Let me ask you something:
If you have had the so called "symptoms" of "schizophrenia" at some point or another in your life and never been labeled as "schizophrenic" does that make you not schizophrenic?
If you have ever been labeled as "schizophrenic" and never actually had the symptoms of schizophrenia does that make you more schizophrenic?
What do "you" understand the symptoms of "schizophrenia" to be? Same question and additional information:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
My other questions from before these on Schizophrenia:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;... The word "schizophrenia" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".
It is not a "disease", despite claims made in certain peoples answers here. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "schizophrenia" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".
"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD (Neurologist, Pediatric Neurology), & Fellow at the American Academy of Neurology.
"Chemical imbalance鈥t鈥檚 a shorthand term really, it鈥檚 probably drug industry derived鈥?We don鈥檛 have tests because to do it, you鈥檇 probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.
Symptoms that psychiatry labels as "schizophrenia" (or it's related disorders), can stem from any number of variable sources. Many people have overcome disorders such as "bipolar" and "schizophrenia" through effective megavitamin therapy and effective nutrition. A growing wealth of evidence supports that underlying nutritional deficiencies can cause even the most severe mental disorders, including "schizophrenia". [1,2,3,4,5,6]
You may also be interested to know that the work undertaken by pioneers such as Dr. Lars Martensson and the late Dr. Loren Mosher show that there is also another way - far safer and more effective than psychiatric restraint, drugs and electro-shocks. For over a decade Loren R Mosher, MD, held a central position in American psychiatric research. He was the first Chief of the Center for Studies of Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health, 1969-1980. He founded the Schizophrenia Bulletin and for ten years he was its Editor-in-Chief. He also led the Soteria Project, which demonstrated that effective rehabilitation is possible without harmful antipsychotic drugs. Soteria provided a safe and sane environment where schizophrenic patients could stay, medication-free, with a young, nonprofessional staff trained to listen to and understand them and provide companionship. The idea was that schizophrenia can often be overcome with the help of meaningful relationships, rather than with drugs, and that such treatment would eventually lead to unquestionably healthier lives. The results were fantastic. Over just 6 weeks, patients recovered as quickly as those treated with medication in hospitals. [7,8]
Bottom line? Psychiatry is a belief-system, a "faith", not a science. Despite the huge marketing strategies, the so-called "research" and all the propaganda thrown at the world, there is not one iota of scientific evidence that proves that "schizophrenia" or ANY mental illness, in fact, exists as an actual --medical disease--.
If you have been told differently then know this: You have been lied to.
For more information, please visit:
http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters
Decoding Psychiatric Propaganda
See also http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/a...
and http://www.webcom.com/thrive/schizo/ The history of Psychology reveals that the stranger the term, the greater the income, for those who spent their time as voyeurs of the bizarre.
There is no mental illness. Nor physical ailments. Medicine has conned several generations into believing that God made mistakes. That the human body is imperfect, and unable to correct all imbalances, naturally. They use microscopes because they seek what simply doesn't exist.
THE FACTS OF LIFE
Each of us is different. Some express themselves in ways that cause envy, others, in ways that inspire imitation. Still others do things that we may think odd, but if left alone, will be accepted as normal, given enough time.
Stay far from doctors, and anyone else who has paid money for "education."
You are normal. Just because people stare at you, or some journalist may one day take footage of you for all to see, due to some spectacular interest you've suddenly chosen...know that you belong here as much as me, or anyone else.
Can you imagine the embarrassment of millions as they are shown that there never was cancer, autism or aging? It was all illusion, for the sake of filling hospitals, and bank accounts.
Try not to kill anyone without fair warning. Other than that, have life at your own pace.
. First of all, everyone has a little schizo in them. Any doctor will tell you that.
Catatonic type:
Motor disturbances
Stupor
Negativism
Rigidity
Agitation
Inability to take care of personal needs
Decreased sensitivity to painful stimulus
Paranoid type:
Delusional thoughts of persecution or of a grandiose nature
Anxiety
Anger
Violence
Argumentativeness
Disorganized type:
Incoherence (not understandable)
Regressive behavior
Flat affect
Delusions
Hallucinations
Inappropriate laughter
Repetitive mannerisms
Social withdrawal lmao did u re read this at all? Schizophrenia is a disease, if you don't have it and a doctor says you do, then they're wrong. If you do have it but get mis-diagnosed, then the doctor's wrong and you still have it. The symptoms are:
A) Characteristic symptoms: Two or more of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a one-month period (or less, if successfully treated)
-delusions
-hallucinations
-disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence; speaking in abstracts). See thought disorder.
