Objective Schizophrenia 101

Well in the United States more people suffer from mental issues than any other country.
I have traveled to many other countries I don't know why but if you did you would know that the food fruits everything tastes better in some particular other countries.And have a high nutritional and vitamin , health values.

Why because the food In America is hormone modified is is deprived from using hormones that means it has low nutritional values and lack of vitamins causeing people to be depressed and bahavioral changes that's why some poeple need vitamin supliments.The foods in america use hormones and other added things such as pesticide.The pesicide kills bugs but not a problem , the problem is the population to feed there are way too many people so they have to use hormone modified food. Causeing many health problems that the drug industry lies about and takes the peoples money.When I was in other countries I felt healthier and better there I don't know why.

Im just asking if any of you travel to many other countries how would you respond to that.Who here travels frequently.
I have traveled to Indonesia and the food anyfood fruits everything tastes 20 times better and I felt healthy and goodthere , than the food in america.When I came back to U.S. everything even the fruits tasted like rubber.

Other countries nations are better.

[edit on 23-5-2006 by Hawaii_boy]

DAE:

Isn't that the truth! Nothing worse than having the unexplainable reinforced by friends who take matters lightly. I hope your friend is feeling better and able to develop a more objective view to things - even dismissal of certain events can help to alieviate a lot of the main symptoms.

I've never been a big fan of denial, but there are points where it's more beneficial to adopt that tactic!

ST UDIO:

Agreed, OVERWHELMINGLY. I studied the shamanistic arts soon after my first break, and found I didn't have as many unexplainable episodes during this period in time. However, I had to drop the practice when the social climate changed around me and I was no longer able to pursue such methods due to lack of positive resources in the "other world". This change coincided with the advent of the current political regime and the real world issues that were presented therein.

I had to drop my opinions/path because it was simply generating too much hostility from the outside world.

I always found Jung to be more appropriate as his theories centered around personal cognition of certain "unexplainable events". Freud has been used as a model for pure survival and sustaining the biological - it doesn't tap too much into the mind and it's reasoning - and I've never been motivated purely by the drives in his theory.

Unfortunately - he seems to be the Lead Character for so many psychologists and psychiatrists.

SKITZO:

While the meds make the voices go away, they also render me completely unable to function in normal society - I'm too damn tired to do a lot of the day to day, and even under the current perscription, I'm still hyper-sensitive to a lot of the "outside world". This places a lot of demands on my boyfriend - who is the only member of the household who can hold gainful employment.

In a nutshell - Guilt? You bet.

HAWAII_BOY:

Wow. That would explain why so many people I've met in recovery claim they are "being poisoned". Some of the lower class facilities dish out "food" that is nothing more than synthetic derivatives. The meat and veggies are laden with salt, the potatoes nothing more than dehydrated flakes and too much water.

I've tried my best to eat the best organics I can find, but I no longer live in an area where such things are readily available.

Truth be known, I didn't experience as many breaks when I lived in health-concsious California and when my daily diet was entirely of fresh fruits and veggies and dried trail mixes.

Good point.


THANKS, EVERYONE. Your comments make my current isolation worthwhile!

I have took every thing from haldol to thorazine they helped but turned me in to a zombie i take seroquel now only at night its a very high dose but seems to work pretty good now I'm only a bumbling idiot after 8pm

Excellent

you keep 4 (& more) thought balloons in the air, at the same time,
adeptly & succinctly to boot.

theres many ways to poison the self, glad to have read the food/nutrition reply

I've found routine and structure helps hold the mind together - now, if I could just get strong enough to hold a regular 9 to 5...

Out of curiousity - has anyone here sudied the Kabbalah? I'm interested in finding a good site that describes the major points of transition and their meanings - so far I only find rudimentary interpretations that leave far too much to the imagination.

Any help would be appreciated -

Thanks again for your time.

I was somewhat concerned reading your descriptions and accounts of your mental state. As I have experienced and do experience a number of similar events.

My question though was that you said you moved out of your parents house around 17 or so because they got too in to your personal life. So I ask did you around that time or earlier begin use of any sort of chemical stimulant, such as marijuana or shrooms?

Very Interesting Thread so far.

