What have you learnt from having schizophrenia or from seeing someone close to you have schizophrenia?

What have they taught you?

That's a really interesting question and one that too few people ask. In the couple of years I have spent working as a therapist with people who have been described as being 'psychotic', I have realised that even the most psychotic of delusion states carries with it a valuable and pertinent contact which can give insight into the persons feelings, history and fears. for many, the use of excessive medication will result in the repression of the one means of communication open to those who most need to talk to us. Therefore, if we can try to bracket off our social prejudices and needs, then we can learn to allow those we would normally stifle through medication to regain their voices and become people again.
so perhaps the most valuable lesson I have been taught is not to make assumptiond based upon my own innate prejudices and to listen to people between the lines.

How ignorant we humans are about the human mind, God, the supernatural , human behavioral interactions etc. That s a whopper of a question. I suggest going to my profile and reveiwing my many answers to questions about schizophrenia and/or e-mailing me with questions from there. I have learned much and had many more questions raised than were answered.

Good luck in your research, good mental health, peace and Love!

as strange as this sounds: love, compassion, PATIENCE, and calmness within myself.

i run a mental health foundation and deal with people with all sorts of psychotic mental illnesses on a daily basis (as well as having one myself) and honestly i'm so much better for it. whether i would say that if i was of perfect mental health, i'm unsure.

i also love their compassion and understanding towards ME when i'm suffering psychosis. it makes it that much easier to deal with.

What I have learned, is that they are indeed suffering and it is very hard for many of them to admit that they have a problem. Many of them get so tired, and feel so dead, that they don't want to take their meds, and therefore suffer more. They aren't really suffering to themselves, many times..but don't understand when someone calls them on their actions...it is hard to communicate sometimes.

i was to mental as well with a different mental illness, but now i that i am recovoring from mine i will try to be more supportive and i can understand it a bit better