# Mental disorders, addictions, etc.



## Minu (Nov 20, 2015)

Part of the training for mental health I did years ago was "stimulating" schizophrenia. No, not literally but the idea was wear a blindfold, put in some earplugs, and listen to a bunch of voices mumbling in the "background". It was overseen by a guy whom had schizophrenia and was probably quite "realistic" in the most basic of breakdowns. 

My thing is, I don't have any such issues. Neither do my friends - and the one family member who has problems, I've never been close to [the whole family is weird, not weird as in mental just spoilt and not quite in touch with reality (they have money is what I'm saying)]. So I really don't have a reference point to use. 


I don't want to join a forum for such and start asking questions - not just yet, it may come to that - however, I am curious does anyone have any idea how to research mental disorders AND addictions [specifically drug & booze] without being totally club-scaled cliché.


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## Stormcat (Nov 20, 2015)

I can help out with the mental disorders bit, but not so much with the addiction.


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## Phil Istine (Nov 20, 2015)

Minu said:


> I don't want to join a forum for such and start asking questions - not just yet, it may come to that - however, I am curious does anyone have any idea how to research mental disorders AND addictions [specifically drug & booze] without being totally club-scaled cliché.



It will only give a partial picture - more about certain recovery methods than the actual indulging - but maybe go to some open AA or NA meetings.  Make sure that they are open meetings though as it wouldn't really be a good idea to go to a closed one i.e. where the attendees are only meant to be addicts or alcoholics (mostly recovering, but a few still at it).

Or, if you have the time or inclination, maybe sign up for some voluntary work at a rehab or a drop-in centre.


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## ppsage (Nov 20, 2015)

Walk around downtown.


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## shadowwalker (Nov 20, 2015)

Check out NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).


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## Wandering Man (Nov 20, 2015)

I second shadow walker.

You can also research under "dual diagnosis."

You probably already know this, but sometimes folk with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia will self-medicate, using illegal drugs. Street drugs can be easier to get sometimes, carry less of a stigma, and don't require confronting a doctor or clinic.

ppsage mentioned walking around downtown. Potentially dangerous to try to start up a conversation, but that may well be where you find folk living with chronic mental illness and substance abuse. Hospitals sometimes refer to them as frequent fliers.

They've burned the bridges with family and friends because of their repeated relapses. Relationships and jobs have been torched. No money, no insurance, and relying on street drugs to keep going. 

Someone calls the police, and they get sent to the hospital for two or maybe three weeks. They leave sober and on good mess. A social worker will try to set them up with living arrangements and some kind of resource. 

Soon the resources run dry. The mess are gone. They go back to drugs and alcohol to make sense of the world, which violates the shelter rules, and their back under the bridge and roaming the streets.

Until some one calls the cops for trespassing, and the cycle repeats.


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## Wandering Man (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes, check out NAMI.

google dual diagnosis


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## PSFoster (Jan 19, 2020)

One of my daughters has bi-polar and ADHD. I believe she has PTSD also but it is not on her diagnosis. She has a real problem with addiction to drugs. No matter how hard she tries to get clean and sober, she always ends up relapsing. She has had some rough times in the past which is why I think PTSD. Abusive relationship, trust issues, and low self-esteem all contribute to the drug problem. She has gone to many rehab in-patient facilities and done well for a while. She is in one now that lasts several months. She said they are helping her recognize the causes of her problems and it is helping her. For other mental problems check out WebMD. they have a lot of info.


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## Irwin (Jan 19, 2020)

When I was in college and living in an apartment, I had a neighbor who suffered from schizophrenia. I only talked to him a few times, and he seemed coherent enough, but he was always drunk when I'd see him--usually sitting on the apartment building stoop. He told me that he heard voices in his head. I didn't ask what they said, just in case he didn't want to talk about it, but that has to be tough to deal with. 

I did a lot of drugs when I was in my late teens and twenties and experimented with LSD (among other things); actually, after about the tenth time, it was no longer an experiment. So I was voluntarily entering an altered state of reality. 

People with schizophrenia don't have a choice, which has to be scary as hell--to not know what is real or what is imagined.

Rent was cheap back then in Denver, so he was able to get by on disability along with having a roommate. These days, disability wouldn't come anywhere close to being enough to pay for rent--even with a roommate. I would guess that many homeless schizophrenics collect disability and many probably don't have any friends. It must be a tough life.


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## KenTR (Jan 25, 2020)

The voices schizophrenics hear usually don't mumble. They can be very clear and succinct, usually in an accusatory or critical manner. Auditory distortions are also common. A fan can sound like people murmuring in the next room. Clattering silverware can sound like flames crackling or even traffic. Hallucinations are almost always filtered through an overriding sense of paranoia. 

Try watching some youtube videos. They can give you some insight into various behaviors.


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## Theglasshouse (Jan 25, 2020)

That's my case and experience and this is what I used to hallucinate. I used to confuse voices of people with something they did not say or as you said people who are not in the room suddenly mumble in my case (impossible to tell if real.)(in my case it is very brief what they would say in my head most the time like one or two sentences. But this pattern repeats itself). Sometimes noises interact and confuse you more. It feels unclear what the noise is or what was said and then like you said I would get more paranoid. I think of it as a noise that gets replaced by another sound. Or even a voice if from far away suddenly becomes menacing because it is not clear what was said. It makes things worse, and then you can't tell what is real and what is.  I am no longer like this. I wish they reformed the mental health in many places. Because the treatment can be expensive and none but one of my doctors was qualified. He made me become stable. He has my gratitude, and he even now works with my uncle since he has a small hospital.


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## KenTR (Jan 25, 2020)

I used to have problems with car stereos. I live on a busy street and hear a lot of unwanted music blasting outside, especially in the summer. It's hard to describe the effect...maybe like synesthesia but with space and time. Hard to tell where it's coming from, or if it's stopped but remains in your head. Hip hop is a problem specifically because I think they're shouting directly at me, _about_ me. 

OP: If you've ever had a bad experience with psychedelics, the fear and confusion can be similar. The auditory/visual distortions are very different, but there can be a kind of grand confusion and quiet panic that mimics psychosis.


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## Theglasshouse (Jan 25, 2020)

Thanks. It also happened to me when I heard people talking on the phone. I always suspected people talked about me of people I hadn't heard from (in years and years since I last heard from them ending in a bad friendship/family relationship). That's a sign of psychosis without a doubt. But I am now past all those troubles. Thanks for sharing your experiences since I feel I learned something. I think I'll especially benefit me as when you mentioned people who don't have their symptoms under control are psychotic. Had I known that beforehand I could have warned my doctor before he set me on the medicine a year ago and even sooner (it's been a year since my last visit). He taught me my symptoms but that sounds like something I did not know of before. That's a sign when people with mental illness need to see the doctor again to check their treatment.


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