. Whereas I try to be as open,publicly on bluesky and other places, as I can about being mentally ill - privately 1 to 1 it’s a different kettle of fish. Shame rears its ugly head , along with the fear of ridicule and rejection.
The big one,the one I dread most, is the 'What job do you/did you do? I’m on hyper alert waiting for the moment that it’s asked. I’ll go into avoidant mode, cut people off,if I sense the question is going to be asked . Reject before being rejected.
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I dread the “why don’t you have a wife / kids?” question.
As if women were waiting in line to marry a schizo…
I’m cool though, I could have casual relationships but it’s not my cup of tea (just recently turned down such an opportunity).
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I always get asked if I have kids. I don’t.
One thing that happened to me that prevented me from having children is my psychotic break when I was 31, which took me years to recover from. Then, at the end of my 30s, they found cancer cells in my cervix, which ultimately resulted in a hysterectomy.
Some people ask why I don’t have kids. The psychotic break was the main thing, but it’s this shameful, secret thing that you don’t openly discuss with anyone. I generally tell people that I can’t have kids, and if they press, I tell them that I had cancer.
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Why are neurotypical people so rude? Our personal lives are none of their business! 
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Totally relatable. Im heavily stigmatised by the illness. Its a secret in most of my circles, but well known in others. When I get the “I heard you was a nurse, are you just taking a break?” I really bottle up and say “Yeah just for now”. Kills me.
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The ‘What have you been doing?’ question. When your days consist of surfing the net, and every now and then watching a TV programme. Answering honestly can make you seem curt and standoffish.
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I have the same problem. I don’t have any advice to give. Being Sz is a full time job.
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It is a difficult disease to be open about. When I answer people why I only work part time I just say because of health problems. That’s the easiest way for me to go about it. If someone was to pry about what, I would just say that I don’t want to discuss it.
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Being diagnosed with schizophrenia and being on disability is part of the story of my life right now. I haven’t felt any stigma about it. I mean people are just sharing their lives and this is part of the story of my life. Also being a caretaker for my parents is part of the story of my life at the moment. I mean if somebody asked me what job do I do it’ll always turn into what they’re doing as a job. And I will gladly listen to their work history and what they do. I like people sharing their stories of their life with me.
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I don’t like the " why don’t you work " makes me uncomfortable.
Sadly I think ,despite some improvement, we’re still living in a world where physical disability is regarded as more genuine than mental illness.
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