-grossly disorganized behavior (e.g. dressing inappropriately, crying frequently) or catatonic behavior
-negative symptoms, i.e., affective flattening (lack or decline in emotional response), alogia (lack or decline in speech), or avolition (lack or decline in motivation).
Note: Only one Criterion A symptom is required if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of hearing one voice participating in a running commentary of the patient's actions or of hearing two or more voices conversing with each other.
B) Social/occupational dysfunction: For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care, are markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset.
C) Duration: Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least six months. This six-month period must include at least one month of symptoms (or less, if successfully treated) that meet Criterion A. I think severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Or OCD for short. Signs of claustrophobia and Paranoia. There are several different manifestations of this disorder. Namely; bi-polar, catatonic, manic depressive, and others... see a professional. Why don't you take a look here for your serious query... Schizophrenia is often hard to actually diagnose its symptomatic impressions in each individual according to their life styles, and or depressions.
Even though you may have some symptoms that lure to Schizophrenia...it;'s not necessarily true that you may have this illness.
I have been to several doctors and fooled them all thinking I was Schizophrenia until one day I met a Neuropsychologist that congratulated me for being very, very good, but I did fool him, but his Odyssey was hurt when he could not pin point it so he simply could not believe anything I said, but he did get stumped from his own beliefs.
He basically was not really sure of his diagnosis, but wanted to prove he was right and couldn't
Today my so called Schizophrenia is worth over half a million dollars in settlements and I have not decided to pursue the issue instead, I play it out.
Now you ask your self, does this guy type or sound like he is mentally ill?
The Veterans Administration Doctors say I am and yet I am not and the truth has been revealed and they are stumped because its' a money issue.
Can any body really pretend to be Schizophrennic and foll the best Doctors in the field?
Yes I have already done it.
I should of been an actor instead of making fools of VA Doctors...they have learned something else new when they met me.
BY the way, the reason I did it is becasue thats what they wanted in order to pay me...so whamo and its not over yet. The simple type could cause emotional dullness,lost of ambition,and tends to withdraw, but no intellectual impairment.
Paranoid type cause one to deveope extensive delusions of persecution.
The catatonic type may show stereotyped excitement, or stimulate a stupor, though lucid and recalling the episode if recovery occurs.These people have a vague sense of 2 personalities.
The hebephrenic shows silly mannerisms, speech anormalies, hysteroid symptoms,delusions, hullucinations, and often childish behavior and mannerisms. There are different kinds of schizophrenia, some more serious than others.
Types of Schizophrenia
-Paranoid schizophrenia - These persons are very suspicious of others and often have grand schemes of persecution at the root of their behavior. Halluciations, and more frequently delusions, are a prominent and common part of the illness.
-Disorganized schizophrenia (Hebephrenic Schizophrenia) - In this case the person is verbally incoherent and may have moods and emotions that are not appropriate to the situation. Hallucinations are not usually present.
-Catatonic schizophrenia - In this case, the person is extremely withdrawn, negative and isolated, and has marked psychomotor disturbances.
-Residual schizophrenia - In this case the person is not currently suffering from delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech and behavior, but lacks motivation and interest in day-to-day living.
-Schizoaffective disorder - These people have symptoms of schizophrenia as well as mood disorder such as major depression, bipolar mania, or mixed mania.
-Undifferentiated Schizophrenia - Conditions meeting the general diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia but not conforming to any of the above subtypes, or exhibiting the features of more than one of them without a clear predominance of a particular set of diagnostic characteristics.
When i was a child I was diagnosed with a mild case of Schizoaffective Disorder. I didn't have so much of visual hallicuniations, mine were more auditory. I would hear things that wasn't said. I constantly heard my name being called and it wasn't. I grew out of this, for I don't hear things anymore. Because I no longer have 'symptoms' of schizophrenia I am no longer labeled a schizophrenic. If you were to pull my medical records (which is illegal, or unless its for a court case or something) then you would find I had a childhood schizophrenia. Now if someone labeled you or whoever with schizophrenia but never had symptoms, I don't see how you would be schizophrenic. If this was a doctor that diagnosed, i would get a second opinion. Just because someone is a Doctor doesn't mean they are always right. Doctors misdiagnose things all the time. They are human, not Gods, afterall. If this was a friend or someone you know, they are just using it as a deragatory statement, and trying to label you as "crazy". Thanks to the media, Schizophrenic's are labeled very negatively and as "crazy", highly delusional people. (Which is definitly not always true...look at me! Im normal now!)
