ha, i read this while watching The Shining (with the b oy, contacting the bloke across the country. I kind of believe in this, cause i swear to god me and mym isses shares dreams. Almost every singel day one of us will talk about their dream and either her or i will finish it off (ok, maybe only once a week) - i know igts slightly different, but its odd like that. Anyway Joe, you seem to be a person who can hold a conversation and are interesting and you like photos with tractors in them (lol) so you seem fine by me, and if your happy then whos to complain!
I use "schizophrenic" for anything schizo-related, including this disorder. I should really change that.
Believe me, I'm awkward as hell in REAL social situations. The reason I spend most of my time on the internet is that it's much easier for me to think and carry a conversation. I'm always at a loss of what to say in real life. I know I seem to function fairly well on the internet, but I just embarrass myself in real life. It's all good!
I growing thrend for many individuals in todays society. (for those who do have problems with society and those that wanna stay away from society and be safe). I understand what ypour saying. I dont have huge problems with large crowds (say the city lunch time), but i believe how anxious i get. I have a tendancy to be a total look at the pavement person in large crowds.
I tend to have the same attitude about this kinda stuff. It's cool! Being normal is so boring. I wish I had a mental disorder. That split-personality thing is kinda cool sounding... Maybe I'll shatter my own psyche somehow. Heh, anyway, what exactly are "bodily illusions"? Also, how paranoid are you? Paranoia seems to be one of the main symptoms...
As long as your on th right side of one. Had a run in with a paranoid Scizaphenia (theres a difference between someone suffering from PS and someones thats just Scizaphenia or the other one) He asked for a smoke and it was my last - the guy followed me for 15 minutes.
very paranoid. i don't trust any of my friends, i feel like people are watching me all the time. it sucks. honestly, about bodily illusions, it's really unclear. like, i myself have googled it and am not entirely sure what it means. what i can guess, from what i found and personal experience, is like a phantom limb experience. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_limb ) only symptom i don't really experience, or i've misunderstood it
If you really want to add to your paranoia (for some bizarre reason), try visiting a foreign country where you stick out and don't speak the language. You become convinced people are laughing and staring at you, and it's because they often are.
I was thinking about this today. The only real thing that bothers me is that I'm genuinely interested in romantic relationships but I have such poor social skills. It's ridiculous.
I rather get the feeling you wouldn't quite feel this way anymore if you did have a disorder...I can't speak for everybody, since the OP enjoys being different, but there are times when "being different" entails extreme loneliness, anxiety, fear, apprehension, anger, frustration, and hopelessness. Having an unusual mental disorder does not necessarily mean being different and quirky and having fun. One can be unusual and interesting without having a disorder. And people don't tend to "shatter their own psyches" willfully... I remember in high school a friend stated that she thought my OCD was funny, and it's true, there are aspects of it that are amusing to joke about. But on the whole it's certainly not fun to experience it firsthand. The reason they call them "disorders" is because they disorder people's lives, and that's in no way fun. BTW, "split personality" is not a psychiatric term. It has nothing whatsoever to do with schizophrenia or its related disorders. It's a misnomer that came about due to the meaning of the word schizophrenia--"split mind"--as in split off from reality. "Split personality" is now informally used to refer to people with dissociative identity disorder, formerly called multiple personality--a disorder COMPLETELY unrelated to schizophrenia. Apologies if I'm being a wet blanket, but I really loathe when people mix up psychiatric terms.
Funny. I was listening on the radio about this disorder -- I'm not sure, but I think it might actually be called Truman Syndrome -- where the patient wholeheartedly believes they are in a reality show a la Truman Show, and think everyone around them are just actors/robots/holograms designed to put them in entertaining situations. Ever get that? It's related to schizotypal disorder I think. Edit: Tehuti, I'm quite familiar with abnormal psychology. I know what D.I.D. is, I've even met a guy who has it. I was just being quaint And I never said it had anything to do with schizophrenia. In fact, I'm not even convinced it's psychiatric in nature (DID). It seems to be more of a form of PTSD. Anyway, I was joking, really. I know mental disorders are bad, obviously. I just always thought that particular aspects of it -- namely being able to operate outside the bounds of 'normal' society, behaving however I want rather than however I must -- would be fun, at least for a while.
No, it's not FUN for sure, but I'm glad that I'm different in some way. Personality disorders are something that one would be ill advised to take if they had the chance. Still, with my overly pessimistic attitude it's good practice to try and make something good out of a bad thing. And yeah, OCD must be terrible. I'm a little that way, especially with keeping things symmetrical. I've never really gotten that. I get extreme bouts of panic when I think people are watching me, or I think that everybody is going to try and attack me. For example, when I'm walking down the street and I see someone, I'll get it in my head that they're going to push me in front of traffic. Also for clarification, not WATCHING like the truman show (which is a great movie). Watching like there's someone outside my window.
Emerald, you SO don't actually want one. I have to take pills every day to keep me from being a hyperventilating, rocking, sobbing basketcase curled up in a ball on the floor. This gets expensive when one doesn't have insurance ($1500 every three months). I actually have it a lot better than some people I know with various mental/emotional problems. I have gone to the hospital, but they haven't kept me. They have kept some family memebrs and friends. Not nice places. Be glad you are sane, normal, and "boring"
Ouch... Downer. Anyway, good luck to you, DRJoe. Personally I admire you for taking this in your stride and to all the people who treat you like you're crazy I say either "Go F**k Yourselfs" or "Isn't that kind of a job requirement for being a successful writer? The ability to see things from a different perspective?"
I sort of know what you are going through. I was diagonsed with bipolar type II last April. Mental illness is never easy but always do your best with treatment, coping and stuff. If you ever need to talk feel free to pm me here.
You can't possibly be a writer, and not be completely out of your ****ing gourd. Mods feel free to edit that if you don't want cursing. Anyway, can I be honest here? This thread seems like some of you who were diagnosed with one thing or another, you're all just bragging, like it's cool or something. Like you're cool for being "weird". Like any of this is actually "weird" to begin with. It's not. It's called being logical, and having an actual thought process. To be fair, I've not been diagnosed with anything, other than spina bifida (thanks life, all the things associated with SB, the whole package is totally sweet thanks a lot for that), but it just sounds like you all are bragging. I have had my fair share of mental things, but I don't know if I'd ever go around saying that kind of stuff. Which doesn't even sound bad at all. And I think some of you are fakers. Just my thoughts. Feel free to edit this, or delete it, or do whatever you want I guess.
I am not bragging. I think people who DON"T have to put up with this stuff are lucky. However, I am not ashamed to have what I have. I am proud at the progress I have made. 2 years ago I couldn't make a phone call my anxiety was so bad. Now I am functional and working as an office manager with lots of phone calls. I worked hard to get where I am. That isn't bragging. It is jsut part of who I am, and I am not ashamed of that. As for your physical problems, I am sorry. You got dealt a bad hand. While you are dealing with physical problems, others are us have our mental problems. They are all things we have to try overcome and work with. As for fakers, I can't speak for anyone else. I do know that as it is much harder to make a diagnosis for mental problems than for physical problems, being called a faker kinda stings. It is a lot easier to look at a person in wheelchair and believe that they are disabled, or suffer, or have problems. It isn't as easy to look at someone and know they are bipolar, OCD, or Schizotypal. So it kinda stings when people don't believe you.
So I've got ADD, or at least that's what they tell me. I'm unmedicated and everything! I get along fine without any medication or treatment, in fact, I think anybody who's got a ment...oooh SHINY! And I'm not a fak...oooh bald spot....SHINY!...ooh computer MATTE BLACK!
