New Book: Living With Schizophrenia

@unreal i relate to a lot of what u write. I also admire your honesty. I feel, for the most part, honesty benefits us in the end. I have become so cagey in services. There was a stand off at my old service where they discharged me coz i had 2 GPs. They interpreted this to mean I was well supported. I did not feel ready to be discharged.

So i pretended i only had one GP. After a while I felt ridiculous and just said I have 2 gps but I need mental support and so what if I have 2 gps its fairly normal. One is a backup if the other one goes away. Sometimes I feel like its a game. But the truth is where the healing is, for me, most of the time. I like ur openness to share. Thank u for sharing.

Hi @Appleblossom those psychiatrists in your groups sound like a handful!!

@EternalFlower there is a published author psychiatrist in one choir who is alright. There is one in another choir who I quite like. I don’t lump them all together cos they are different, but the badly behaved psychiatrist in my current group is pretty grandiose, controlling and attention seeking. I really do think she has NPD. People don’t really like her. Maybe the lesson I can learn is to be firm, hold boundaries and allow me space for my full self in her physical presence. Not to be cowed or submissive.

Hey @unreal ,

I don't care for anyone directly with schizophrenia, but my brother in law can experience paranoia/delusions when he is not on medication.

I've also seen how much carers and loved ones cry out for support here on the forums when they have a loved one who is experiencing paranoia etc, and they just don't know what to do about it.

Hence I thought this book would be a great start, especially with it connection with SANE as an organisation.

But like @EternalFlower mentioned, some people live under the poverty line and may not be able to get the book, so I've ordered a copy, and once I read it, I can freely share any key takeaways with the community which may be helpful when they are caring for their loved ones.

I wouldn't want the community to miss out. We also have members with lived experience of schizophrenia who are more than open to sharing.

What about yourself? What are some of your experiences around schizophrenia (if you feel up to sharing)?

Just want to say that it's great to see you here.

⛔

hi @tyme i volunteer at a public mental health service and always feel we have to be mindful of the reality that ppl with mental health issues are often living below the poverty line. i have not been able to afford to purcase books nor can many ppl concentrate to read traditional books - as it's not the medium for everyone.

and i just wander if sane having some part in this book means its so ethical to encourage vulnerable to buy it, enticing them with a discount. I think financial matters should be kept out of a free forum because the ppl here are extreemly vulnerable.

There are many free resources on mental health, including podcasts, youtube videos, sbs and abc artcicles and radio shows. I would encourage ppl to start there as some excellent stuff availible.

hi @Appleblossom i had a crush on my kind, genuine, country-boy psychiatrist who i saw for a year. He told me that there are many many reasons to be a psychiatrist, financial, cultural etc - and that for many ppl the patients are very low on the list. [edited by moderator] I think about it all the time. We assume they got into it for good reason but I wonder how many resent the role but chose it due to family pressure.

The psychiatrist may likely have NPD from your social group.

My sister has NPD and is a medical professional.

I have met a fair few psychiatrists, in area mental health, and in EDs. [edited by moderator] None of them helped me or listened. 1 of them shook my hand and held it for ages. Another one told me about his dad and how famous he is, oversharing. And one in the psych ward became dysregulated and rude when I asked for a support person to help me advocate. He told me I was very competent at advocating. I had been taken from home to the ED to the psych ward over a 3 day period, hadn't showered or changed clothes or brushed my hair or teeth, was scared and alone. Of course i"d have liked someone with me. I wanted to call my friend and put them on the phone. He said no.

Great to hear from you @unreal

Yes, I'm looking into whether they have an audibook and ebook too. I'm looking forward to reading it and sharing any takeaways because this has been an area I feel least equipped. To regularly see how much loved ones struggle, it's great to have people like you who are able to share your experiences.

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I have just read your story. Wow. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it. I can see how muhc thought and effort you have gone to writing it.

I'm mindful your parents were quite involved in supporting you back then.

Have your parents ever shared what was helpful for them when you were experiencing paranoia and delusions?

⛔

@EternalFlower

I'm not sure I noticed this when you posted it.

I'm very sure you'll be interested to read the rest of what I plan to write, given your post about npd medical professionals.

One of my more recent interactions with a psych resulting in some incredibly and totally unprofessional notes in my records.

For instance it states "it's noted that unreal has presented to the ed on 4 seperate occasions with "chest pain" all resulting in asymptomatic chest pain"

This was a psych review.

What I've discovered is that yes the text content of these visits might might say asymptomatic chest pain, nothing to see, the actual ECGs, etc, and recorded findings of these ECGs paint a very different picture to asymptomatic chest pain and everything's fine.

The only reason to add the note to my record is to strongly imply to anyone reading it, is that I'm taking, trying to get attention.

I can't post it here because discussing medical "negligence" against forum rules

I posted in your other thread 🙂 @unreal