This thread has taught me so much about Schizophrenia. I am amazed that I did not as much as I thought I did about the condition. I am very, very happy that you had the courage to educate us all about this. I've been a lurker on this thread since it's onset, and I wanted to just tell you how proud I am of what you are doing. This is the ultimate in denying ignorance!

You have voted Pyrotechnocracy23 for the Way Above Top Secret award. You have used all of your votes for this month.

J 3:

No - it wasn't about drug use. It was more about double standards and over-the-top punishments. My step-father (bless his heart, he really is a good man) is a behavorial scientist and used to working with teenagers in a high shcool forum.

I never really "followed the trends" of the average teenager (I was highly disciplined and rarely had the need to disobey the house rules - I would "rebel" by drawing outrageous cartoons and writing stories) but I was constantly having my motivations compared to those of the students he was working with - and I found it rather insulting. Push came to shove on a few issues and I left.

Niteboy :

Hey man - thanks. Just doing my part to dispel the myth that we're all illogical, dangerous people.

I'll be ansering questions and posting more experiences in the future as they become relevant!

Stay tuned!

Originally posted by Pyrotechnocracy23
J 3:

No - it wasn't about drug use. It was more about double standards and over-the-top punishments. My step-father (bless his heart, he really is a good man) is a behavorial scientist and used to working with teenagers in a high shcool forum.

I never really "followed the trends" of the average teenager (I was highly disciplined and rarely had the need to disobey the house rules - I would "rebel" by drawing outrageous cartoons and writing stories) but I was constantly having my motivations compared to those of the students he was working with - and I found it rather insulting. Push came to shove on a few issues and I left.

Stay tuned!

Have you ever heard of Asperger's Syyndrome? Do these characteristics embody you at all?
en.wikipedia.org...

These seem like conditions similar to those which you consider to have caused the onset of your situation. The double standards and inconsistent punishment.

I wonder because I have experienced many visual illusions similar to what you describe, such as black shadows out of the corner of your vision, as well as other light variations seen through the corner of ones eyes.

I became unbelievably interested in the topics which you mentioned such as paranormal, conspiracy based, sci-fi interests approximately 1 year following graduation around 18-19. I became increasingly obsessed with these topics even to the point of drawing unbelievable parallels between certain science based topics and theistic studies. And persuing them to the point where I would spend all my time at work learning the most in-depth information about every little topic that would pop into my wandering mind. Over the next few months I would spend hours a day studying everything from the Christian Religion, to electronic engineering and program languages, I would even study name encyclopedias to determine basis of names and so forth.

The paranormal and all things related to OOBE and astral projection became second nature and I have even focused my education toward electronic engineering and the practical application of otherwise considered, unachievable studies. Such as the paranormal and things of that nature.

I know you are in no way capable of making a judgement on me or any condition I could have, however, I feel many of my experiences are similar to those you have expressed.

Intresting stuff in this thread, mental health issues run rampant in my family for some strange reason lol. I suffer from sever depression which when it gets really bad iv thought of suicide my daoctor thinks i may have a border line personality (whatever that means:puz. The depression aspect of mental problems runs all throught the females on my mothers side (maybe genetic) i have an uncle who is a manic depressive and also have Schizophrenia ,we have had many rough times with him. its strange alchoholism also runs in the male side of my family with the exception of my mother.

[edit on 25-5-2006 by ronishia]

J 3:

Thanks for the indight into Asperger's Syndrome - informative, to say the least. There are some definite parallels - althought I'd hate to pathologize myself further without discussing the matter with my doctor. I'm really not excited by the prospect of having another "label" to add to my diagnosis, LOL!

But still - a very informative and insightful link. (I'll be giving if further consideration throughout the day.)

I've always wondered if peopel who experience things "out of the ordinary" are really not "mentally-ill" at all - mybe we're just picking up on things that the amjority of the population doesn't - and because of this discrepancy in our thought process, a bit of a "wedge" between ourselves and normal society develops. I hate to come off as rather callous, but the facts of many personal and "normal state experiences" with people doesn't exactly show a lot of insight and interest in regards to subjective experience.

