tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post1329428347707671195..comments2023-09-10T06:52:18.149-07:00Comments on Schizophrenia at the Schoolgate: Facebook and SchizophreniaSchizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-78245068824676655512011-11-27T13:26:34.692-08:002011-11-27T13:26:34.692-08:00Hi Smitty. It is a difficult one, isn't it? ...Hi Smitty. It is a difficult one, isn't it? I think people who have been on meds for a long time may be in a different position - it may be harder for them to stop taking the drugs without relapsing, because of changes to the brain chemistry. And there seem to be a lot of degrees of severity of mental illness. Can everyone recover without medication? I think so, I hope so, but I just don't know. I suppose at least now we have the internet, so hopefully people will become more aware of their options, and hopefully be able to draw on their inner strength to recover, when the time is right for them.Schizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-43728853188063352642011-11-24T06:44:09.916-08:002011-11-24T06:44:09.916-08:00It is interesting, that still I feel we are in a m...It is interesting, that still I feel we are in a minority. And when I speak up about what the research is finding about mental illness, and how it is possible to recover and wean off meds, the ones who use meds get quite angry. Once I felt I had no hope and was all alone in my opinion. I had to fight hard, alone, within myself to believe in recovery. Now I speak up so others have hope and those that believe the medical model feel invalidated, threatened and think I am discounting them. Such a fine line we walk as more of us speak out! (I feel we are still in the minority, as many others who have recovered are happy to disappear into the fabric of our culture...)Smittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12681768755769989964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-9453641377391255322011-11-24T04:08:36.691-08:002011-11-24T04:08:36.691-08:00Thanks for that Smitty. I am not sure at times wh...Thanks for that Smitty. I am not sure at times whether I am brave or just stupid! <br /><br />I don't know whether the diagnosis was wrong exactly - I was very, very unwell, I had 3 psychotic episodes and was sectioned three times. But I think the term 'schizophrenia' itself is wrong - it is far too damning. And obviously the psychiatrists were wrong to tell me I would never get better, etc. <br /><br />As far as I am concerned, I am better now, and the message I (and lots of other people) want to spread is that recovery from serious mental illness is possible. The diagnosis is not helpful to anyone who is trying to heal!Schizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-88300412638056397872011-11-23T20:28:29.550-08:002011-11-23T20:28:29.550-08:00I love your courage. I too have "the diagnosi...I love your courage. I too have "the diagnosis." Mine, like yours, could be in error. Those over-zealous docs and the ever-widening lasso of the evolving DSM-X.Smittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12681768755769989964noreply@blogger.com