Between those of us who eventually gain lucidity and can acknowledge that there is at least a chance we may be mentally ill and those of us who will never accept or realize it.
Is it truly that their illness is more severe? A part of me doubts that. I’ve known plenty of folks on here who have had experiences just as serious and intense as those who I’ve met with no lucidity in the involuntary admits units.
Does it have to do with personality? With stubbornness? Or perhaps avoidant tendencies? Severe trust issues? An aversion to medication and therapy? Combinations of these things? It would be an interesting thing to study. I think whether or not one gains awareness does not have to do with severity and is all to do with the person. But what is it about the person…what do you think?
I think it has to do with one’s social environment. If you are not accepted by the people you are around, you will bristle about it just to defend yourself.
Anosognosia is a result of changes to the brain. It’s not just stubbornness or outright denial, which is a defense mechanism some people use when they receive a difficult diagnosis to cope with. In fact, anosognosia is central in conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
It’s an interesting question. It’s commonly reported that third world results are better? I think something to that effect. I do better than most and I think for me that being able to talk really helps me. Being social forces you to think about things very quickly. It’s helped me.
Thanks! It makes sense. Thats what I meant by avoidant tendencies, as in wanting to avoid the truth that one is severely ill. So it is not that it is due to changes in brain structure I guess? I have read such conflicting research though. Some research says there are changes in brain structure in the mentally ill. But other studies have found none. Also many of the studies that found brain changes were performed on those who were on medication so it was unknown if they were caused by the meds or not.
Also i think it is very hard to let go of delusions for two reasons. One they either protect us from difficult feelings like being inadequate or powerless such as with delusions of grandeur or they are so scary as with paranoid delusions that we feel that if we don’t believe them we are putting ourselves in danger.
If someone cannot come to terms with their own feelings of inadequacy and vulnerability and learn to overcome them…if one cannot brave their fears and dare to take a chance to test their paranoia…i think chances of recovery are slim. Those are quite challenging tasks.
For me I kind of felt like I was going through way too much to add sz to the list. It was just far easier to pass it off as not true. Although in reality, I really dont think it is as simple as simply not wanting or being able to admit stuff. There is so much we dont know about how the brain functions, and I think the reasons it happens is way out of our control.