# Resources on Schizophrenia



## Dark Dragon (Aug 4, 2018)

One of the POV charactersin my novel has schizophrenia and while I get I have the different sort of hallucinationsdone well for her (i.e. audio, visual, and tactile.) I'm worried about heractual presentation as a person. Sometimes she's frightened, other times happy,sad, or openly talking to the voices she hears. I'm just curious if anyoneknows a good resources on schizophrenia so I can make her more authentic.


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## Darkkin (Aug 4, 2018)

Some titles to look into _A Beautiful Mind,  DSM 5, The Power of Different, January First, and Surviving Schizophrenia.  _(These are all nonfiction.)   A good fiction read is _I Know This Much is True._


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## Underd0g (Aug 4, 2018)

There are forums where caregivers write each other for tips and help. Sometimes there are those with schizophrenia that contribute to the forums as well.


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## Dark Dragon (Aug 4, 2018)

Okay, thanks. I’ll give some of those a look, especially aBeautiful Mind since I’ve heard a lot about that. I’d like to talk to someonewith schizophrenia, but that may be more difficult finding someone who’d bewilling to talk about their experiences with it.


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## Theglasshouse (Aug 4, 2018)

I have schizoaffective disorder (a type of schizophrenia), but I do not have the last stage which is schizophrenia. You see a real patient with schziophrenia and that is halluncinating depending on the severity lacks logic, and is paranoid, and delusional. 

 Someone with that diesase is always hallunicating because of that condition. I would interview a psychiatrist. I don't hallunicante anymore. I remember a doctor confused me by saying I was experiencing delusions. Those were auditory hallucinations. I can say that if you have questions I am one of the few I know of on the forum who'd probably want to give information. There's some terminology and research I can share as experience. But this is a complex disease. They gave me small lectures on its chemical nature, and some technical terms, and couldn't remember everything.

Because I experienced a lot of stress throughout my life, that I would say caused my disease, plus some other private details I won't mention all here since it is something I don't feel like sharing.

BTW, a documentary I recommend is January, a girl named January. I don't know remember if I saw it on netflix. I found the youtube video on the documentary. And there are more documentaries on schizophrenia. It might even be free. Beautiful mind is a classic, but it only shows some symptons the man never acted in the movie such as psychosis I believe. Like I said even I who have schizoaffective experience some symptons differently such as psychosis. I have seen people have voices with palpable identies such as january. Don't forget to look for on google: january, schizophrenic girl.

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...1.0..35i39k1j0i10k1j0i7i10i30k1.0.Ej2dPAZsW1s


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## Dark Dragon (Aug 6, 2018)

I'd be totally open to getting some more information. Right now,my biggest question would probably be on how I should have her interact withothers, especially since there are no medication she's can take since the storyis in a medieval fantasy setting. Another question would be on auditoryhallucinations and if they are always hateful, or if more depends on theenvironment the person grows up in. 

I'll take a couple more looks at the documentary and otherinformation like it. So far it's pretty interesting and helpful, thanks.


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## Theglasshouse (Aug 6, 2018)

That's tough. You have to know what triggers the hallucination, delusions, and auditory voices. I don't know if this is true but when you get older a number of people can deal with schizophrenia more easily as has been said. This is an incomplete answer as I write this post. On your question on how do they manage to interact? Especially in a story. Read on, but they do need medication.

A day can start out pretty normal, but when you mention the magic keyword then that's when the brain goes haywire for a schizophrenic. Let's say since this is a sensitive subject for me, I will give this example. Someone is afraid of doing math, seeing numbers in everyday reality, and people who calculate on a regular basis for fear they will look stupid. I saw a different documentary showing this. Anyways I would base this on a real person. Anxiety triggers the symptoms. 

I would always tell my brother not to mention the name of the writing snob. Not only would it trigger bad memories, but it felt that anytime I wrote a story it became a bad memory. I would subconsciously think of that moment. When the phone would ring, I would think they were talking about me because of the writing snob.

Imagine the schizophrenic afraid of math, that is me but afraid of people on a constant basis because of my own reasons. 

You have a close inner circle, those you hang out with are your most trusted. I grew up with 2 brothers, and extended family with 8-9 uncles and 2-3 (aunts including my mother). 

The delusion means you are receiving fake information in short. It could make you paranoid, worried, depressed, sad. In short schizophrenics are depressed people, and to interact they need to trust the person a lot. If they are paranoid it is dysfunctional behavior.

Anger is common. Remember I am a schizo-affective. That means my four to five emotional moods become mood disorders. I can shift to angry, sad (depression), fear, paranoid, if not under the correct medication. I would often sound cynical of the people around me. Distrusting of my closest family. 

Because you see the family, friends, can be the source of discontent.

But once these insecurities are addressed we have a person who might be less depressed.

Depression and stress are a fuel for the disease.

I for example fear I will become a victim of a different crime. Because I have a condition where I feel afraid. Which has to do with taking the abrupt chemical changes. My doctor made a mistake and withdrew since he forgot what I was taking. This resulted in the fear I have today. The medicine has side effects that are extreme. If you abuse it in some cases it can cause massive panic attacks and maybe lead to passing away.

My fear has to do with a certain insult if you will.

I am afraid of working and going to a university since I will regress I believe and I do not want to take chances. If people call me stupid for instance, or any insult used by a previous abuser, I feel as if could trigger in my brain and I could start hearing voices again.