The symptoms of schizophrenia in my book, is someone who has visual and/or auditory hallicinations. Well I hope I can answer this to the best of my ability.I know a little about it featuring that my younger brother has it.
Now,a psychiatrist usually comes to the diagnosis based on clinical symptoms that you may have.People diagnosed with schizophrenia usually experience a combination of hallucinations, delusions, racing thoughts,apathy, lack of emotion, poor or nonexistant social functioning,disorganized thoughts, difficulty concentrating and/or following instructions, difficulty completing tasks, and memory problems.
If you go to some of those links I am about to leave you then you can read some personal stories from real people who found out about them having it.Good Luck! =]
I also left some other sites that will help you as well. For me...
Being Synesthetic and surrounded by people who neither believe in it as a condition or would ever be willing to understand it or accept it... The next best thing to call me would be schizophrenic. and I have been diagnosed as schitzop[hrenic when I was younger before I ever understood what it is that I actually am, had a name...
It is easier for the stoic minded to relate circumstances and experiences to what they know, rather than what is true because it goes against a mainstream assumption or text book rule...
most psychiatrists are not big on philosophy. They are rather linear minded individuals and tend to go for what is most common and makes the most sense... Leaving those of us who are different... diagnosed and generalized like it or not... and if we disagree. That makes us more ill and combatant or in denial.
It is a vicious cycle and I learned a long time ago not to ever bother trying to explain it or justify it. It get's me into trouble when dealing with the uninitiated who have no respect or understanding of the more esoteric factors of life and human existance.
The symptoms of schitzophrenia are very similar to Synesthesia...
A feeling of dissociation or seperation from the body or body parts...
Seeing things no one else can see
hearing things no one else can hear
very delibrate functioning of outer stimuli that is automatic or subconscicous for most people... Like counting breaths or steps in order to be able to make that part of you function...
Paranoia that comes as a result of thought disorganization.
a feeling or sense of being fragmented.
scattered, dellusional, lacking empathy...
moodswings.
personality fragmentation that creates different or seperated entities and blackouts between. (which I do not have)
There are many different extremes to the disease... Some people are catatonic very ill, and some are very mildly effected and highly functioning.
Which is why many schitzophrenics are artists... and their art described a world that most people can't see, experience or ever rationally imagine.
Famous synesthetes...
Rimbaud
Nabokov
Kandinsky
Korsakoff
With me... I have an ability with metaphores and my outlet is poetry. I can draw and paint and play a few different instruments as well but mostly my gift is words...
I'll never forget the first time I ever saw Rimbaud's Vowles... I immediately understood that I was not sick... Just very different.
A= black/ a hairy corset of black flies.
E= White/ lofty galciers, white kings
I = Red/ Purple red spittle, laughter of sweet lips.
U = Green/ Green seas, pastures.
O = Blue. Go Know, you really have no idea what you are talking about. You have completely blurred the distinctions between Dissocative Disorders and Schizophrenia and as far as being a Synesthetic or whatever you believe yourself to be, I wouldn't even begin to comment.
In response to the original questions posed:
If you have the "symptoms" of "Schizophrenia" at some point in your life, you have the symptoms throughout your entire life. Schizophrenia is not episodic, though there are phases called prodromal, acute and residual and each has a characteristic cluster of symptoms. Simply hearing voices does not warrant a diagnosis of Schizophrenia as there are multiple disorders for which this is a symptom. If you've never been diagnosed, you would still have the disease as much as many people have illnesses for which they never seek treatment. Why not ask something equally ridiculous as whether or not a diabetic who has never been diagnosed is still diabetic? Uhm, duh! Your less than subtle insinuation, Super Kitten, that Schizophrenia only exists in the minds of others is quite ignorant.
If you were diagnosed with Schizophrenia and never had the symptoms, you were misdiagnosed. Again, duh!!!!!!!
And, as if you have any real or genuine interest in learning what the symptoms of Schizophrenia are, I'll explain it to you. Although this info is more intended for others who may casually read this idiotic question and be otherwise misled into believing utter nonsense, as I'm sure the info is wasted on you, SuperKitten!
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is an illness that is biogically based. You inherit a predisposition for the disorder which is generally triggered by stress. The typical age of onset is in the late teens to early 20's (the college years).
