I am schizophrenic and so am I.

I wrote the title this way as bait for those trolls who would read this just to point out that I am wrong. That I should be talking about multiple-personality disorder.

Let it be known: I am not severely schizophrenic; I suffered from an acute variety that was limited to audio hallucinations and paranoia and had the benefit of going away after some treatment. This being said, if you have the chronic variety and you are capable of reading this, don't get your hopes up because this advice probably will not work for you.

Treatment of schizophrenia is all about establishing what reality is. For those of you who have not had to deal with delusion, let it be known that the schizophrenic reality is, from a sophistic point of view, reality for the individual experiencing it, which is to say that external stimuli tends to only damage the individual more. I have reflected much on how frustrating it was for my brother to try to understand this. He, the doctors and the church could not help me; they had to let me help myself. Any meddling made my situation worse for their reality and mine.

Here is a suggestion for how to handle a person with schizophrenia: Stay passive. Asserting your will only makes things worse. This is not to say that you should stay away, just that when you are present do not judge, do not joke, and do not become angry. Just be there. Be consistent- have the same attitudes every day, the same outlook. This will help the schizophrenic by giving his already overwhelmed perception some relief.

Keep in mind that the only `cure' is for the individual to develop a system of reality-feedback. In order to do this you have to realize (at some point, some how, but ultimately of, for, and by yourself) what is real and what is not. This is not always easy, especially when you're used to relying on your mind for an accurate account of reality. Start basic- this is a tree, that is the road; this is a rock, that is a dog. I am currently walking on the road stepping on the rock looking at the dog. Use this basic understanding of reality as a foundation. At this level it is really unimportant whether or not other people exist, whether or not you have a soul, or whether you have free will or not: it is just you, the rock and the dog. Ethics? Once you lose your mind ethics do not really Matter much, they just are.

Once you have that down, use this new foundation to reestablish your belief system. Whatever you do, do not get involved in religious groups of any kind, as this will warp your belief system and lead you further into delusion. In addition, establish a set of priorities-- determine what really is important. You get the picture. Draw on this basic view of reality when necessary to handle tough situations, even if the dog isn't real.

	Uh... (none / 0) (#1)
	by Trollaxor on Thu Apr 4th, 2002 at 05:58:34 PM PST

	What are trolls? What the Hell are you talkng about? Take more pills or something.

	My mother once knew a schizophrenic person... (none / 0) (#2)
	by gzt on Thu Apr 4th, 2002 at 06:17:14 PM PST

	who had a motto: "Sometimes you just have to wade through the trolls." The person usually had a grip on reality, but had hallucinations of trolls occasionally. So, she ignored them and went about her business. And that's my theory. Cheers, GZ

	More importantly, (none / 0) (#4)
	by jvance on Fri Apr 5th, 2002 at 12:00:06 AM PST

	What the heck is an 'axor'? -- Adequacy has turned into a cesspool consisting of ... blubbering, superstitious fools arguing with smug, pseudointellectual assholes. -AR

	You don't mention your childhood. (none / 0) (#3)
	by elenchos on Thu Apr 4th, 2002 at 10:49:11 PM PST

	I guess if you have something as severe as schizophrenia you must have had some incredible conflicts with your mother and father. I bet you literally acted out the entire Oedipus story. I guess we can take it for granted, really. Many have suggested that all schizophrenics should be jailed immediately on the reasonable assumption that they must have murdered their fathers, and probably raped their mothers as well. This is the way the brain works, after all. I suppose it could be that your desire to murder and rape your parents is just so powerful in you that the process of repressing these mighty forces that drive you to do it has made you mad. You should be aware (not that you are sane enough to understand) that we at Adequacy.org don't mollycoddle the mentally crazy. We know you are liable to begin building mailbombs or kidnapping college-age girls at any moment, and we are ready and even eager to clue the FBI in to your whereabouts and intentions. There is a cure, however, if you really want to be cured. It is called psychoanlaysis. You must begin seeing a psychiatrist who can get a complete history of your childhood sexual trauma in order to get you to deal with your repressed desires and hatreds in a fully adult fashion. But you must want to change, and you must see a Freudian analist. I do, I do, I do --Bikini Kill

	I would not expect to be mollycoddled, (none / 0) (#7)
	by JoePain on Fri Apr 5th, 2002 at 08:17:45 AM PST

	So, you think it would be a good idea for me to deal with my desires. Thank god that I have not murdered my father or raped my mother. Maybe there is some hope for me yet.

	We all know how (none / 0) (#10)
	by Anonymous Reader on Fri Apr 5th, 2002 at 10:35:36 AM PST

	you hate to have your errors pointed out to you, but really, these are absolute howlers. psychoanlaysis Your sexual innuendo is fooling no one. Freudian analist Oh, I get it - analist. How very droll! How dreadfully clever! May I suggest a spellchecker?

	M and Ms! (none / 0) (#5)
	by because it isnt on Fri Apr 5th, 2002 at 03:54:13 AM PST

	Here's a lovely recipe! Take one of those "hip flask" bottles of vodka. Drink a few swigs. Fill the bottle back up with M&Ms! Leave overnight. Chocolate vodka! adequacy.org -- because it isn't

	Sounds Nasty, (none / 0) (#11)
	by JoePain on Fri Apr 5th, 2002 at 10:55:01 AM PST

	But i will give it a try. M&M's melt in vodka, not in your hand.

	Keep a few things in mind, and you'll be fine. (none / 0) (#6)
	by RobotSlave on Fri Apr 5th, 2002 at 04:15:53 AM PST

	Ah, schizophrenia. It's a strange phenomenon, to be sure, and it's very important to keep a few points in mind if you find you have to deal with it personally. The first thing you have to understand about schizophrenia is that it's a disease, a physical condition that has to be addressed with drugs, and understood and managed with the help of a licensed psychiatrist. Coping with schizophrenia is a lifelong process, and the sooner you find competent professionals to help you with it, the better. The second thing you need to understand about schizophrenia is that is has no basis in biology whatsoever. It is, instead, an artifact of western civilization, a condition invented and imposed by the Dominant Paridigm or Western Society in order to silence individuals, opinions, or outlooks that, without "scientific" explanation, would threaten the societally mandated conception of a "person" or "human." Finally, you must bear in mind, along with the two previous facts, that there is, in the end, no such thing as "schizophrenia" at all, and that any doctor making such a diagnosis, particularly if it is of the "multiple personality" variety, is either attempting to whitewash his or her failure to understand the human mind, or attempting to build up a dramatic "case history" to serve as the basis for a lucrative career as the sort of "popular" psychologist who appears on daytime talk shows or publishes best-selling self-help books. if you keep all of these facts in mind as you face your problem, you'll find your life as a schizophrenic (or someone close to one) can be as full and rewarding as that of any other person. Just keep the facts in mind, and hang in there! © 2002, RobotSlave. You may not reproduce this material, in whole or in part, without written permission of the owner.

	You forgot Ativan (none / 0) (#8)
	by Anonymous Reader on Fri Apr 5th, 2002 at 08:27:12 AM PST

	My personal favorite.

	I wish ... (none / 0) (#9)
	by Narcissus on Fri Apr 5th, 2002 at 09:30:07 AM PST

	I wish I was a schizo so I could have someone to talk to instead of thinking about talking to other people all the damn time. oh but wait that's why i comment on things here even when I get banned from the damn IRC channel by some jack ass. All i want is a little attention before i do something we may all regret. -------------------------------- Ok, who picked the flower???