We are not selfish people

do we ever think about anybody else apart from ourselves?

our illness is not the worst thing to ever happen in this world

i think on a scale of bad things to happen we are about half way up and if we are talking numbers
then 1% of 8 Billion isnt a lot,

i’d like to see facts and figures here…

if we were to compare our disease with say cancer or aids or something else how would the figures add up?
who really is worse off?

what we have is bad but it is not the worst, so come on, hit me with it…

how bad is schizophrenia compared to everything else?

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Schizophrenia is one of the top ten disabling diseases in the world. In cost and degree of disability. I don’t know what the other 9 are. But I know I get really self-centered and self absorbed.

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i’d like to know what the others are and where does it say it is one of the top ten disabling diseases in the world?

How’s this? :

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I personally think mental illnesses are the worst because everyone loves you if you get cancer, everyone avoids you if you’re “psycho”. And the fact that 15% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia kill themselves within 30 years…think about that.

It’s worse to have a healthy body and shattered mind. People don’t understand and blame all sorts of ■■■■■■■■ that is completely irrelevant. Morality and mental illnesses dont mix. Mental illnesses are the worst disease/disorder in my opinion. It’s suffering that is only understandable by people who have it, a normal person cannot imagine how it feels to be ■■■■■■ in the head.

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I was going to write the same thing - exactly as you wrote @mortimermouse - again I totally agree with you

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i just did a search on google ‘what is worse than schizophrenia’

nothing came up. either it is the worst thing ever or somebody doesn’t want us to know lol

i can think of a few things worse than sz

you know if my brain is like that compared to a normal persons i’m surprised i’m not getting fed through a straw, it looks like a normal persons brain is more lit up than ours, its like they have more power in their batteries or something, do you know if that picture was of someone before taking meds? just wondering
because i know meds block a lot of stuff and dull everything down so i wouldnt be surprised if it wasnt.

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Well according to WHO - the World health Organazation, Schizophrenia made the top ten list of the most debilitating illnesses to have in the world - I tend to agree. If I was a religious man, which I’m not, I would say many of us are living a life nailed to a cross. Unlike many severe physical illnesses, schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses do not have an end point, the suffering is a life time chronic deal - the suffering goes on and on and on …

Hi @Resilient1

Please be patient as this is just me on the outside looking in, but I don’t think people suffering from mental illness are selfish.

AIDS is no longer the death sentence it used to be and now it’s being managed better. Cancer is also getting more research and it seems to be more identifiable. I would still say Sz is a harder and more complicated illness.

With Sz, a good day could look like a person cured and a bad day can look like a person broken. In my uneducated opinion, that would make it harder for others to understand.

The only people who I might consider having it worst were the kids who would come form the U.W. medical center to my old pool for therapy. There were children who had fibromyalgia and M.S. on top of Sz or Autism at only 8 to 10 years old.

One little girl had mental pain as well as a failing body and constant 10 scale physical pain. Her hour in the pool was her one hour of relief from pain every other day.
She also had an amazing sense of humor. She was still able to reach out to others. When her hand could actually hold a pencil, she would make amazing drawings.

I know you said I didn’t have to; but thank you for letting me post.

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there is cancer, chronic chrones , bad back pain, depression these are just a few i would put before sz .
take care

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i guess its easier if there is someone in your life that is having a hard time, it makes our disease seem less bad or less important compared to these things,

i remember the saying ‘no matter how bad it gets there is still someone else in the world that is worse’
and i try to remember that

@kidsister yes those are the types of people that i am talking about the ones who are in constant physical pain or the ones who have physical brain damage which limits there movement and thinking, i was also thinking about people with alzheimers and old age etc but there must be more…

i dont know about being selfish but maybe ‘self absorbed’ is a better word esp when we are symptomatic,

i think one of the big helps for me mentally was thinking about others because it takes me away from myself, and sometimes if i compare myself to others it makes me think ‘its not that bad’ or ‘its not as bad as that’ and that gives me something to ponder,

i know it sounds bad but i am glad i havent got all of those things, i’m not happy i have a mental illness but i guess things could be a lot worse.

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I think that deals with what people can bare. I’ve mets some people in my Sz group who are very giving and open to others. I’ve met people who sink deeply into themselves when they are perfectly healthy.

I’d like to think that I’m not self-absorbed. But I do have a lot to pay attention to if I’m going to make it through my day. I have certain stress triggers to avoid, I have meds to take, I have things to prove to myself, I have delusions to keep in check, I have sentences to keep straight. I have guilt and depression to fight off. I have to get the energy to keep going. It’s a busy day in my head circus.

I personally feel that my self absorbed time was when I was on drugs and drinking heavily. Then it really was all about me. My need to score and get high was more important then my own kid sisters safety. I have a 7 year old kid handcuffed to the belt loops of my jeans and I walk into a crack house. That is selfish. My need to score and get high was why I stole grocery money from my parents and stole money from my younger brother.

I’m still mentally ill, but I’m clean and sober and now I don’t think I’m self absorbed. I might be able to come off that way. I bet we all could.

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when we are unwell or atleast when i was unwell i didnt want to bother anyone with my illness and i think that was why i got even worse,

i wasnt reaching out for help when i should have have and i was just bottling it all up, i dont think this was selfish as i was trying to keep it from people because it was my problem and i didnt want to put the burden on to anyone else.

i still dont like it when my illness is affecting other people and my family and thats not selfish,

is it selfish to be suffering? no!!!
is it selfish to ask for help? no way!!!
am i being selfish if all i am thinking about is myself?

tbh i dont think i am being selfish and i am not just thinking about myself when i am not well or suffering, its not my fault i am unwell and i didnt ask for this to happen, i didnt want to get unwell or anything it just happened and i had no control over it, we are not selfish people we just need help because we suffer from an illness,

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A lot of people are in this boat. Tired of negatively affecting my family was why I ended up living in a park for a while, trying to hide, trying to free them from me.

I am not a selfish person,I try not to be…

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I would much prefer SZ to cancer. I think cancer is much worse because its not a matter of choosing to die, you just do unless you are one of the lucky ones to come through it. My grandmother died of cancer and I never got to meet her.

According to my last therapist I am not selfish, just a bit self absorbed, there is a difference

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Sometimes it’s hard to see the wood for the trees, and this is selfish of me to say that. At the moment i’m looking after my dad who is 86,i do his shopping. He used to like driving but his legs are not good now. Helping my dad helps me
from dwelling on my own illness just now.

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