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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 3, 2015, at 20:49:46
My official diagnosis is Bipolar I w/psychotic features. In all likelihood, if my people hadn't moved up in the world and thrown their support behind me, I'd be diagnosed with schizophrenia, on a court order, and chillin' in a group home.
The community has voted me schizophrenic...largely because of "poor life choices." Being schizophrenic isn't really about a disease state, its a social role.
Undoubtedly, I have mental problems. What's odd is that I'm actually, officially, "in recovery," and doing surprisingly well. The community has voted me "schizophrenic," so with that comes some more leeway and space, but also invalidation.
Just thought I'd throw this out there.
Posted by Tomatheus on February 4, 2015, at 8:54:44
In reply to schizophrenic is my new role in the community, posted by Christ_empowered on February 3, 2015, at 20:49:46
Christ_empowered,
What chances do you think that you have at attaining other social roles in your community, perhaps in addition to being one who's been deemed to be "schizophrenic"?
Tomatheus
Posted by SLS on February 4, 2015, at 9:00:53
In reply to schizophrenic is my new role in the community, posted by Christ_empowered on February 3, 2015, at 20:49:46
> My official diagnosis is Bipolar I w/psychotic features. In all likelihood, if my people hadn't moved up in the world and thrown their support behind me, I'd be diagnosed with schizophrenia, on a court order, and chillin' in a group home.
>
> The community has voted me schizophrenic...largely because of "poor life choices." Being schizophrenic isn't really about a disease state, its a social role.
>
> Undoubtedly, I have mental problems. What's odd is that I'm actually, officially, "in recovery," and doing surprisingly well. The community has voted me "schizophrenic," so with that comes some more leeway and space, but also invalidation.
>
> Just thought I'd throw this out there.Words are critical.
You are not "a schizophrenic". You are a human being who may have contracted an illness known as schizophrenia. Is someone with a malignant melanoma called "a cancerenic"? Unfortunately, there other examples of the personification of illness. Aren't people who have contracted leprosy called lepers? You will need to either passively allow someone to call you a schizophrenic or you can correct them to help reduce stigma. I usually choose the latter.
Google schizophrenia symptoms and diagnosis. You will need to diffentiate it from schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. Let me know what you come up with.
You are a real nice guy. I'm sorry to see you have so many things to deal with at the same time.
- Scott
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 4, 2015, at 9:53:06
In reply to Re: schizophrenic is my new role in the community, posted by SLS on February 4, 2015, at 9:00:53
I'm considering community service. Right now, I'm trying to (finally) finish my undergraduate degree online. I was able to transfer in about 70ish credits, so it shouldn't take too much time to get 'er done......I do need to do something. Question is...what? Years ago, in my early 20s, I tried to work at a small, local movie theater. I wasn't "good enough" or something, so my ex-shrinks told my co-workers all kindsa fun, Freudian stuff about me. I started getting fewer hours, had to cover for people more often, wasn't invited to after work get togethers, so finally...I quit.
This may sound weird, but I've been without a job for so long (thankfully, my parents are now semi-affluent and supportive...plus I've been getting disability for a few years now) that I'm: a) scared b) not sure I "fit in" the working world and c) a part of me views anything outside of my little world as an imposition. I know that's really self-centered, but...I've spent so much time alone these past several years, its crazy.
My neighbors are harsh towards me. This is a decent neighborhood in a small, southern town. This chunk of town is mostly lower-middle to middle-middle class...then there's my parents' house, lol. Old, pre-civil war house. So, back in the day, these neighbors would call me "poor wh*t* tr*sh" and such, and now I'm living with my people, I have a decent car, so on and so forth, and...so...
...they yell out stuff like, "You're nothing special!" and "Queer!" and "You're just a factory worker!" and "quit trying to be something special!" and "know your place!"
So on and so forth. I'm apparently "uppity."