Growing up - I always wanted to talk about the "what if's" and "would it be cool if we could..." whereas the rest of my peers were more obsessed with television programs and establishing themselves in the social order. I never really understood why people tended to gravitate so much to the dictates of a little black telescreen rather than focus on what was happening directly in their daily lives - but that's another thread and topic in and of itself. (I'm still trying to get that paper off the ground).

BUt this forum really has turned out to be a blessing - the majority of us are here because of our respective interests - most people just block out anything that isn't relative to their personal pursuits and ultimate goals. Still, we all have stories to tell.

Maybe it's our place in the social heirarchy to experience things that others don't - to look for a connection greater than just our personal experience...just because I have a "diagnosis" and have shared experiences with the rest of you guys doesn't mean you have schizophrenia...maybe we're tapping into something medical science hasn't found a way to explain yet.

There has to be a logical explaination for the shared experiences.

I'm not a big fan of the schizophrenic label because it has only distanced me from the immediate world at the moment - who knows? It could be largely environmental. The trick is finding the common denominators.

I've been working on a theory of sorts - how the dysfunctional childhood and lack of appropriate role models and coping skills might influence someone to "behave" in a "socially unacceptable" way - but the only problem with that line of reasoning is the fact that it suggests that we who behave different or have different expereinces are not "valid members of society".

That's what I have been fighting my whole life - herd mentality.

We can get into this more if you like....(because right now I feel like I'm rambling) LOL!


Ronisha:

I know what you mean - my grandmother was bi-polar and I inherited it from her.

I'm sorry to hear you suffer from depression. The past month I've been hit rather hard as well. The most important thing to remember in your situation is that you are a unique and special individual - your decisions are not bound by your genetics. When you go through difficult times, think of them as a test of your spirit - and work through them constructively. It helps make things easier. Find what makes you happy and build upon it.

Always remember - you are not alone in this.

Just out of curiosity - are you taking any perscription meds for your depression?

[Ronisha:

I know what you mean - my grandmother was bi-polar and I inherited it from her.

I'm sorry to hear you suffer from depression. The past month I've been hit rather hard as well. The most important thing to remember in your situation is that you are a unique and special individual - your decisions are not bound by your genetics. When you go through difficult times, think of them as a test of your spirit - and work through them constructively.

It helps make things easier. Find what makes you happy and build upon it.

Always remember - you are not alone in this.

Just out of curiosity - are you taking any perscription meds for your depression?

only thing that keeps me going is my children, they are my life, i live each day at a time and never look at the what if's it doesnt get you anywhere.
no im not taking meds for it i used to be on prozac a few years ago but decided to come of. i dont like the drugged up feeling if you know what i mean. i just face my demons head on and tell them to bog off out my life, been workin so far
although i have my bad days where the darkness desends on me but i pull through it cos i have 5 little ones that need me.
to keep my mind of stuff i write poetry or make pictures that portray how im feeling it seems to help

Right on. Glad to hear you're fighting through it.

I always get worried when I hear about other people going through similar things - I've seen so many who have simply given up.

I'm still on the quest for a workable anti-depressant. I see my doctor in a week and hopefully he can recommend something to increase my energy and motivation - I've heard good things about Zoloft - so - fingers crossed.

That's awesome! 5 beautiful little ones to enliven your day! I bet they keep you busy!

Originally posted by Pyrotechnocracy23

That's awesome! 5 beautiful little ones to enliven your day! I bet they keep you busy!

yup they do and i wouldnt have it any other way,

only down fall is that im an insomniac i go days with only 1-2 hours sleep so i tend to get a little bit grumpy lol.

the way i see it is that theres many people out there a lot worse of than i am, my uncles one of them.

il keep my fingers and toes crossed for you as well it all goes well at the docs

SCHIZOPHRENIC THOUGHTS?

As I've said in the past - I don't recieve very many opportunities to discuss what I'm going through with psychologists - due to several outstanding factors - so I'd like to see what readers of this forum have to say about some of the present ideologies that happen during my episodes.

If upon reading them, you notice any similarites to subjects of personal study and expertise - I would LOVE to hear from you. I've long suspected these are just common manifestations of various philosophical issues, as opposed to mere "symptoms".

Delusional Thought #1: (More often than not, medical texts simply this under the symptom : "delusions of grandeur". See if you agree.)