I'll emphasize that no longer happens. That is when I was sick of the mind. 

How do you interact then can be seen as a very challenging question. My schizophrenia is caused by phobias to certain words. My panic attack can trigger by images I won't like.

It's impossible to treat schizophrenia with mental therapy alone without medicine. It's a chemically based disease. I have interaction strongest with my mother and biggest brother who I trust the most. My little brother who I have referred as a bit of the favorite of the family and my father are the ones I tend to distrust,

So you see there is a psychological phenomenon at work here I am hinting at but don't know the terminology that would apply to mental disease.

Voices can be unique heard when no one is around. Auditory hallucinations are heard when a magic word, situation, or scenario triggers it. Visual hallucinations, I only got it once and was very delirious thinking I was the smartest person I had met, and would hear people as if geniuses all around me. I knew some people but if they said and threw the word genius to describe their intelligence it would create more voices. 

Since my activity is writing and a writing snob did some harm to me. I would think about it all the time. It's ingrained in your subconscious and won't let go.

As for how I behaved with people, I was angry if they did not believe my delusion, I grew paranoid, I grew sad, and sometimes depressed. There are many symptoms to schizophrenia and withdrawal is a negative. Social interaction is a big plus, because it shows that you are competent and is a sign of healing.

My case is different since I am just afraid of hearing voices again. I need a neutral environment, with friends, family. I want to study again since I use to be a teacher and that is the worst career for a schizophrenic. But online distance is what I want. It can be expensive. If I studied distance education it could mean spending a lot of money and not getting a good enough salary since it can take years to recover the investment. I would have to work in the home country I studied. I cannot currently, but when something big sells I was promised to get a distance education bachelors and a masters. 

Therefore depending on the sort of thing that triggers the voices the schizophrenia can limit what you can do. Why do I call it schizophrenia, because if I get worse there is a point of no recovery. I do have schizoaffective disorder.

Depression is a silent disorder, and you never know when you are sad. People with schizophrenia seldom know when they have the disease because of the voices being normal in everyday life. It's like someone comes into the room, and starts talking, say the word math once, and the math schizophrenic imo will develop voices. You will notice them mentioning conversations that did not exist. Anxiety such as feeling depressed, crying or bottling up the emotions, you will also notice anti-social behavior. That's how I would describe it. I developed during that time lack of empathy towards my brother and father.

A person can socialize as long as what triggers their voices does not get in the way the phobia. Then we start imagining our worst enemies talking with in my case father and troublesome brother. 

I have this thought since if you interact on a daily basis on something that becomes a phobia you brain will make you a schizophrenic. That's a hypothesis. Kevin nash doesn't exemplify the complete schizophrenic. I read that he was a bit alien in thinking he was the smartest person. He had also a troublesome childhood. The whole story isn't there of the schizophrenia, you only get the Hollywood moment.

I'll give one example.I once knew of a church lady who became sick and thought satan (no shame in this) was communicating with her. The church is everywhere. It became a phobia imo but I am no Sigmund Freud or doctor to make this claim.

You can never control the symptoms without medication. No one will ever know if the kevin nash story is true but it is food for thought. They changed a lot of the facts I bet, but it does give schizophrenics hope with a positive message.

That is all I can think of for the moment until you think you have a question. I am not afraid to share since I live with it. Even though its now under control. I just don't want to trigger my brain.

Hospitals for the schizophrenics would seem to bolster the ideas I am trying to convey here. They are shut-in, and no one can harm anyone.

If a person gets a psychosis its lithium for them or electroshock convulsive therapy which gets a bad reputation.

I am not a psychiatrist but I take ripexil and other medications but that one supposedly is more effective than lithium, in what respects I do not know. All I know is that it blocks my psychosis and keeps me functioning. These are the latest generation of drugs it seems and my fear problem is pretty specific.

All it takes is a rekindling of the memory which I speculate is a lot like post-traumatic stress disorder. It was one of my possible diagnoses but was discarded by this doctor who didn't know what he was doing.

The voices are heard as whispers a part of your subconscious. People remind you around you that it does not exist.

Even though you manage it better as you get older, I don't know what that means. I may need to take medicine for the rest of my life.

Another famous sympton of schizophrenia I experienced once was thinking I was the topic of conversation on tv.

In short schziophenic people have high suicide rates because of the symptons. Not that I'd do that, far from thinking that.

Actually a character who has been schizophrenic for a long time without medication will be psychotic.

It's like hearing cases of the police shooting people who are, because they are too paranoid and react very beligerntly towards violence if the disease is in full effect. (the case of not returning to reality)

Or how about people who think they are being wiretapped and microphones are everywhere, they aren't logical thinkers.

They may make mistakes writing and reading material. Until they fully recover. It's because logic connects you with reality.​


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## Dark Dragon (Aug 8, 2018)

Thanks a lot! It’s a medieval society, she’s in so they wouldn’t have any medication, other than some magic which slightly helps sooth the voices she hears. 

This does give me more to think about. For her, the voices mostly appear at random times, so I may have to change it to be some sort of trigger for her. If I have more questions, would you mind if I PMed you?


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## Theglasshouse (Aug 8, 2018)

Yes you can pm me when you want with any questions you have concerning the disease and how to make it work for the story itself.


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