Just watched the first 40ish minutes of Dr Phils Child with Schizophrenia segment. I haven’t watched any videos on schizophrenia in ages, I guess the whole thing stopped intriguing me. I have my own set of stuff to deal with it.
But it showcased one girl I remember from Oprah’s show, January Schofield.
Something about her parents really bugs me. Well I mean first they say that violence comes with schizophrenia, which is untrue in a lot of cases, but I don’t know. I just get bad vibes from them. I don’t trust them.
I guess it was a good show? I guess I shouldn’t have expected it to be informative or anything, since it’s mostly just a counseling show and maybe people should know these things by now, but at the same time, so many people don’t know ANYTHING about schizophrenia, you’d think they would at least give some explanation. Did the show reduce stigma in anyway? I highly doubt it.
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Wasn’t that long ago they use to put the immediate family in family therapy when they dealt with a child with any mental distress. I’ve no idea why they stopped doing it. Was the case in Australia in the 70’s at least.
Does also seem strange that Dr Phil wouldn’t educate more on schizophrenia, I would of thought because it’s still the most misunderstood of all the mental illness. That it would be a reason to educate the audience on it.
But In the end you can only see it as a tv show and the only thing the produces are really interested in is ratings. .
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I mean I liked seeing January as shes gotten older, but they basically just focused on her being “Crazy”.
You’re not the only one. I’ve watched stuff on this family before and YES something about her parents gives me the Heebies.
I read the book written by her father this past spring, it’s called January First. It’s really interesting to hear how her schizophrenia developed. In his words, it sounds like she’s had it for life. As an infant she used to watch and interact with thin air. She was quite violent from his experience, and heavy duty meds had no impact on her. She seems to have found some meds that are working better now.
I think the parents are just strange people on their own. Throw a child with sz into the mix and you’ve got quite a show to be seen. Plus there’s a brother with autism involved.
They have had to become advocates for this girl, because they faced many walls when they went to seek treatment. For example, her violent behavior towards her pregnant mother led them to bring her to a hospital. Once in the hospital, her behavior calmed because the trigger, her mother, wasn’t there, and the hospital was like “She’s fine, there are just family problems”. But I think it’s clear to most people who extensively interact and observe her in a natural setting that something is wrong.
The parents are media whores. You can care for your ill children without making you and them a publicity vehicle.
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Never saw that show, I have a reality tv show in my head though???
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I don’t like that they are announcing their child’s illness to the world…
Why? Why not cry out? Maybe they’re ignorant Cretans that don’t understand their child but you’d think that they’d give a ■■■■ about their kid more to not throw their own seed under the bus to a mass of hungry viewers. My voices are addicted to voyeurism, they’re rotting their brain on my reality and trying to muggle it up. I say, (say it loud) I’m schizo and proud.
I don’t know but I feel it shouldn’t be their choice to announce it.
When I was on the ward in 2008 and the most symptomatic and talking to myself and falling in love with women that didn’t even exist, I didn’t let anyone come see me. I just completely refused to have anyone besides my mom see me that way. It is kind of shameful to just put someone on a pedestal of controversy like some talk show or something…I don’t consider it professional or serious in any way. Totally agree
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