I feel as if I am here on this planet for a purpose. TO KNOW MYSELF, TO DEFINE MYSELF AND MY PLACE IN THE GREATER SCHEME OF THINGS. I'm not implying that I am above other people, that my situation is overly unique in the grand scope of the word, or that I am some sort of personal savior. I am simply an individual with something to learn, come to an understanding about, and share with my fellow beings.

Delusional Thought #2 : (aka "Paranoia" I am being watched by a host of self-actualized beings - some who seek to profit off of me, some who try to keep me in my present state of being, others who simply "take notes" on how I respond to various stimulus and situations, and some who try to guide me into a state of higher awareness. Times like these come off with the profound feeling of being tested as to where I am on a social scale, what types of ideas I am open to, and whether or not having additional knowledge would be beneficial or harmful to my personal evolution.

Delusional thought #3 : ("Loss of Contact with Reality") There is a "higher world" of awareness out there, it just has little application in the normal day to day of the mundane world. To spend too much time there would only serve to isolate me further to the "normal world" and my fellow beings. This is why episodes aren't constant, but occur every so often.

Delusional Thought #4 : ("Auditory Hallucinations") Is the possibility of latent telepathic abilities really so far a stretch? Other people with this "ability" use insults and demeaning comments to try and break the spirit and mental well being of anyone who awakens to this ability - persons who have grown up their entire lives with active use and familial accpetance of this phenomenon would be actively suspicious of someone "outside of their circle" and seek to isolate them for various reasons. (It should be noted that my "voices" became more hostile and bullying when I moved back to the Southern States from a seven year hiatus to the Northwest. There, such "voices" were more educated, insightful and helpful in several matters. Here in the South, it's much more...uncivilized.) Coincidence?

Delusional Thought #5 : (Under the heading of "delusional thoughts" and "paranoia") There are truths and realities to the outside world that are not privy to the masses en large simply because it would disrupt the current social order. This one, I don't think is too much of a stretch from the truth. Information on various subjects have always been guarded jealously by those who are able to use such information to their personal economic or social benefit.


If anyone would like to discuss or debate these ideas - I'd love some feedback.

Hello, Pyro. Your posts have been very insightful.

Some of my opinions...
#1 doesn't seem a delusional thought at all- many religions are based on this thinking. #2- Personally, I believe in spirit guides and the like. So, who knows, you could very well be percieving usually unknown entities. #3- I believe this myself. #4- I have firsthand expierenced telepathy between friends. Those who do not believe in such things likely have not done so, but it certainly erases doubt...
And, #5- much like #3. If you look into beliefs of eastern religions, you see that this is common to believe. For example, Hinduism. www.himalayanacademy.com...

Nice to talk with you.

My thoughts on your DT through 1 to 5 *grins*

First off #5 aint delusional, in fact it is my belief that those who think differently from #5 are delusional themselves *grins again*

DT 1. Reckon thats quite a common belief. Where I reckon that it can bee seen as a 'problem' is believing in this and it takes over everyday life, down to the little things. Or when the quest to find this (our purpose) superseeds our responsibilites, for instance, the knowing and being of oneself is the most important goal, more important than others around you.

However. Imagine that only 100 human beings are ever allowed to exist at one time (a nature thing not us doing this), would we still have the same idea of what "delusions of grandeur" is? I mean, if nature/god/whatever only allowed 100 humans to exsist at one time then woah, much would be different on what we believe about each humans place in the greater scheme of things. What Im saying here is that if we play around with the external variables and we get different ideas/results then we really need to rethink and rethink.

DT #2. This is another one where if we play with the external variables we get different results. If you belong to a society that believe our ansestors 'walk' with us, that in everyday life we are accompanied by them then DT2 is blown out of the water. The idea that gods/spirits/angels etc. are involved in our everyday life is not a new society belief, some beileve that Jesus is with them all the time. The problem, for them, always seems to surface when it is a lone individual that believes this, that it isnt part of your peoples 'group think'. Imagine if a community was a legal person (like corporations), could you imagine some of their 'personalities'? *giggles*

DT#3 This one is very weak. Many eastern philosophies talk about this. They also believe that this is the 'soul' purpose of being a human. These ideas seem to be accompanied with the belief that one must balance ones life in terms of 'higher' and 'lower' worldly affairs... we cant all go off in caves and vibrate ourselves off the planet... or can we? *grins*

