Mental Health Month Post!
Woot woot! It’s mental health month and I’m here to talk some seriousness about schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Over the past year I have seen some troubling things. Not new things mind you but annoying all the same.
Schizophrenia DOES NOT equate to violence! Being schizophrenic does not make someone a violent person.
Being schizophrenic does not mean the person is hallucinating 100% of the time. God damn, if I had a dollar for every time some fuckhead said “were you really talking to so and so or were you hallucinating?” I’d be rich enough to afford my medication lmao (sad cries)
Another very annoying thing is being excluded from mental health help groups. Yes, this happens. You would think that a group advertising mental illness solidarity would be welcoming but no, even they are afraid of these illnesses and I’ve even been told “this group is for more NORMAL mental illnesses like anxiety and depression” (emphasis mine) like yeah great thanks for the stigma check. Don’t do that. Don’t stigmatize schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. It makes you an asshole.
Don’t use the word “schizophrenic” in place of the word “crazy.” Just don’t do it. It stigmatizes the illness which I’ve already covered but I’ll reiterate: It makes you an asshole. Anecdote time, someone posted a screenshot of an alarm app they use and noticed that one of the modes was labeled “schizophrenic” and they described the alarm as going off at odd intervals and getting louder with each alarm as they hit snooze. If you’re an app developer, don’t make schizophrenic a mode on your app when it has absolutely no relation to the illness.
Don’t suggest yoga to someone with schizophrenia or symptoms of schizophrenia. Don’t say “it’s about your mindset.” Don’t say “you don’t need medication.” Don’t think or call someone weak for being on medication. I know a lot of my fellow sz diagnoses will just roll their eyes and be like “yeah thanks” politely. But they’ll think you’re an asshole. They may even tell others that you’re an asshole. And they’d be right.
Now a part of this post for people with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder or people who think they may have schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder.
Take. Your. Meds. Take your meds. Just do it. If you don’t like the medication you’re on keep trying to find the one that helps you function the best. In my experience, I compromised a little bit. I still have minor hallucinations but I can function, I’m not paranoid, I’m not delusional. Those were my more debilitating symptoms and I found a medication with minimal side effects that treats those more debilitating symptoms. If your medication treats your symptoms but makes you a zombie and unable to function, try something else but never give up. Never give up on trying to find a medication that helps you function.
If your doctor doesn’t listen to you, try to find a new doctor. Now I know this can be difficult. Literally every doctor in a 50 mile radius to me was not taking new patients. And yes I do mean literally because I called every. single. one. The only way I got to see a doctor was to go back to a doctor I had already seen years prior. So I get that it’s not easy. But a doctor who listens to you will benefit you so much.
Be your own advocate. Track your symptoms, track your side effects. I keep a log of things I want to bring up to my doctor. Keep a counter of how many times you experience a symptom or side effect, log how long an episode lasts if possible. Just take as many notes as you can about your mental health because when you talk to your doctor about it they will be more willing to listen to you and TRUST YOU. This is important because we’ve all been there when we really want to get off a medication or get on a specific one and they just don’t want to write you the prescription for whatever reason. If your doctor trusts that you will monitor your mental health they’ll trust your judgement more. And keeping logs and notes helps you remember certain things you want to talk about with your doctor.
Along with that. Do your research on medications. There’s a helpful website called drugs.com that will let you look at all the noted side effects of a medication so if you know you’re prone to a specific side effect you can weed out certain medications. It will also let you know drug interactions if you are on multiple medications. This will help your process of finding a good med mix move faster. And again, it shows your doctor that you’re taking an active role in your mental health. Which is always a good thing.
You are not god. You are not the center of the universe. You are not being followed by the CIA or the FBI or any government agency. You are not being followed by any agency or person or whatever at all. People cannot hear your thoughts. You are not a shaman. You are not a bridge to other realms. You are not a psychic. You are not telepathic.
Don’t fan the flames of other people’s delusions. If someone talks about a delusion they’re struggling with, do not feed into it. I see this so many times and it really pisses me off because people post about their delusions looking for HELP most of the time. They don’t need someone else coming in saying “yeah I truly believe we’re the chosen people because we can see blah blah blah and others can’t.” Don’t. If you’re gonna comment or tell someone something like that just don’t fucking do it. They don’t need that and truthfully neither do you. If they’re talking about it they are most likely looking for help and validation that it’s not real and they really don’t need someone telling them that it is.
If you are not diagnosed but you experience odd things that are happening, google it. One of the first signs that my illness was getting worse was not actually hallucinations but the delusions. I googled “I feel like people can hear my thoughts” and I got taken to a schizophrenia forum where they were talking about that. I googled “feeling really paranoid and anxious” and again more stuff on schizophrenia came up. I told my boyfriend about what I was thinking and feeling and he said “that’s not normal, that’s not healthy brain function you need to see a doctor.” So definitely try to find a doctor right away.
Okay I think that wraps this up. Thanks for reading!
