Was it Mad Magazine that used to run a feature called “Scenes We’d Like to See”? If I remember correctly these were usually truths about certain products or people that political correctness doesn’t normally allow to come to the surface.
In that vein, here are some common side effects of a schizophrenia diagnosis that you never see in the pharmaceutical literature. Bear in mind that the diagnosis is not the cause of the condition, but it’s a label that can lead to much more havoc than is commonly acknowledged by your health care professional.
“ACME” PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY (buried somewhere in the fine print or sad voice-over in commercial)
The side effects of a schizophrenia diagnosis affect more than just the patient. Here are some common ones that may be observed both in the diagnosed and in close relatives of the diagnosed.
• Feelings of hopelessness, sadness and despair
• Lowered expectations
• Job loss
• INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF
• Alcohol
• Antidepressants
• Antipsychotic medication
• Food
• Clothing
• Marijuana
• Marriage counsellors
• Divorce lawyers
• Social workers
• Police
• Psychiatrists
• Psychologists
• Priests, rabbis, prayer groups
Rossa,
Re: Diagnosis of “Schizophrenia” (and not-so-distant diagnosis of “Bipolar Disorder”)… Whatever those things are, who knows?, really.
Increased consumption of pseudo-scientific literature, and psycho-babble from conventional psychiatrists.
A note for the wise:
Don’t read NAMI literature, Psychiatric Times, or blogs from conventional psychiatrists… Unless you have learned to see through their nonsense, and you’re looking for a good laugh.
Re: Mad Magazine
“What, me worry?”
Be well,
Duane
Yes, interestingly to me the one thing they take from us, when they give us this diagnosis, is REAL hope. That we have to reclaim for ourselves, as well as the story behind the illness. Which for each of us, is unique.
In schizophrenia, as in so many other hard knocks of life, we either save ourselves, or we don’t.
No doctor can do it for us, and it is up to us to find the doctors that will believe in our resilience. A toast to RESILIENCE!
Yes, while doctors may be necessary necessary for med checks, it is still important to find one who works for YOU. I’m not convinced that even the most well intentioned doctor gets it right. Because they are not YOU, and I think it is hard for them to escape their training and their prejudices.