Mental Illness

TabbyAnn

TabbyAnn

Southern Indiana, U.S.A.
Location
Southern Indiana USA
Has anyone here dealt with a paranoid schizophrenic? I have a long term friend who is a functioning schizophrenic who has bouts of irrational verbal attacks on the one closest to him where he hurls insane insults and accusations that don’t make sense. Any attempts at rational response spawns a paranoid reaction that you are trying to befriend him for nefarious reasons and invade his space. This becomes insulting to me and I shut down and cease communication. We have separate homes so it is possible for both of us to disengage and retain our privacy. Inevitably after a few weeks he resumes normal contact as though nothing has happened and often he is very helpful. . However, for the first time in these many years, I feel an extreme uneasiness about continuing any contact with him. I have the vague feeling something is going to explode and I don’t want to be around. He isn’t in treatment and reacts badly to suggestions of it.
 

I worked with a lady who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
It was horrible to come to work, knowing she would be there.
She would curse me, hide my work, throw things at me, scream
at me, made no sense in conversation, then turn around and be nice.
Wow!
 
Years ago I heard the condition called Tourette Syndrome described as the involuntary uttering of obscene and curse words where people blurt them out at inappropriate times with no control over it. Now that I look up the definition of Tourette's I find many other definitions such as involuntary movements of the head, throat sounds and various other tics. Cursing is buried among other symptoms or is not mentioned at all..
 

Gaer said:
I worked with a lady who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
It was horrible to come to work, knowing she would be there.
She would curse me, hide my work, throw things at me, scream
at me, made no sense in conversation, then turn around and be nice.
Wow!
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Where I live, that type of actions would be a reason to have the person taken into custody under the Mental Health Act, as a "danger to others ". A 72 hour committal to a secure lock up mental health unit, for observation and interviews by at least 3 Medical Doctors during that time period. If the person is found to be "A danger to themselves or others ' they may be held for a indefinite period of time, for treatment . Threatening harm to others is a Criminal Code offense in Canada even if the threat is only verbal. JImB.
 
I have known schizoids in the past and had to work with some. I have never been a friend to one. I have learned to never give them a chance to come back and go nut job crazy on me again. It is hard to deal with a schizoid nut job because when you come down hard on them for treating you bad, they do not understand why you are lecturing them. They think that you are a big meanie and go around telling others that you mistreated them. I know a guy who just died in a psych unit in a VA hospital, he was in psychological warfare during the Vietnam war. He was up on all the conspiracy theories and other far out stories. He went over the line and was locked up in psych unit and not allowed out, he died about one year and three months later. It has puzzled me that a soldier who worked in psychological warfare ended up dying locked up in the psych ward in a hospital nut house.
 
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Lawrence said:
I have known schizoids in the past and had to work with some. I have never been a friend to one. I have learned to never give them a chance to come back and go nut job crazy on me again. It is hard to deal with a schizoid nut job because when you come down hard on them for treating you bad, they do not understand why you are lecturing them. They think that you are a big meanie and go around telling others that you mistreated them. I know a guy who just died in a psych unit in a VA hospital, he was in psychological warfare during the Vietnam war. He was up on all the conspiracy theories and other far out stories. He went over the line and was locked up in psych unit and not allowed out, he died about three months later. It has puzzled me that a soldier who worked in psychological warfare ended up dying locked up in the psych ward in a hospital nut house.
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The term "occupational hazard " comes to mind here...
 
The fact that your friend refuses any kind of treatment doesn't bode well. He's paranoid and irrational, you never know when he'll go off or what will set him off. If you've tolerated his behavior for years and now you think he's going to explode, you need to permanently distance yourself. It's not safe for you to be around him. I know you want to help him, but unfortunately, you can't. You're just not equipped to deal with him. He needs professional help.
 
I was first diagnosed as Borderline Schizophrenia, followed by Schizoaffective Disorder, nowadays Schizophrenia Depressive Spectrum. Symptomas manafest themselves as depression and psychosis when things are bad. Most of time I’d rather not be here, however, more things are in my favor rather than against me. I was diagnosed in 1974, been through a lot but still here.
 
Mr. Ed said:
I was first diagnosed as Borderline Schizophrenia, followed by Schizoaffective Disorder, nowadays Schizophrenia Depressive Spectrum. Symptomas manafest themselves as depression and psychosis when things are bad. Most of time I’d rather not be here, however, more things are in my favor rather than against me.
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Very interesting. You can provide insights based upon experience. Have you had spells where you expressed hostility and anger toward someone close? And did any attempts by them to point out the errors in your logic produce more anger? Did you feel paranoid or just depressed?
 
TabbyAnn said:
Years ago I heard the condition called Tourette Syndrome described as the involuntary uttering of obscene and curse words where people blurt them out at inappropriate times with no control over it. Now that I look up the definition of Tourette's I find many other definitions such as involuntary movements of the head, throat sounds and various other tics. Cursing is buried among other symptoms or is not mentioned at all..
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Not all people with Tourette's curse. There is a wide range of symptoms. I've known some people who only have an involuntary head movement that repeats itself throughout the day. Others have more frequent & varied tics, & some will curse.
 
win231 said:
Not all people with Tourette's curse. There is a wide range of symptoms. I've known some people who only have an involuntary head movement that repeats itself throughout the day. Others have more frequent & varied tics, & some will curse.
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My surgeon from many years ago had Tourette’s. The second his hand picked up the scalpel, there were no involuntary movements. He tried to downplayed it when talking. He was highly respected. He wouldn’t travel through Customs or on an airplane. Too many chances to have his issues misunderstood.
 
