It took me 20 years before I broadened the circle beyond family and close friends.
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I’m shameless, I’m trying to use my disability to get preferential treatment in the workplace.
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Did you tell extended family right away @Unclehenry? That was something I wrestled with for awhile.
That’s not shameless. That’s your legal right. Today’s society is inclusive.
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It took me about 10 years before I told extended family. I wish now that I had let the cat out of the bag a lot sooner. I gained nothing living my life in denial of who I am which includes having late onset schizophrenia. Now that I’m out I feel more free.
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I hear you. I received compassion from cousins for the most part. But it’s not a topic people follow up on and I think that causes us to look inward. Also shame can result… at least in my experience with friends and norms.
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We are too often misunderstood, mistrusted and mistreated by people who are ignorant of schiz.
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I don’t tell people because it’s generally inappropriate to broadcast your health issues.
My close family and a couple friends know and that’s enough.
Also, on the note of preferential treatment,
I think its wrong.
You shouldn’t gain or lose an advantage having a disability,
You should be treated just like everyone else.
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I made a mistake of telling it to a few people. Although it would clear out misconceptions about my bizarre behaviour, I just cannot tell it to anybody else anymore.
I do not even say I have anxiety. I decided to never talk about health to anybody anymore.
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I’ll never speak of it again to anyone that doesn’t already know.
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This reminds me of the 60s and the civil rights movement. Then enough people publicly took up the battle and over time their collective voices were heard and change resulted. Brothers and sisters with schiz shouldn’t have to hide or accommodate but instead be out and be accommodated.
I told a couple of trusted family members and that’s about it.
The stigma against schizophrenia is so strong that I tell people like my family doctor that I have bipolar - the stigma is significantly less.
In a lot of ways I’m still in the closet.
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I don’t tell anybody but I am sure plenty of people know. I don’t broadcast it but you know people talk.
It took me 6 years to accept it. I didn’t think I was sick the first six years but I was very sick in retrospect.
Only my immediate family knows, except for my sister, who I told I have “headaches” that prevent me from going out, and like one friend I met at a support group.
I don’t want to tell anyone else that I have SZ, since I feel that I can be cured, or at least be stabilised, without anyone needing to go to any extra lengths to accommodate me.
Insight into the illness is elusive sometimes it’s just takes time with successful treatment.
That must be tough.
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Ya. I didn’t have insight for a long time.
Once I got that I was able to start getting better.
Acceptance leads to treatment. Treatment leads to wellness. Wellness leads to insight. Insight leads to remission.
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My family and a few friends know I go through psychosis. My former boss knew because we were close.
My entire family knows about my condition and I will work at a company that wants me to talk about schizophrenia to my co-workers. It took me around two years to feel free to talk about my condition to other people. I don’t talk about it to everyone because talking about illnesses isn’t a very positive thing to do unless someone ask you or you’re doing it because it’s your work or you want to educate people.
Cecilia McGough talks a lot about it. Here’s her TED Talk:
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