting what would some of the high functioning abilities be?
Sorry for the stupid question
Probably predominantly an ability to work I assume.
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It varies a lot… I don’t believe the term. I might be able to work sometimes but I lack certain functioning elsewhere like having motivation to cook and clean
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having very little or no symptoms of one’s diagnosis …
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Being mostly self sufficient?
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Hello,
I’m high functioning and I don’t have any symptoms of the metal illness, thanks to a correct medication. However, I have many side effects but it doesn’t prevent me from having a job.
So I guess it would be having not so much of the mental illness symptoms.
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When they say sz’s are “high functioning” they are comparing them to sz’s who are incapacitated by our disease. At least that’s the way it is at the assisted living center where I live.
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It means people with sz who can function when they are high… Just a guess 
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I guess I’m medium functioning
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This is all pretty ridiculous if you think about it.
Most people on this site are High Functioning, just at different degrees.
Low functioning Schizophrenics would have a really difficult time using a computer and they certainly wouldn’t be able to communicate on a forum like this.
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I think of a high functioning schizophrenic as one who can do about %60 plus of what a normal can.
But as others have said, it’s a spectrum. Some may struggle to do %45 of that.
Perhaps there should be more diversity in the terms available.
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Or in between the normal and the unmedicated?
High-functioning and low-functioning should be renamed to “Above Average SZ” and “SZ”.
The schizophrenics should not address themselves as low-functioning, but generally a SZ. If they meet the remission criteria and/or able to study/work, they can consider themselves as “Statistically above average SZ”.
What do you think?
I feel people should be able to address themselves how they like but I also know that sometimes during psychosis patients are so unwell they don’t even know they are unwell so they won’t refer themselves as any of those things. Tough thing to think about.
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@Zoom
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I would feel like an invalidated schizophrenic if I was considered “Above Average SZ” or “Statistically above average SZ” instead of just “SZ”, like I am now. Maybe it’s just my sick mind telling me this, or maybe it’s the way I feel. I don’t know.
I feel like we all have bad days where we’re sometimes low functioning, more low functioning or completely low functioning. Then we have better days, or good days, where we function better than other days. I don’t know.
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I think the issue with that is that it’s defeatist. I think a lot of the problem is that people feel discouraged from trying to make improvements in their lives. A lot of the time here I see people doing this explicitly, which really interferes with people’s ability to recover.
If the default assumption is that you can’t, why would you be motivated to try?
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at one point I asked a pdoc many years ago if I was high functioning. I was working. She said no just average functioning. Just about. Yet another pdoc said there’s no way I have sz because I walked to his appointment without aid.
Yes, I agree with both of you, ish and SplitMind.
I think @Truemist8 tells the truth, the label of “high-functioning” is insulting.
Yes, Rhubot.
No one can guarantee success all the times. We do need help in the event of crisis.
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on my last site I joined there was a big clique