Straight Needing Understanding

Guess it depends on how you define schizophrenia.

Is it the lifelong irreversible inescapable illness or something people can slip into.

I wasn’t born into this that’s for sure. Some people are.

I treat it like a cognitive issue more than anything else, I’ve had the best luck at coping with it from that perspective.

I’d say that if this person has their priorities in order and are acting responsibly to and around others then it doesn’t really matter what they believe unless their beliefs cause them to harm or offend others like what those terrorists believe in doing.

Talk therapy helps?

Nah not really.

Guess I’m trying exposure theory right now

At a very crowded bar

See how I hold up at this point.

Walked out onto the patio to smoke. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. Lol shit like that doesn’t help.

For me it shows in being more and more directed inwards, towards monitoring my voices and intrusive thoughts. All my symptoms become worse and more difficult to disengage from. This would be noticeable by losing attention in conversation, not initiating conversations, not engaging with the outside world. If I have slept well, I typically find distraction from the voices when talking to real people, if I haven’t slept well, the voices grab the attention.

Lol SoitGoes. You e a very good sense of humour!

It is great you are befriending this person, and he seems to be coping reasonably well for now.

Personal hygiene is definitely something that can be a side-effect of the illness. I think the person just is too distracted to remember to get that done daily. Plus, it seems the experience and sounds of being in the shower for some people can bring on symptoms. I hear my son yelling in the shower a lot.

Just providing non-judging friendship and social interaction is a great thing for this person. Now that you are aware of the illness, I suggest simply interacting about ‘normal’ things is the best thing you can offer. You have offered your help in getting additional treatment, but I wouldn’t press it. If he is good with his current life, able to support himself, do things he wants to do - that might be enough for now.

When you do provide input on getting more help for the illness, you can couch it not in terms of ‘This will fix you’, but rather ‘This will help you do things you want to do’, ‘this will help you reach your goals’, ‘this will help you live a more comfortable life’. Treatment is more attractive if it can be seen as a means to a desired end rather than a way to fix a broken part of a person.

Please look at these sites:
http://www.leapinstitute.org/ - under resources are free videos on using LEAP
LEAP is a way of communicating to build trust. Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner.

http://dramador.com/ - Dr. Xavier Amador is a clinical psychologist whose brother had schizophrenia. He is the founder of the LEAP Institute. Wrote the book: I’m Not Sick I Don’t Need Help! Can buy from his website.

Search Xavier Amador on YouTube for more videos

http://ourhealthyminds.com/family-handbook/communication/Building-a-collaborative-relationship-leap.html
Building A Collaborative Relationship “LEAP”

Treatment Advocacy Center - under problems you will see anosognosia
Anosognosia looks like denial but is different.

Bayes for Schizophrenics: Reasoning in Delusional Disorders - LessWrong - helped my understand delusions

http://www.nami.org/ - National Alliance on Mental Illness.
http://www.schizophrenia.ca/ - Schizophrenia Society of Canada

Can also find some very useful information here:

What is the latest with the individual you’re trying to help?