I met a man today that was exactly like the people here that claim to be unmedicated, are delusional, claim stalking, targeting, and more. He didn’t outright say he was sz, but it was obvious to someone else who is. Borderline psychotic episode.
He wandered around talking to people who weren’t there for about 20 minutes. Then came to me and pretended to need help with something. Only to begin telling me his delusions, warnings, and more.
His movements, facial expressions, and eye movements mixed with the things he was saying, including some really horrible things about people in different businesses and the like around town, made me deeply uncomfortable.
That’s the type of behavior that makes people scared of us. I am of him.
Yeah, I ran into someone in the middle of it at a restaurant I frequent. He insisted to shake my hand when he came into the place and afterwards sat down and started talking paranoid stuff. He probably wasn’t quite the handful you had to deal with. He made me uncomfortable but not exactly scared. I could tell he interpeted things I said the wrong ways even though they were hard to misunderstand.
I recognize that behaviour from my own psychosis. Not interpeting things the right way. It’s like searching for alternative meanings to something that should be as plain as day.
I really really hate this. I treated him like anyone else that I serve, but inside I was afraid. I didn’t know what I might say that would set him off, because he became triggered by a mental health certificate my boss and I have. It was very uncomfortable, so I just agreed with everything.
That’s understandable. I work in a shop and on rare occasions there have been customers that seem like they could go off if you contradict them or they don’t get their will. Luckily we got security we can call now if things get out of hand, but the first years I worked there we didn’t have a deal with a security company and it was like the wild west there. Drug addicts would come in packs and steal stuff. It was extremely stressing. Much better now that we can call security. Rumor circulates and now all the shady people know we have it.
I remember one time a woman with mental problems started throwing porcelain that she stole on the security guards. I feel bad for people like that, I really do. You want to help them…but what can you do…
I’ve seen SZ people shouting things in a monologue to themselves on the street. It’s scary and sad seeing people that sick.
I was the same before I found the right meds. I walked back and forth in my apartment, shouting things to myself. I’m lucky I haven’t been evicted from my apartment.
I saw a guy outside the store who was out of his mind. He had no idea what was going on. He was talking to people I couldn’t see and being very aggressive towards people who had to be close to him in order to go inside. I was scared of him.
I’m pretty upset over being scared by him. Because we always say MI people are more likely to be victims than perpetrator. But this man was literally saying a local well known person is a pedophile, that he was going to tell every business and school and library, and found where the person lives.
I’m actually afraid to go into too much detail in case they are a member. You never know with how many lurkers.
I don’t care what anyone says. Some people in active psychosis can indeed be potentially dangerous. If you believe in all kinds of weird conspiracies and that people are out to get you, SOME people with the right mindset, can be dangerous.
I don’t blame you for being scared of him at all.
Edit: I believe that most people with mental illness arent dangerous, but the right person can be. Saying that ALL people with MI aren’t dangerous is a cop out by people with MI IMO.
I made the admitting psychiatrist scream when I told her something I believed. she pleaded immediately for me not to believe what I was believing…we are scary when we are full blown.
I can see I’ve made a few people uncomfortable during psychosis.
I had delusions around this guy at work 12 years back. I deeply regret sending him a bunch of messages. I wasn’t stalking him but I could see why he thought i was. . I disturbed others but l feel I disturbed myself most. I couldn’t control my thoughts.
When I was un medicated and homeless my mom was so scared of me that she wouldn’t let me sleep on her couch
So I slept next to some bum behind a tattoo shop in the ghetto
I lived downtown for awhile. It had a large population of homeless. 20 or 30 year old men screaming at you when you didn’t do anything to them, from a sidewalk corner who obviously don’t know what they’re doing, is scary, whether they are mentally ill or not or whatever their problem is. And unfortunately, it’s the mentally ill who are most likely to do this.
I think homeless people / wandering the streets may look and behave disorderly, yell, scream. But everything is in their head and they are not really aware of people.
I don’t believe the homeless / ill population are any more likely to harm some one than the normal population.
Normal people see a mentally disordered homeless person - even minus any behaviors and instantly feel fear.
I was speaking with someone years ago and they started telling me about their delusions in detail.
I was shocked. Shattered. I had got to know that they were struggling. It all made sense in an instant. My hunch that they might be struggling with mental illness was right. But confirming it was schizophrenia I felt broken.
You start recognizing people who have suffered in ways similar to yours. It is saddening. That instinct. The way they look at you and look away. That unexplainable tenseness they show.
Few years ago while out with someone we ran into someone they knew. I sensed something was wrong with one of the guy. Soon after we went our way friend told me that guy and their sibling are mentally ill. It was depression. But my friend didn’t bother with that consideration.
I am bummed out knowing this is how normal people might view me. People with depression and anxiety are viewed as weak/lazy. Bipolar and schizophrenia are nutjobs.