The general characteristics include both "positive" (acute) symptoms and "negative" (residual) symptoms and there is a prodromal phase, acute phases and residual phases. There are a lot of technical aspects to the correct diagnosis which I won't elaborate, but in general the characteristic signs are any combination of the following:
"Positive" signs:
-Hallucinations (primarily auditory, less often visual and rarely tactile, gustatory or olfactory)
-Delusions (fixed or variable, paranoid/persecutory and grandiose, somatic, erotomanic, nihilistic, etc.-they run the gamut of various types, "ideas of reference" where a person believes that random events have a special meaning meant just for them, delusions of thought control or thought insertion)
-Disorganized Thinking ("Loose associations" where thoughts are strung together with little cohesiveness, "perseveration" where a person gets stuck on the same thought or theme over and over like a needle that skips on a record and keeps replaying )
-Disorganized Behavior (catatonic excitement, catatonic stupor which is like posturing-usually only seen in extremely severe cases and rarely any more)
-Poor Concentration and inability to focus on a thought, sometimes "blocking" where a thought becomes interrupted in midstream)
-Disorganized speech (incoherence, rambling or circumstantial speech-lots of fancy terms like echolalia, word salad, verbigeration, clanging)
-Inappropriate Affect (inappropriate giggling, tears, silliness, etc. that is out of context to the situation)
"Negative" signs:
-social withdrawal and preference to isolate
-flattened or blunted affect (emotional expression)
-Amotivation (lack of motivation, apparent apathy)
There are 5 distinct types:
1-Paranoid: most organized thinking of the types-prominent delusions and hallucinations
2-Disorganized (Hebephrenic): Grossly disorganized thinking and behavior predominates and inappropriate affect
3-Catatonic: catonia, rarely seen any more
4-Undifferentiated: no clear predominant symptoms
5-Residual: Primary negative symptoms-often seen as a "burned out" version where there are fewer positive or acute symptoms
Schizophrenics often are able to maintain jobs in low stress environments with minimal interpersonal demands once they are stabilized. Others may work in sheltered employment with support and guidance. Social skills are greatly impaired and schizophrenics often have great difficulty reading the social cues most of us take for granted and thus they misjudge or misread social situations which reinforces their tendency to self-isolate as do paranoid symptoms. Intimacy is exceptionally difficult as well and they rarely form close or deep bonds with others, making it difficult to function as husbands and parents. They tend to appear aloof and distant emotionally, although often this is a way of coping with feelings of being overwhelmed by other people's emotional expression and demands.
Medication often serves to either completely control the acute symptoms or dampen their impact, but tends to have minimal impact on the negative symptoms. The side effects are often horrendous and intolerable and this leads to a familiar pattern of stopping medication, beginning the trend of repeated courses of decompensation leading to re-hospitalization.
The ineffectiveness of meds and the emotional blunting they can cause often leads to attempts to self-medicate with alcohol or marijuana (usually) which often increase symptoms.
Schizophrenics often perceive the world in unique and idiosyncratic ways which can cause them difficulty in complying with social norms and expectations, even simple things like generally accepted standards for cleanliness or hygiene. It can also lead them to exceptional creativity and expression in arts and abstract disciplines. Examples of famous schizophrenics are the poet and artist, William Blake (I have many of his works in my office for inspiration) and John Nash, the Nobel Prize winner featured in the movie "A Beautiful MInd".
And for Go Know, here's the characteristics of DID which you erroneously and inaccurately assumed to be Schizophrenia:
DID (MPD)
DID is the existence of two or more separate personalities or personality states within one person, with each alter having distinctly different ways of thinking, feeling, behaving and relating to the world and distinctly different memories, each part having amnesia for the other parts' memories. It is born from repeated and severe abuse and involves the defense mechanism of dissociation and generally develops before the age of 10 as children are far more likely to dissociate.
DID is often misdiagnosed and it is very common for a person to have had multiple different psychiatric diagnoses before it is definitively identified as DID. The symptoms frequently overlap with symptoms of schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety Disorders (all), PTSD, other Dissociative Disorders and Somatoform Disorders as well as Borderline Personality. It requires extremely careful assessment and a high level of trust by the patient before alters reveal themselves. The diagnosis cannot be finalized before a therapist has actually made contact with another alter and observed the switch between alters.
The hallmark symptom is amnesia, which can be partial or complete depending on the level co-consciousness that exists between alters. Folks with the disorder describe the amnesia as "missing time" or blank periods, often daily or weekly, where they cannot account for their whereabouts or behavior. It is this amnesic barrier between parts that often leads to the most bizarre and distinctive signs and symptoms: not recognizing familiar people; not remembering highly significant events in their lives (like the birth of their first child, for example); finding purchases or articles of clothing/possessions, writings or drawings that they have no recollection of having bought or created. They are frequently accused of lying because they disavow their own behavior which is remembered by one part, while the amnestic part is completely unaware of it. Other unusual symptoms include: an exceptionally high tolerance for physical pain (they split off physical sensation which becomes encapsulated in one or several alters without others feeling it); not recognizing themselves in a mirror; using different names; having dramatically different skills and abilities that seem to be alternately present and then vanish (one alter may be able to drive a car while the sudden emergence of a child alter results in complete loss of this ability until the adult alter re-emerges); completely different opinions and behaviors (leading to the mislabelling of Bipolar or Borderline Personality.
