How can I help other schizophrenics?

Unusual Beliefs
22

Thanks for clearing that up!

1 Like
23

Ask your doctor.

Youā€™re certainly different from my experience.

Maybe. I know that in my own case your approach hurt me. Badly. Iā€™ll be certain to warn others of the risks whenever I see it being advocated for.

24

@shutterbug Could I pm you about how it hurt you? That is something I would like to be aware of.

25

I do too but this site blocks certain thought.

26

It was just a bug. Sorry. I PMed you. It had to do with links and your user level, so nothing you actually did or said.

27

I see what you mean now. I guess Iā€™m with @shutterbug here in that it can hurt people. Maybe not all people. Seems to have worked for you. It is just very hard to know what will work for who.

Iā€™d suggest seeing if there are peer to peer programs in your area that teach you how to be peer support properly. Trying to do that without some type of formal education (even the programā€™s course) could be detrimental for you and the people you want to help.

By that I mean for you It may hurt you deeply emotionally if someone ends up doing badly with your approach

1 Like
28

I really hate being PMed, to be honest. Long story short, I got talked into trying it, it made my symptoms worse, I lost my insight, and I wound up having a relapse that was stressful to my family and my finances. I had been stable ā€“ albeit with ongoing annoying positive symptoms ā€“ up until that point.

29

That is a valid cautionary tale. One last question about it. Did you talk to them in any specific manner? Were you angry, bossy, pleading, or anything like that? I only ask because, like in cbt, i question if your outlook makes a difference.

30

Our voices are generated by our own minds. We may be getting information from our subconscious that is valuable or crap. Each person has to decide how to manage that information for @shutterbug I guess thatā€™s crap for @Rabbit_Farmer I guess thatā€™s valuable. For me itā€™s part valuable and part crap. I manage that input by having an organizational system in place where not everyone is supposed to get to yelling all at the same time. Itā€™s sounds delusional but by no means do I think those voices are anything other than being generated by my own mind, therefore Iā€™m not delusional about it. Iā€™m just managing the way my brain is very different than an average person. If I already didnā€™t have a way I think I would appreciate someone elseā€™s input on how to cope but I wouldnā€™t want the to call it spirit guides. That would scare me off.

2 Likes
31

In order to help szphrenics you need to understand what sz is very well. I think szphrenic is a person who has blocked their brain with pills cause thinking is bad for themā€¦it causes hallucinations.

32

The voices convinced me to try digging my pacemaker out of my shoulder. How beneficial do you think that was for me?

2 Likes
33

I understand you are experience same problem I have with other side of unknown.I call them demons,as they appear to me.Cant stop the voice,only stop talking with them and ignore it.I think that is correct way to handle it.

1 Like
34

Distracting yourself, playing music and taking good meds works.

1 Like
35

I talk to my voices. Oh well. Duane is the loudest.

36

You have to keep in mind that what works for you, may not for others, and may in fact cause them to be even more unwell and sucked into their delusions. I know that this approach with my symptoms causes me to become extremely unwell for example.

It is best to stick with what is clinically proven to be effective. And if you think your method would be-the best way to help is to get involved in research and, well, prove it!

2 Likes
37

Sunlion, If you decide to help other people with sz/sza, you should probably focus on doing things like holding a job, personal hygiene, social skills and relationships, and other aspects of daily living. I would leave voices to the psychiatrist/psychologist. Iā€™m happy you found something that works for you, but as you can read from the other comments, your coping mechanisms wonā€™t work for everyone.

2 Likes
38

I believe in helping yourself first.

2 Likes
39

Thereā€™s also generating insight into ur voices using CBT, such if u believe it to be a demon as I did. Could also work on delusions that influence voices using CBT. maybe do CBT therapist, it has alot of validity behind it

1 Like
40

(removed)
This group is actually pretty in line with what Iā€™m talking about. They are affiliated with the voice hearers network. What is the general sz.com opinion of that organization I wonder?

41

Probably mainly good for people who donā€™t have schizophrenia. Potentially harmful if you actually have schizophrenia and donā€™t just hear voices.

We have removed advertisement of HVN in the past and will most likely continue to do so in the future.