Those functional outcomes I measured came from the website for a cognition enhancing medication which failed phase 3 trials I think back in 2015-16, it was called encenicline. I think recovery and functionality are whatever a given person is disposed to believe they are. If you consider yourself high functioning, then you are high functioning. For me sometimes I can do things and sometimes I can’t, it really depends on the day. Over the long term I really don’t know. 
Of course the illness tends to be more severe in us. Another factor is the stigma of being in a relationship with a mentally ill person, society is more forgiving of women taking on the role of the one who needs to be taken care of. Also, maybe women stay home and the man goes to work, this arrangement is more socially accepted.
Do you have a source saying that men tend to have it more severe than women with sz? Because I’ve never heard that before and looking it up apparently women with sz are more likely to be lower functioning than men…but also some saying that men are worse in some symptom areas while women are worse in others…
The other points make sense though, that is society sadly.
This is the one I was looking at. It suggests many different studies have found many different things.
It seems that men have it more severe early on but post menopause things turn around and it’s more severe for women.
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To have a conversation with me, I am definitely high functioning. I have almost no negative symptoms and I articulate myself very well. I also manage pretty well with school. I am getting good grades. I do , however, go days without showering and will occasionally wear the same make-up for 3 or 4 days without washing my face. I do brush my teeth every day. I wear the same clothes for about 3 days before changing because I feel like they don’t get ‘dirty’ for a few days. Now on the illness side of things, that’s another story. I don’t ever talk to myself in front of people. I am very cognizant of that. As I said, I am very high functioning to talk to. BUT I do talk to my audience when I am alone and today was a BAD day for that. I spent hours telling my whole life story and giving opinions on how the world should be to my fake audience when I was alone. Functioning is not just school, work, bathing and brushing teeth, it’s also the management of your symptoms. Today was bad. I hope tomorrow I can do my homework and forget about my audience for a little while.
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I think the issue is more complicated than men having it better than women. Sorry I stated it in black and white terms, I was wrong. They say estrogen has a protective effect, meaning premenopausal women tend to have symptoms a bit less severe. But of course it varies over the course of your life. I think men have it a bit worse earlier on and women tend to deteriorate later in life. Here’s a source which talks about it:
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0101-60832002000600002
Is Stephen Hawking high-functioning? Not as a triathlete, obviously. If you have one area where you absolutely kick @$$, it’s enough.
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It can come back. Will take time and effort, but it’s possible. Don’t give up hope.
Estrogen protects against a lot of things apparently and adds to women living longer than men, protects from heart disease, etc. maybe everyone should just take estrogen supplements l o l
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