Often communication across between separate alters takes place in the form of hearing voices, hence these folks frequently get misdiagnosed as schizophrenic. The key distinction here is whether the voices are experienced as coming from inside the person's head (DID) or outside one's head (Schizophrenia/Bipolar Disorder).
The separate identities develop in response to traumatic experiences which the child is unable to integrate and so they become "split off" from awareness and begin to take on a life of their own.
Folks with DID often self-injure, frequently a result of internal battles between persecutor alters and weaker alters and there are continual battles for control of the body and "time out" in the body between competing alters.
Symptoms of depression and anxiety are frequent and common and the picture is further complicated by the fact that one alter can meet all clinical criteria for Depression, while another part experiences no symptoms whatsoever. One part can be psychotic and experience no side effects from meds while another non-psychotic part has all the side effects and will stop taking meds.You can imagine that attempting to medicate such a disorder becomes an absolute nightmare.
Other symptoms include flashbacks and nightmares, hence the confusion with PTSD. Sometimes there are fugue states and clients will switch and "come to" in the body and have no idea how they arrived in the situation they are in, not know the people they are with and be completely disoriented. I had one client call me from another state after being away for a few days and having no idea how she got there or how to get home. Depersonalization and trance states are common and hence the overlap with other Dissociative disorders.
Folks with DID frequently experience multiple somatic symptoms for which there is no organic basis. They experience partial body memories of abuse without the actual memory of the event and thus exhibit strange physiological symptoms and are often labelled as Somatoform disorders or hypochondriacs.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that virtually any symptom of any disorder can be found at some point in a person with DID. Treatment is almost exclusively through psychotherapy as medication is merely palliative and an adjunct during periods of acute anxiety or depression. Treatment aims at initially contracting against suicidal and self-destructive behavior and attempts to establish safety first. Many DID folks enter treatment in horrendous circumstances where they are frequently in highly abusive relationships or are themselves abusive. Given the multiple alters, they may be both victim and perpetrator both within themselves alone and in the context of their relationships. The second primary goal is establishing communication and negotiation among alters to decrease amnesia and contradictory, self-defeating behavior. Ultimately the goal becomes integration of alters into one cohesive whole which involves sharing of memories and feelings across alters and a merging, where all parts continue to be present, but constant. Years ago I did a lot of self studies in psychology, and gained quite a talent for twisting peoples minds to conform to what I wanted from them.
When I came to the realization I was conning my mother, I turned my back on psychology.
Schizophrenia : When other spirits are trying to live in a persons physical form. When voices from the spirit world are attractive enough for that person to pay a lot of attention to it, thus more and more being controlled by the spirit.
Logic takes over at times, and at times the spirit takes over. That is why some people have different personalities, even multiple . By listening to the spirit trying to control you, you also give admittance to other spirits. Sometimes a person isn't able to function anymore because they lose control of the times the spirits take over.
Hope this helps.....PEACE I had a friend who was schizo before I met her. She stopped using caffeine and eating meat and her mind cleared. She's been a vegetarian w/o very much milk & eggs, no caffeine in any form, and no alcohol for about 15 years. She relapsed once - when she threw out the diet. She got back on it and is fine. No medications.
Her husbands the same, although he needs B-12 shots a few times a year to keep his mind clear. I'm not certain he was schizo, but he did have mental problems.
What we feed the body is what our cells use to reproduce themselves. If we feed them junk they can't be as healthy as they are intended to be and chemical imbalances in the brain can result. Correct the nutritional problem and the chemical imbalance will correct itself, too.
They both have become Christians so I won't throw that part out of the cure. Evil works easier in a diseased mind than a healthy one. yikes, some people here really have no clue what schizophrenia is all about. my girlfriend is a therapist and she said Opester's answer and a couple others are correct and that there are some people here "in denial".
have any of you people who think schizophrenia is a philosophical issue ever met or dealt with someone who has this disease? apparently not. I hope it makes you feel safer to believe it's only a figment of someone's imagination. that attitude sure doesn't help a schizophrenic. |
