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Paul86

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paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis Posted: 03-18-08 13:14pm


To whomever this may concern, Hello, my name is Paul and I'm a 22 year old former normal person. Prior to my downfall, I had friends, a part-time job, and a bright future -- having been accepted into University. Unfortunately, I never went, because I did not graduate from my last year of high school. I quit midway, stopped associating with my friends and disconnected all contact with the outside world. Whatever happened was and is too complicated to explain coherently, so I won't make the attempt. However, I can give a few details from when it all seemed to have started. I call it: the awakening: I started experimenting with weed, because one of my best friends convinced me to try some. I've heard about the connection between weed and mental illness, but I never thought it could happen to me - no family history. In fact, I've got pretty good genes. My first experience with weed was interesting. So, I tried it a few more times. Something happened, I'm still not sure what it was. All I can say for certain was that it was intense. It felt like my mind was being raped. I started experiencing some very weird things. Each experience building up the previous and so forth. I had smoked weed a few times and I had to stop. The effects were too enormous. My reality changed forever. For my mother's sake, I went through a mental evaluation process a few months ago and then a 2nd one after that. The diagnosis was confirmed and I was presented with a prescription for paranoid schizophrenia. I took the pills for almost a couple of months, discontinuing shortly after I started my research on the subject. I've been off them for a while now and I definitely feel better. I haven't determined what's going on and I won't jump to any conclusions. However, there's something really odd about this mental illness and others for that matter. Pills aren't the answer, not for me, anyways. If you've been diagnosed with this mental illness, then, I'd like to know why you believe it. Regards, Paul

Galaxy

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Posted: 03-19-08 21:03pm


I am sorry you have gone through all of this and that your education has been temporarily derailed. I think it is important that you focus on getting your condition settled so that you can get back to education and try to make a good future for yourself. Of course you should try to find out everything about your condition but please don't dwell on it to the point that you give up on your future and lose your place at uni. I am sure that if you contact them and explain why you failed to take up your place, they will be very obliging and will advise you about reapplying. All unis have a disability policy and your condition should not be a consideration on whether or not to offer you a place. And please don't think that being normal is the pinnacle of all our ambitions. Who really wants to be normal? Accept the difference and get on with your life! Good luck.

Paul86

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Posted: 03-21-08 15:16pm


Why do people accept that they have this illness?

Galaxy

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Posted: 03-21-08 15:26pm


What is the alternative? To believe that your mind has been taken over by reptiles/ demons/ aliens etc? You refer to your 'downfall' - have you any rationale for why this happened to you?

Paul86

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Posted: 03-23-08 15:43pm


It's called: flawed thinking. Have you been diagnosed? Way back when, people believed Earth was fixed at the center of the universe and everything else (stars, our Sun, other planets, etc) revolved around it (us). Thanks to Nicolaus Copernicus (among others) and his work, that belief was falsified. At first people (even educated people) had a hard time accepting this. They just couldn't seem to understand that they were merely specs or parts of a much greater whole. This went against the deluded teachings of the church and that's precisely why Copernicus didn't go around advertising his theories. Galileo was almost killed for it. People don't really think for themselves (life is too short, right?). Instead, they believe whatever is being accepted by the general public and whatever fits with their needs. We like to be emotionally satisfied. For instance, life isn't going as planed: "it's not my fault - it's the illness"...Then we proceed to take medication which makes us think even less. Great! No. It's my fault this happened. I'm dealing with it and I plan to go back to school (soon) and get my life back on track (by eating healthy, exercise, meditation, etc). Nevertheless, I'm still curious about this so-called illness. In fact, I'm having great trouble understanding it's definition... The exact definition. So, why do you believe you have this illness (it's almost like an excuse isn't it - the doctors really had me going!)? (lack of insight, unappealing reality about the matter, ???) I'm genuinely interested. So, please...

Galaxy

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Posted: 03-23-08 19:03pm


I am not schizophrenic (as far as I know, anyway!) I have lots of physical symptoms and I suffer from Chronic Anxiety but that's it. I like reading the posts here though because I want to understand what makes people think the way they do. I see that almost every time someone mentions schizophrenia, ten people appear to tell them not to listen to the doctors but to read the bible/accept that they are possessed etc. I don't know why they think this should be a preferable diagnosis of schizophrenia. I think what you are asking is, why do people accept a diagnosis of mental illness when their 'symptoms' are actually being caused by something outside themselves - is that correct?

