Busting Schizophrenia Myths!
โArenโt schizophrenic people dangerous-โ No. Violence towards other people isnโt a symptom of schizophrenia, nor is it common in schizophrenic people. Thatโs not to say that no one with schizophrenia has ever been violent because of their psychosis, but it isnโt 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.
โIsnโt that when you have multiple personalities-โ No. Schizophrenia isnโt about having multiple personalities - thatโs 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 isnโt the same as having several personalities as itโs always the schizophrenic persons own personality which reacts to these distressing experiences.
โIsnโt schizophrenia when youโre psychotic like when you hear voices and stuff-โ Yes, but schizophrenia isnโt โjustโ about experiencing psychosis (hallucinations, disorganized thinking/speech/behavior and delusions), it also consists of whatโs 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.
โYou canโt recover from schizophrenia, right-โ 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 isnโt necessarily a life sentence, and while you canโt EXPECT to recover from schizophrenia and while thereโs no known cure, recovery is possible for many people with the right treatment.
โShouldnโt schizophrenic people be locked up-โ 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.
โReal schizophrenic people donโt know theyโre sick, right-โ Some donโt, but at least 45% of schizophrenics are aware that theyโre suffering from schizophrenia, so a person being aware that theyโre schizophrenic and having insight into their illness/knowing that what theyโre experiencing isnโt real or normal isnโt a sign that they arenโt really sick.
โWhat if schizophrenic people just have special powers-โ Iโm not going to deny you your right to your spiritual beliefs, but Iโm going to insist that you donโt force them onto me or any other schizophrenic person. Just like Iโm not gonna show up at a Christians door saying that God isnโt real just because Iโm an atheist, you donโt 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 donโt bring them up. Ever.
โArenโt schizophrenic people dangerous if they donโt take their meds-โ 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 doesnโt automatically make them a danger to anyone.
I would really appreciate if non schizophrenic people would consider boosting this post as schizophrenia is a very misunderstood and stigmatized mental illness and I want this post to show up on as many dashes as possible.
