Yes, attention like that would help…I suppose.
In my country there is more attention in the media now for mental illness. All sorts of tv shows. Books. But it is always things like ptsd, burn out, depression.
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I must admit, if i myself need to explain (e.g. at my sons school) and dont want to sound scary…I use the ptsd part of my diagnosis. It just as well causes craziness and violence, but people get very empathetic. If i say psychosis, im in the “crazy & scary corner”. With ptsd in the “can happen to all of us” corner.
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There was a time not too long ago when people didn’t talk about cancer, didn’t even say the word, so hopefully the same will happen with schizophrenia.
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You are right about that! Thats hopeful!
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I can disclose my illness to employers and still get hired. Bet that didn’t happen 50 years ago. I’ll take the win and work towards the next one.
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Yes a lot DID change already!
My uncle had psychosis and (only just) survived suicide attempt. He has been in a ward in the…70s? 80s?
Even my mum only recently discovered her brother had psychosis, not “just” anxiety or depression. Because my younger uncle, who still lived at home and witnessed it, explained it in a letter to her.
It was all very secretretive. I remember i was always told my uncle had an “accident”.
In my case…My family, Friends, colleagues know. Most treat me well.
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I have SZ and don’t want my relatives to know. I believe I can pull out of it, and I have recovered substantially, so the whole episode seems like it will be like a bad memory.
I hope it will! Good luck!
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It’s pretty brave of you to admit having SZ to your relatives. Probably very liberating too.
I’m being kind of vain by keeping it a secret.
Well…there wasnt much braveness…I was in a ward several times and my kid lives with my parents. I had to 
But thanks anyway. And yes, i like to be able to talk freely.
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stigma on the media for one…movies about psychopathic killers…bad attention…we need more movies like A Beautiful Mind.
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I don’t like how we’re treated either, and the day Schizophrenia is actually treated like a health issue will be a good one for all of us.
Not even health campaigners will say the word it’s that stigmatising. Yet they say they’re trying to raise awareness. Stopping at Anxiety and depression just isn’t good enough.
We need the media to speak to some people here who are just normal people trying to get by. They would get a very different perspective of the illness when they see on this site that we’re just regular people talking about mostly regular things.
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I would blame the stigma mostly.
Also, Its so very difficult to diagnose any mental health condition as there is no psychical evidence that can back it up.
Maybe this deters alot of medical professionals from mental health issues as its such a difficult beast to deal with.
Because we all done some crazy stuff in our psychosis.
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How is Judy?
How are you going?
You had/have cancer I think.
I had ovarian cancer and survived it.
I do believe that cancer is less taboo…
Agree with you guys about that.
Etc
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I think there is such stigma attached to only the word schizophrenia that they better change it.
I personally am still not sure whether i have ptsd or schizophrenia or both. People with ptsd do crazy and violent stuff and 25% gets psychosis. Still i always say i have ptsd plus psychosis, not schizophrenia, unless i deliberately want to shock people into rethinking their prejudices.
If i want people to accept me and i want to be completely honest in the same time im often telling people what happened, not the word sz.
“I went through a traumatic period (few examples of what i went through), which lead me to get fears and eventually unrealistic fears , e.g. i started to believe the devil was after us instead of my scary ex because i had been so terribly scared.”
Thats EXACTLY what happened. No lies.
People say “Well, with all the things that happened, thats understandable”. Or even “I see, well at least you dont have schizophrenia”. 
Summary: there is so much stigma attached to just the word schizophrenia that describing my experiences or saying ptsd + psychosis gets totally different responses from saying i have sz.
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I don’t really want sympathy,
just better understanding and help.
mental illness has always had a stigma.
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I used to want sympathy. I remember I was 25 years old and I said in IOP “I’d rather have my arm cut off cuz then at least people would feel bad for me”. This was a group of alcoholics mostly and addicts but they said “I don’t want people to feel bad for me I just want to feel better” like u said. I said in my head “well you haven’t been what I’ve been through!”. And that was schizoaffective and substance abuse. Dual diagnosis. So I felt I was worse. They probably had their issues too though mentally a bit. But as Ive gotten a lot better it’s 3 1/2 years since then and now I don’t feel that way at all.
I feel grateful to do as well as I am and I almost feel schizophrenia was a learning experience at this point. But I understand I’m really unique and fortunate in this regard. Every time I make a thread expressing these views and someone says “there’s nothing enlightening about a disease”. But I think to recover from it to have few symptoms anymore can lead to a more enlightened state of mind.
I feel good
Long post
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I think I still have delusions of grandeur, but nevertheless there’s some truth to my thoughts
i think the key to enligtenment is loss of ego, is it not?
and schizophrenia can be a total loss of ego. it comes and goes.
i don’t know really. i think that losing ones mind helps to understand oneself and others better.
going through struggles helps with empathy.
i wish i knew. there’s been times i felt more connected and spiritual, kind of as if i was everyone and everything in the universe,
and times i feel completely heavy and alone and lost. i like to think it can be enlightening, but then i worry i’m getting delusional again . i’m glad you feel good.
i think it just gives us a new perspective, a different way of looking at things than the majority.
that can be a good or bad thing, i suppose.
i read or heard something that said, trying to find enlightenment or lose your ego, is the biggest trip of all, because ego doesn’t exist, and we are already enlightened.
my post is long too. you’ve made me think too much too early in the morning lol i’m not sure i even make sense
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