Paul86

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Posted: 03-23-08 21:47pm

The bible, demons, possession, God as the Santa look-alike, etc... are all stories and no different then fairy tales (imo). The Bible is a very philosophical and metaphorically illustrated work of the truth and it takes a very keen mind to properly translate it. Children and most adults don't have that kind of ability, so their fed stories, which they take literally and instead exercise their imaginations. They'll picture God as Santa Clause in a white rob, sitting in heaven and then they'll picture the devil as a dark goat-like evil, torturing sinners in hell. And so on. In reality, those are just symbols and metaphors, which represent different things. God in one context may = truth and the devil = delusion. Whatever, I don't consider myself an expert. I just know a thing or two.

People who fit the schizophrenics mold (strong propensity for delusional/irrational thinking) should probably not read the bible, because they are likely to not understand its proper meaning. They'd take it literally. Can you imagine? It's like reading a fairy tale and believing it! (witches, magic, dragons, etc). No good.

Not all assumed schizophrenics would do that, but the ones who would, probably shouldn't be reading the bible.

I don't read the bible:) (The Bible on the other hand...)

Quote:

I think what you are asking is, why do people accept a diagnosis of mental illness when their 'symptoms' are actually being caused by something outside themselves - is that correct?

I'm not sure what you mean.

There's a variety of factors at play here. To name a few: genes, experiences, thoughts, intelligence (we have no control over the former two, YET we have freewill, so I'll assume we're somewhat in control of the latter two). The norm have these and so do the "mentally ill", the only difference is that the mentally ill (in my case, anyways) form strong insights and think independently (~from the norm) about life. This somewhat changes the way we experience reality and how we think. We see the truth and are sensitive to the illusions in our society. We know that a large part of the societies we live in are deluded and controlled by so-called common sense, emotions, ego, and so on.

Hence the phrase: "the world is crazy". Well, it's only like that, because people don't think for themselves and therefore they don't know the truth.

Fragile minds (emotionally driven, dishonest, etc) that are exposed to the truth, suffer. Many of them, want to go back to being sheep, but in most cases, the bridges back have been burned down. So, what do they do when they can't cope with the truth? They use their powerful imaginations and construct worlds in which they feel superior (as opposed to inferior). Problems occur, resulting in mental illnesses and so on.

However, it should be noted that mental illnesses are themselves constructs of delusion. Consider this truth for instance:

Biological disease vs. mental illness - diseases are discovered, while mental illnesses are invented. Each one of us, according to the DSM..., has one form or another (or a combination) of a type of mental illness. Many studies have shown that a person that's perceived as normal to one psychiatrist, maybe perceived ill to another. Sure, there are some which agree on a diagnosis, but the diagnoses is based on something that isn't real.

People who are smart, truthful, and who have a strong imagination will be seen as somewhat abnormal in comparison to sheep (the general public). That's just the way it goes.

A revered spiritual leader from India, maybe diagnosed as a sever psychotic individual when placed in a country like America.

Anyways, if you haven't already noticed, the general population is deluded and living in a deluded reality. The only reason they're not diagnosed as mentally ill, is because they don't exhibit these "symptoms", because they're safe in a world where everyone else is as deluded as they are. Instead of anxiety, they're happy. Hence the phase: "ignorance is bliss".

Just to make sure you understand: people who were exposed to their deluded ways, because of a greater understanding of the truth, cannot go back. It's like, once you figure someone is lying, there isn't going to be much chance that you'll be deceived again. It's quite a shock. In some ways, similar to: falling out of love with someone (for lack of a better ex). The vale has been lifted and it's over. Depression arises and irrational thinking may occur. In other words, we want to be happy (or in love), as we were. To put it differently - we're still somewhat deluded, but not as deluded as we were. [to understand this, you'd probably get somewhere with that love example].

I hope that makes some sense. I'm done with this ramble or stream of consciousness. I don't want you to be deceived by my thinking, instead, think for yourself. Obviously, the truth isn't easily found, especially when one is deeply meshed within the deluded, ego driven, world.

Heh, I'm sure some people are going to think I've completely lost it, but those are the same type of people that would still be stuck in the dark ages, if it wasn't for others, such as Jesus, Socrates, Copernicus and many, many more, to guide then along.

Regards,

Paul

Edit: I've reread it after I posted it and so there were some grammatical errors/spelling mistakes to take care of.