Ugh. Sorry to vent. :-)
Posted by Tomatheus on February 4, 2015, at 13:29:16
In reply to Re: schizophrenic is my new role in the community, posted by Christ_empowered on February 4, 2015, at 9:53:06
Christ_empowered,
Certainly, aiming to complete your undergraduate degree is a worthy goal. And just by taking the courses that you're taking, you're filling another role other than the role of a person with a mental illness, which is of course the role of a student. Additionally, even though you seem uncertain about exactly what you might end up doing as far as working or volunteering is concerned, I think that the fact that you're considering community service is a good thing. So, without a doubt, having bipolar I disorder with psychotic features seems to be part of who you are, but it also sounds like you're already filling more social roles besides the role of a person with bipolar disorder who might be identified by others as having schizophrenia. That's not to say that the negative perceptions that others have of us don't affect us. When others direct their negativity toward us, that can be hurtful, and I don't think that it should be ignored. But even though some, or perhaps many, in your community may have deemed you to be "schizophrenic" as you put it, their opinions and perceptions don't matter as much as much as your own do. I'm not saying that you've necessarily accepted the negative perceptions that some in your community seem to have of you as being fact. You do seem to see yourself as being more than the person that at least some in your community seem to make you out to be, and I guess what I'm trying to say is that while it can be healthy to vent about some of the negative things that other in your community say toward you, try to let your own self perceptions (especially the positive ones) define who you are more than the perceptions of others.
Tomatheus
Posted by Angela2 on February 4, 2015, at 15:07:05
In reply to schizophrenic is my new role in the community, posted by Christ_empowered on February 3, 2015, at 20:49:46
What community? Your neighbors? Church? support group? family?
Posted by baseball55 on February 5, 2015, at 19:27:56
In reply to Re: schizophrenic is my new role in the community, posted by Christ_empowered on February 4, 2015, at 9:53:06
> My neighbors are harsh towards me. This is a decent neighborhood in a small, southern town. This chunk of town is mostly lower-middle to middle-middle class...then there's my parents' house, lol. Old, pre-civil war house. So, back in the day, these neighbors would call me "poor wh*t* tr*sh" and such, and now I'm living with my people, I have a decent car, so on and so forth, and...so...
>
> ...they yell out stuff like, "You're nothing special!" and "Queer!" and "You're just a factory worker!" and "quit trying to be something special!" and "know your place!"
>
> So on and so forth. I'm apparently "uppity."
>
Your neighbors sound nuts. My approach to people who are nuts is to try and pray for them. The alternative - which you seem to struggle with - is to get caught up in their craziness by fixating on all these gradations of social status that obsess them.If it were me, I'd head far out of town
Posted by baseball55 on February 6, 2015, at 21:59:12
In reply to Re: schizophrenic is my new role in the community » Christ_empowered, posted by baseball55 on February 5, 2015, at 19:27:56
Let me rephrase that, CE, Your neighbors attack you for being different, for being uppity, for seeming to think yourself better than them. What does this say about your neighbors? They are sad, troubled, even pathetic individuals who need to put others down in order to feel good about themselves. The are so obsessed with their own social status that they have to spin stories about others - he's a f*g, he's nutcase, he thinks he's better than he is - to feel okay about themselves. They need to scapegoat you in order to bolster their own low self esteem.
So pray for them. They are sad and limited people who need to hurt others in order to sustain themselves. They are sick and suffering human beings.
See if you can learn to respond to them that way. Like - wow! I am getting better and changing my own life, while they are stuck in these sad and dysfunctional modes of judging and comparing and needing to put others down. How sad for them! How unfortunate that they don't have the opportunity to grow and change that I have.
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 7, 2015, at 9:21:02
In reply to Re: schizophrenic is my new role in the community, posted by baseball55 on February 6, 2015, at 21:59:12
Thanks for your posts. You're right, especially your second post. I mean, clearly they're not happy people, or they wouldn't be yelling at me from their yards, right? Right.
So, I'll pray. Per The Bible, I say a prayer for my enemies every night, so I think they're included in there, lol, but I'll say one just for them, too.
This is the end of the thread.
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