They are figures associated with the anti-psychiatric movement which are against medical intervention altogether, but what I had in mind were practising psychiatrists like RD Laing and David Cooper, or social thinkers like Foucault and Goffman. But yes, admittedly there are some dangerous charlatans out there. On the issue of medication -being at the moment such a blunt instrument, often used in the absence of an understanding of the social context of the disease- I remain torn.
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The complexities of a modern world certainly play a part in it, @firemonkey.
I would, however, argue that ancient civilizations were not more rudimentary.
I think they were, in fact, simply closer to the belief systems that unified and defined them homogeneously.
That is to say that everyone belonging to that specific society knew that there were roles reserved for those we refer to as “sick” in the Western world.
Laing is an interesting character for sure.
I was under the impression you were catering more to the likes of L. Ron Hubbard 
.
I agree with you that medication might be seen as a panacea for an illness that has many facets, as SZ tends to have. However, we cannot discount the good that psychiatric intervention has done for our specific population.
Should it be the end-all approach, though? Absolutely not.
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I’d rather not have sz.
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I tried, Western religions don’t accept a teenage boy scared of hearing the dead, seeing angels. They don’t accept that, least the three I tried didn’t. They’re blocked out and turned a back on.
Capitalism demands a work to live, live to work, mentality. Which a lot of us don’t fit into, we can’t control our symptoms, so day to day, even hour to hour the system demands of us, becomes impossible.
We don’t fit in by their standards. So we’re given a bare minimum stipend if we’re lucky enough. If not, many are discarded onto the streets.
We can also get into how the illness manifests itself. Studies have shown time and time again that eastern countries have a higher rate of the voices being good and playful. Opposing the western worlds higher rate of voices displaying as hurtful and mean. More instances of grandeur also.
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Not arguing with you there, @anon9798425.
But perhaps society lacks a spot for those of us who experience illnesses such as SZ.
It definitely lacks understanding and compassion, that’s for sure.
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In non-western countries people with psychosis are also more integrated in their families and communities. And the rate of sz can be a lot higher in some of these countries, suggesting the possibility of heavier environmental influences. It’s really not fair to pin this on a single factor like that. It reflects one’s own ideology and likes/dislikes more than facts. We’re talking about entire countries. I don’t personally think spirituality has much to do with this.
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We should be working on integrating sufferers into society by reducing stigma, improving care and creating jobs that society needs and that we can accomplish, not try to make our society invent roles for the mentally ill aspects of us that are the cause of most of our problems.
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Agreed.
It’s far too late in the game to invent such roles.
I suppose I was thinking along a tangent: What would the Western world be like if people experiencing psychosis had solidified roles within society?
Perhaps involvement with Think Tanks, or maybe as experienced mental health counselors.
Fun to think about 
Strange Fact Indeed.
My Mom Told Me When I Was Very Young. That I Had a Great, Great, Great Grandmother That Lived in an Asylum Her Entire Life. I Was Too Young to Understand The Consequences of Such. And Didn’t Ever Hear The Word Schizophrenia Before.
So. With Lack of Gathering Information. And With Lack of Understanding And Interest. My Subconsciousness Buried That Story into My Cavern of, Look into Later.
Years, And Years, And Years Later I Was Diagnosed Also.
And I Myself Became Trapped.
Long Story Short, My Family Discarded Me, As Soon as They Found “Justification” For That Type of Behavior to a Member of The Same Tribe.
Although, it Didn’t Take Long to Realize, I Never Was Apart of My Family in Any Way.
Nor Did I Have a Tribe Anywhere Else on Earth.
One Could Say, Completely Alone.
That is, Without Saying, My Faith in a Higher Power. Nature. And Creativity. Friendship.
Sad Part is, I Came to The Conclusion, (With My Family), That During My Years of Confusion, i Was Being Used By Everyone in My Life. For Them to Gather All of The Fruits of My Labors. As I Would Pray Night After Each Lonely Night For Peace And Safety.
Needless to Say, I Learned a Few Things.
Sincerely,
DJ Nosferatu Bat Beam (sleepoptimistic)
(EDIT)
I Put The Word Justification in Quotes. Because They (My Family), Has No Right to Treat Me Like I Don’t Deserve to Be Alive.
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I think it would be more superstitious, less tolerant, and overall just a worse place to live for most of us. It probably isn’t random that most of the places that still have religious/spiritual roles legitimizing psychosis are recently or currently poor places with little access to education.
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But is the legitimization of psychosis solely dependent on religiosity and spirituality?
Surely there could be a secular way of addressing and incorporating those experiencing such a condition into mainstream society.
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To be fair the more cogent arguments for creating -or rather, allowing- a role for schizophrenics are tied up to to more comprehensive critiques of western capitalist societies generally. In that sense certain taken-for-granted truths such the need of “creating jobs that society needs” come under close scrutiny. But yes, apart of all the conceptual challenges such a position suffers from excess of ambition. At any rate, it would be interesting to see how a society that eventually succeeds in curing/preventing sz but without resolving the underlying social factors shaping the disease might look like.
There is no shortage of proposals in the historical psychiatric literature, albeit, quite controversial.
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How would it not be? Psychosis is a break from reality characterized by experiences that are rationally impossible. It would have to be religious or spiritual, because the secular view can only be that psychosis is a disorder. It can cause personal growth, sure. But the experiences are still irrational and therefore have no place in secularism.
…Such as?
I will admit, I’m not up to date on such readings 
.
N e Hoo.
Thus Thread is Looking Like a Panic Room.
If You Gals And Guys Need Me, I’ll Be Listening to Amnesiac, , ,
By Radiohead.
Does Anyone Know That Thom Yorke, The Vocalist of That Band Once Worked in a Facility?.
For Patients With Schizophrenia.
Strange, I Know.
Peace!.
Sincerely,
DJ Nosferatu Bat Beam (sleepoptimistic)
Ps, Jus a Quick Post to Ease The Tension in Thus Thread.
Yes, we all know you think it’s your right to have others provide for you regardless of illness or functioning.