My son has schizophrenia and everyone who knows him and all the people who work with him say he is the nicest, most gentlemanly man they have ever known. Just the other day I happened to go with him to the library and the librarian took me aside and said that he had always helped her physically disabled daughter when she would go into his place of business and she'll never forget how kind he was to her.

Most of the time people who have schizophrenia are doing well on their medication and studies show such people are actually less likely to be violent than other people. It's only the few who don't respond to the medication or who are unusually sick that stand out and cause others to think they are all like that.

Schizophrenia is a brain disease. It's as cruel and insensitive to make fun of people with brain disease as it is to make fun of people with liver disease, or kidney disease, or cancer or any other illness. I find a few of these posts very offensive.
 
My son has “issues”. Since he is 44 and does not think he has problems he is likely to remain much the same as he is. He is delusional..and hears voices at least some of the time. But pleasant and kind. Seems to be living with me now…as he totally trashed the house I had gotten for him to live in. He was convinced he was remodeling…mental illness is complicated. My brother was bipolar. So it runs in my family.
 
Jules said:
My surgeon from many years ago had Tourette’s. The second his hand picked up the scalpel, there were no involuntary movements. He tried to downplayed it when talking. He was highly respected. He wouldn’t travel through Customs or on an airplane. Too many chances to have his issues misunderstood.
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I know what they go through with ignorant people.
When I worked in retail sales, my co-workers would ridicule a customer with Tourette's. I spoke with them privately about the condition, but that didn't help; they'd still call him "Retarded Freak" among themselves. I explained to the customer that my co-workers were morons.
The customer would only come in the store when I was there & only let me assist him. Then my co-workers made fun of me - saying "Your freak is here; you help him; a freak needs a freak." I replied with a comment about his mother & abortion, that can't be posted here.

One place I worked at for 3 years was owned by the same type of person. The husband was the manager & the wife was the owner. The wife had a very quiet voice - almost a whisper & when she talked, she had a habit of walking away as she spoke. Everyone who worked there - including employees who had perfect hearing - couldn't hear what she said. Of course, with my hearing loss, I heard even less. Later, when I didn't do what she asked me to do because I couldn't hear what she said, she'd say, "You heard me; you're just ignoring me."
 
Della said:
My son has schizophrenia and everyone who knows him and all the people who work with him say he is the nicest, most gentlemanly man they have ever known.
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My friend is also a charmer. Women love him and he is a womanizer. After whirlwind affairs the women are always shocked when he has a schizophrenic event and becomes verbally abusive and insulting, and terminates the relationship. Any attempts at rational communication with him during this time aggravates his paranoia and he thinks they are trying to trick him and take over his space. He isn’t on medication and doesn’t recognize anything is wrong with him. He has poor memory of these events.
 
I have only dealt with Schizophrenia in a controlled environment as a Psychiatric nurse.
It's a completely different experience than dealing with one as a friend that is not medicated and has little to no psychiatric involvement and help.

I do believe that there is a build-up to the episode, listen to your intuition.
 
TabbyAnn said:
My friend is also a charmer. Women love him and he is a womanizer. After whirlwind affairs the women are always shocked when he has a schizophrenic event and becomes verbally abusive and insulting, and terminates the relationship. Any attempts at rational communication with him during this time aggravates his paranoia and he thinks they are trying to trick him and take over his space. He isn’t on medication and doesn’t recognize anything is wrong with him. He has poor memory of these events.
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My son is a genuinely nice person, neither a "charmer" nor a womanizer. In fact it's rare for a person with un-medicated schizophrenia to be dating, their own fears of socializing and complicated relationships usually keep them at home.

People with this disease aren't all alike, anymore than people with diabetes are all alike.
 
TabbyAnn said:
Years ago I heard the condition called Tourette Syndrome described as the involuntary uttering of obscene and curse words where people blurt them out at inappropriate times with no control over it. Now that I look up the definition of Tourette's I find many other definitions such as involuntary movements of the head, throat sounds and various other tics. Cursing is buried among other symptoms or is not mentioned at all..
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One of my cousins had Tourette's syndrome. He had the jerking movements and tics but never uttered involuntary obscenities.

I have never had contact with someone with Schizophrenia.
 
I suffer from depression and anxiety. I have been through therapy and take medication. This has been with me all my life but I did not start treatment until my 30's. @Mr. Ed, I am sorry that things have been so hard in your life. Just know that you are not alone, many of us have issues, problems. I am glad you are receiving treatment and I think you have been feeling better. The fact that you have a mental illness does not change the fact you are a human like the rest of us. You have an illness, like any other that requires treatment to heal. Stay on the path, listen to your doctors, take your medications, eat a healthy diet and get the needed amount of sleep. You are on the road to a balanced life, it is hard for so many, you were brave enough to step forward and ask for help. That makes all the difference.
 

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