I guess I could say I’ve been there just by default. But paradoxically I’ve had an easy life in many ways. Heck, at least I’m not a starving kid living in a refuge camp or living under a dictatorship or something. I have luxury’s that 90% of the world population will never have. I’m not bragging. It’s just dumb luck that I was born in a nice location. I had nothing to do with it.
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me too nick. just the knocks in life don’t get you down so much when you forget about them.
lucky us i guess. judy
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Schizophrenia is pretty tough don’t underestimate how badly it can ruin someone’s life. My uncle lives in a village in rural Africa and he has had schizophrenia for 10 yrs or so. He has to cope without medication or any of the support you have living in a highly populated area with hospitals etc. He’s doing fine without medication so It’s definitely possible to survive in such a situation.
Have you ever been to the hospital? Many of the people in the psych ward are hopeless cases. Interacting with such people has given me an understanding of how devastating schizophrenia can be to a person. Regardless of where you end up schizophrenia gives you difficult challenges.
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I got my major in this school…I would recommend a diff path… If possible…I’m tuff and a smart ass it does help me cope I think I have an edge in coping going 26 ish years manic and functioning now with meds I feel power kinda over it all…the combo of coping skills and meds is working OK right now…just gotta check the mania…
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Many studies show that many people who live in developing countries who have schizophrenia and have no medication or psychiatrists actually recover better than many schizophrenic people who live in industrialized nations.[quote=“eduvigis, post:3, topic:55459”]
Have you ever been to the hospital? Many of the people in the psych ward are hopeless cases. Interacting with such people has given me an understanding of how devastating schizophrenia can be to a person. Regardless of where you end up schizophrenia gives you difficult challenges.
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I’ve been hospitalized 9 or 10 times in 6 or 7 different hospitals. I was in one hospital for 8 months. I don’t know if you have been in more than one ward but maybe you are just talking about one ward.
You really can’t make a generalizations about hospitals and the people in them. Maybe you are just talking about one ward you were in. But I’ve been in nice wards where it’s clean and safe and people spent their stay in there causally talking and sitting quietly and relaxing. In wards like these, no one looks obviously ill or acts out.
I’ve been in other wards where the atmosphere is a little tense and dangerous and people flipped out occasionally and needed to be forcibly taken and put in a room in restraints. My experience is that no two hospitals are exactly like. When I was in for 8 months, the hospital held about a hundred people and that’s where I saw quite a few people who I would deem hopeless.
Of course looks are deceiving. In my experience I saw people inside who “acted crazy” or bizarrely and looked a little different who I thought were pretty low functioning, only to run into then in a bus or in a restaurant ten years later and they looked pefectly normal and had jobs or girlfriends, or they are enrolled in school. etc.
I don’t really like to use the term “hopeless”. Most people recover to a degree. And writing them off as “hopeless” is a little cruel and many people on this site were deemed hopeless but they came out despite that label and made nice lives for themselves.
Looks can be deceiving for sure. Yes, I’ve been hospitalized in where some of the patients are severely ill. And the reality is that some people may never recover. And some people may never function well. But everybody in the hospital I was in for 8 months who saw me shuffling down the corridors of the hospital every day, and not talking to anyone or making friends, and literally eating alone for 8 months in the back of the cafeteria, and hiding in my room and sleeping as much as I could, would never have guessed that after getting out, I have made ( at times) a passable life for myself. And I am looking back at being employed for 30 years and a few other accomplishments.
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I’ve read some research that links schizophrenia to urban centers- speculating that the density of the population and stimuli has something to do with how schizophrenia occurs and impacts a person. Maybe people in more rural, developing areas are better able to cope with schizophrenia because of the circumstance.
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In one heartbreaking case I saw the opposite- there was a really sweet elderly lady I once met in a mental hospital who I became friends with, and years later I was downtown and saw her walking back and forth, delusional, cursing to herself with no awareness of her surroundings. She didn’t recognize me or anything- just walked back and forth swearing. I hope she’s healthy and medicated these days.
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I’ve seen people like that too. Yes, it’s even worse if you were friends with them.
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U really need to speak for yourself @77nick77. Just cuz u think you’ve had it easy doesn’t mean everyone does. Which I am sure u already know. I don’t think that u should generalize that everyone on this forum is similar to or less disabled than you ( if u r disabled).
I think he is speaking for himself. I have it very lucky too. Despite the SZ, not only do I have good living conditions but I’ve had a good prognosis with the SZ.
But there were times in the past I was soooo depressed that nothing could make me feel good. I used to be ashamed of being born in a well-off family because I thought people couldn’t understand how I could struggle so much despite my parents having some money. I would reject all possessions. Now I’m healthier and embrace them and am thankful for them. Weird how that works.
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My dad used to say, that the school of hard knocks was the best teacher. But the tuition is high.
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Ive been getting crapped on by this black cloud following me for the past few years. I just get hit with 1 thing after another with no break (i wont bore everyone with my sob story, but its been really really rough). Was really down for long time but decided to change my attitude because i figured i could be in a worse situation. Im but i am definitely ready to drop out of this school of hard knocks, the homework F’ing blows, lol.
I have a very good friend who has ALS dx,d in 2012. In 4 years he has lost function of his entire body, except he can move his eyes and turn nod his head ever so slightly. He has a eyegaze computer to read his eyeballs, and this is his only form of communication. In december he lost function of his lungs and is now on a ventilator with a trach in his neck for life support. In spite of all this he has hope and manages to smile, laugh and even console me on my issues at times. He is living my absolute worst nightmare and continues be in good spirits.
No matter how bad it gets there will always be someone in a worse position so squeeze whatever happiness you can out of life and be thankful for what you do have not what you dont.
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Good post. Some good truths there. Have a nice night.
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I agree with the original post.