Lived Experience Forum

[Jordan94]

Q1: Why is schizophrenia awareness week important?

Schizophrenia Awareness Week (SAW) aims to increase awareness, educate the community, and reduce the stigma people with schizophrenia may experience, and to encourage inclusive behaviour and help-seeking. To support this, One Door have a series of events occurring over the week of in-person and digital events discussing topics such as system reform, peer-supported Open Dialogue, Aboriginal Mental Health, carers’ mental health, perinatal psychosis, and improving the cardiometabolic health of people with serious mental health issues

[Shaz51]

hello  @Daisydreamer @TideisTurning 

awww @TAB 

hello @greenpea , @Emelia8 

[Shaz51]

hello @Sandy1 , @Jordan94 

[greenpea]

@Shaz51  Hey beautiful Shaz51. Hope you are okay my friend. xxx

[Sandy1]

Question 2: What is the experience of people living with Schizophrenia?

The clinical symptoms are hearing voices that no one else can hear, holding fixed firm beliefs not based in reality that are beyond one’s normal system of beliefs (delusions). Having visual hallucinations. Maybe tactile, olfactory and taste sensations that are strange. The social experience is one of isolation and rejection. Persecutory and disturbing out-of-the-ordinary experiences are challenging. To push away family and friends because of paranoia, an extreme fear of others and the wider world, can take you away from everything that holds you together. It is the most harrowing of experiences. And if negative symptoms are present, a person may become socially isolated and withdrawn. Howe can an unwell mind see itself as unwell? It’s hard to step outside yourself and see what is happening.

[Sandy1]

Question 2: What is the experience of people living with Schizophrenia?

[Eden1919]

Stigma is a big one for me I was told by a psychiatrist that all "schizophrenics" were homeless drug addicts who were unable to do anything with their lives, unable to complete university or even write a single sentance. I was also told i was "too smart" to be schizophrenic or to have mental health issues by this psychiatrist. 

[Daisydreamer]

Really loving hearing what you are looking to get out of the discussion @Shaz51 @greenpea @Emelia8 @Eden1919  @Lilaca 

Please feel free to post any questions or comments you might have as we go 🙂 

[Shaz51]

being here with you my awesome sister @greenpea xxxxxxx

[Lilaca]

Just a bit of introduction about myself. 

I am not yet diagnosed with schizophrenia, but I do hear voices. They are usually of people that I know of and those same people will say pretty much the same thing to me later during the day or a few days after. Not sure if this could be intuition.

I also have a few episodes of seizures a few years ago, but neurologist cannot diagnose it as eeg is negative. At my worst, I was fainting 2-3 times a day. No hospital care. But seizure has reduced to once a year now. Hopefully gone by this year.

So I am just left to figure this out on my own as health care professionals are too busy...

Fortunately, it's mostly manageable. A bit of relapse here and there but life goes on. Work goes on, people revolve and evolve, life busy filled with hobbies. 

Hope to learn from all of you through this forum.

[greenpea]

@Jordan94  Hi Jordan94 I have a dual diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder and bipolar I given to me by two different psychiatrists. How common is this?