DT#4 I think I need more time with this one. Cursary thoughts are a tad conflicting. For a start NLP talks freely about the voices in our head and even has exercises for talking to them. These 'voices' arnt always auditory either, they can communicate via feeling, taste, visuals and even take over your system (for instance "When ever Im in the company of males, I clam up and act dumb - a part of me doesnt trust myself with men" (not me btw, an example)). I know that NLP in counselling sessions try to amplify these voices, so that the person can understand whats going on, and have a dialogue (counsellor to 'voice') with them to reach a compromise. For instance, our lady who clams up in front of men, a part/voice of hers doesnt trust her with men so it sabotages the whole experience, NLP states that compromises can be had via comunication with that part/voice. Kinda flies in the face of psychology and its ideas of auditory voices. So we have a whole branch of thinking that not only amidts that these voices/parts do exsist but in everybody too.

However, I dont know much about NLP and I have no idea what its take is on the auditory halucinations as there are exercises that involve bringing those aspects forth and communicating with them, would they do the same with a client who is diagonsied with schizophrenia? No idea but a quick google search got me this page which looks quite interesting!

DT 1,2 (2 could be some sort of projection of 4) and 5 are like belief systems whereas 3 and 4 are states of being. 3 and 4 are states that some people try to attain all their life whereas for others it is thrown on them like a tonne of bricks.

This thread has been really interesting pyro! I could probably keep on going but I have to stop typing and get me some coffee

DAE : Thanks for the link! I really loved the way it presented some things:

"An understanding of catatonia from the inside and a basic understanding of pacing and leading can work wonders with these states, as demonstrated decades ago by Laing:

In Chicago, Laing was invited by some doctors to examine a young girl diagnosed as schizophrenic. The girl was locked into a padded cell in a special hospital and sat there naked. She usually spent the whole day rocking to and fro. The doctors asked Laing for his opinion… Unexpectedly, Laing stripped off naked himself and entered her cell. There he sat with her, rocking in time to her rhythm. After about 20 minutes she started speaking, something she had not done for several months. The doctors were amazed. "Did it never occur to you to do that?" Laing commented…

John Clay. R.D. Laing - A Divided Self."


ISN'T THAT THE TRUTH!!!! THIS IS PURE GENIUS.

I love stories where an insightful and attuned doctor gets the better on the book learners - a wonderful example of how to "reconnect" with a schizophrenic.

(We've already touched in previous posts on how important it is to validate the perspective of the schizophrenic. Nothing is worse than feeling alone in the world.)

WOW! Sometimes I wonder how things would go if someone else was as intuitive as that! There's no posturing here or preconcieved notions of "superiority" - no "doctor/patient pandering". Just the earnest attempt of one human to realte to another on his/her terms - despite how "socially inappropritate" the context might seem.

DAE - WONDERFUL CONTRIBUTION! THANK YOU!

This one gave me a giggle as well :

"Once I was in Napa State Mental Hospital in California, and a guy had been sitting there for several years on the couch in the day room. The only communication he was offering me were his body position and his breathing rate. His eyes were open, pupils dilated. So I sat facing away from him at about a forty-five degree angle in a chair nearby, and I put myself in exactly the same body position. I didn't even bother to be smooth.

I put myself in the same body position and I sat there for forty minutes breathing with him. At the end of forty minutes I had tried little variations in my breathing, and he would follow, so I knew I had rapport at that point. I could have changed my breathing slowly over a period of time and brought him out that way. Instead I interrupted it and shocked him.

I shouted "Hey! Do you have a cigarette?"

He jumped up off the couch and said "God! Don't do that!"

HILARIOUS!

I wish people would be so candid when I lose my grip!

Youre really welcome! Some NLP practitioners can really crack me up, I quite liked this one.


Sitting on the bus one day, a beautiful moment passed between myself and a schizophrenic I was with that day. A beautiful young woman got onto the bus and passed where we were sitting. She passed us as I was lost silently in my own erotic thoughts. As she got level, she swung around and glared at us both. My client looked at me and gasped, "Whoops! She heard us!"

That....is so true.

I love it when people can relate through a postive experience!

Laughter really is healing.