Just want to clarify, I might be very well treated and as close to cured as possible, but I still have issues as a paranoid schizophrenic.
I get the vibe that there is a pity party going on, sorry about being progressive and focusing on recovery, which is possible for a lot of you. I just comply with professional help and have resolve not to let this illness make my life suck. No pain = no gain, I have anxiety issues and fight through them, I have sedation and motivation issues, I fight through them.
Not all of you are seemingly put off by the fact that I function very highly and have a normal and healthy life despite being schizophrenic, but some of you have a problem.
Im on here to support recovery, to like people’s posts when they are helping themselves and seeking professional help, to offer my opinions on challenges that you face which I have overcome, ect.
Just don’t be a troll. I’ve left this site before and the decent people who do well for themselves started asking me where I was. I stick around for you guys.
I think this might be a paranoia issue as well. Nobody wants a faker to be on the forum. This can lead to accusations. So far I haven’t come across anyone I thought was faking, but typically I try to see the good in everyone before passing judgement. Could be a fault of mine.
I don’t have schizophrenia, so I don’t know what to put here… but the thing is, people often have stigmas against recovering people.It’s just a part of life. To a mentally healthy person, you seem crazy, but to people with worse mental illness, you seem healthy. It’s just how things work. People really should not be rude about this sort of thing… Not only does it get old fast, it just pisses me off. Mort, you are- as @Malvok puts it- a valuable asset to this forum. You are wise and kind, and there should be more people like you
Trust me - I’m not a pitty party but I am on the other side of mental illness now.
I’m being constructively happy with my nuttiness regardless of what others think because many are
learning from it.
If you look up the Neuro Linguistics Programming theory, however, it does suggest something patronizing.
But going with McGoohan and his 'Prisoner" series; Even though some may be rooks, many are pawns.
The Rooks are just trying to help (maybe unnecessarily); Pawns needs help from those who’ve learned better.
Going on this conspiracy notion I just go about trying to be kind and sweet to everyone therefor impressing the Rooks and aiding the Pawns even though I do not know who is who.
Remember that the dude who started announcing the “little animals living in people’s bodies” came off the Ship of Fools as well.
I find most of your posts are both intelligently written and well thought out. And that makes them interesting to read. And no one can deny that most of your posts are supportive. If someone backed me into a corner and forced me to say something that might bug me about you I would say it is when you brag and sometimes put yourself above us. But hey, in life as you well know, sometimes we need to blow our own horn and brag a little, because no one else is going to do it for us.
I do think that we are all “High Functioning” here on his site - at least most of us are - Last time I saw my pdoc she mentioned High Functioning to me - granted I dont have SZ but I still live with some pretty hefty challenges.
She also said that I was capable of independent living - this meant a lot to me.
I do think that many of us are working on a recovery plan and doing a whole lot of different things.
You are not unique - but I am sure deep down inside you know this already - but hey good for you, you work out socialize and maintain good grades. This is a big achievement. I take care of my finances, pay my own bills, go to the market and do my own shopping, drive and own an automobile, went to college, take my meds religiously, I am capable of throwing myself into crowded environments now, was married for 7 years, I cook for myself, etc etc…
I am pretty humble when I am not full blown manic- I really do not expect or seek out praise from others
I accept you for who you are and how you do things. Everyone has developed their own weapons for battling this illness and yours are just as good as any of ours.
I get told by doctors often that I’m very articulate despite having schizophrenia. I appear high-functioning but really I just know how to hide my difficulties well.
I think people can be a bit envious of those more fortunate than them. In the case of sz seeing others work through their illness while I’m paralyzed in mine can be very frustrating. But I believe that with enough effort it can be possible to reach that same level of function too.
As for you Mortimer, you remind me a lot of my brother. I like that you’re so confident. But I share the same concern for you as my brother in that you appear overconfident and even a bit cocky. My brother tends to get in over his head a lot because of this, so I hope the same doesn’t ring true for you.
Being high or low functioning might be down to genetic variation in which case it says nothing special or bad about the person. I think regardless of level of functioning we all matter , and if you are high functioning you should be grateful for how the dice fell and not look down on others.
I disagree, I don’t think it’s random luck. I think it takes a lot of hard work. Saying it’s just random luck is a disservice to those who do work hard at recovery.
I’ve known a whole heck of a lot of people with schizophrenia…there are plenty of people who you’d never in a million years think that they had or even currently were suffering from this disorder. I’ve heard it myself quite a bit. I’ve had shrinks tell me there wasn’t a snowballs chance in hell that I had schizophrenia.
No disrespect or anything as you have every right to be you in so far as that doesn’t infringe upon the rights of others to be themselves…but how much this is an issue of stigma against highly functioning people as opposed to maybe your personality getting on the wrong side of people is a matter of debate I feel.
Just my thoughts on the matter. Don’t mean to put you down in the slightest of course…I think you should be proud of yourself but also I would hope see value in being humble maybe.
I think most of us are “nice enough” not to kick someone when they’re down, but I think you are right that some people have a stigma against non-Christian virtues like pride or self-exultation which are called in the Bible being “puffed up.”
I’m not saying hard work isn’t a part of it but it still follows that some may have a head start genetically in terms of reaching a high level of functioning. Obviously someone with high functioning genes re having schizophrenia is going to do better than someone with those genes that doesn’t put in the hard work.
It’s a matter of how the dice fell re the genes and backing that up with hard work. But even with the hard work some might be more genetically geared to low motivation that hampers hard work.
I think Mortimer does well but others may do their best but with less tools in their box.
i am with mortimermouse i am high functioning too…
" hey where are my pants…lol !?! "
"hey, i only have one sock on "
take care
p.s i appreciate the support you have shown me, thanks.
I see me as high functioning as well. I can work. But I would not without medicine and seeing my pdoc every three months or my therapist. I’m still somewhat paranoid and I hear voices daily. But I manage somehow to cope with it. I’m learning.
