Busting Schizophrenia Myths!
âArenât schizophrenic people dangerous-â No. Violence towards other people isnât a symptom of schizophrenia, nor is it common in schizophrenic people. Thatâs not to say that no one with schizophrenia has ever been violent because of their psychosis, but it isnât a symptom of or in the diagnostic criteria for the illness, and schizophrenic people in general are no more likely to be violent than anyone else.
âIsnât that when you have multiple personalities-â No. Schizophrenia isnât about having multiple personalities - thatâs called Dissociative Identity Disorder and is a completely different mental illness. Schizophrenic people might hear one or more voices in their heads and may feel like their actions or thoughts are being controlled by other people/outside forces, but this isnât the same as having several personalities as itâs always the schizophrenic persons own personality which reacts to these distressing experiences.
âIsnât schizophrenia when youâre psychotic like when you hear voices and stuff-â Yes, but schizophrenia isnât âjustâ about experiencing psychosis (hallucinations, disorganized thinking/speech/behavior and delusions), it also consists of whatâs called negative symptoms (lack of energy, lack of motivation, social isolation, lacking or inappropriate emotional responses, lack of ability to feel pleasure) and cognitive symptoms (impaired memory, impaired concentration, learning difficulties, executive dysfunction and impaired working memory). Schizophrenia is a complex mental illness and psychosis is only 1/3 of what schizophrenic people struggle with.
âYou canât recover from schizophrenia, right-â Not true. 25% of the people diagnosed with schizophrenia are symptom free within 5-10 years of being diagnosed with the illness and up to 80% improve with ongoing treatment and support. Schizophrenia isnât necessarily a life sentence, and while you canât EXPECT to recover from schizophrenia and while thereâs no known cure, recovery is possible for many people with the right treatment.
âShouldnât schizophrenic people be locked up-â No. Schizophrenic people are people just like everyone else, and we have the right to the same human rights and the same freedom as other people. We might need to be hospitalized for our own safety sometimes, but we have as much of a right to be a part of and interact with society as everyone else.
âReal schizophrenic people donât know theyâre sick, right-â Some donât, but at least 45% of schizophrenics are aware that theyâre suffering from schizophrenia, so a person being aware that theyâre schizophrenic and having insight into their illness/knowing that what theyâre experiencing isnât real or normal isnât a sign that they arenât really sick.
âWhat if schizophrenic people just have special powers-â Iâm not going to deny you your right to your spiritual beliefs, but Iâm going to insist that you donât force them onto me or any other schizophrenic person. Just like Iâm not gonna show up at a Christians door saying that God isnât real just because Iâm an atheist, you donât get to tell a schizophrenic person that they can see into other dimensions or talk to spirits. You risk triggering or worsening our illness by sharing your spiritual or religious speculations, so donât bring them up. Ever.
âArenât schizophrenic people dangerous if they donât take their meds-â No. Anti psychotic meds are heavy medication that impacts your life in many ways, and taking them should always be a free choice. Some people would rather live with their psychosis than take anti psychotic medication, and this doesnât automatically make them a danger to anyone.
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