I lost a good friend to this. Hope it helps other people.
The meds helped him but he didn't like the side effects so he stopped taking them. Went in and out of homelessness. In the end he thought he had superpowers and could fly. He could fly, but he could not land. It eventually took him.
Oh man, I'm probably half schizophrenic, tried some antipsychotics at some point and had same reaction, and recently started to spend most my time outside (sleeping too), I found a nice spot. Fortunately I still have my remote developer job, and try to remain stable but I'm over sensitive and in the long run I can't sleep in my apartment (noise, smells - cigarette, here in France, it's horrible, maybe WIFI waves too). But isolation tends to makes me a bit more tolerant to people, I love birds and any really natural living being though
I'm not a professional, and I'm not diagnosing, but I am diagnosed autistic and I share some of what you're talking about here.
I'm sensitive to noise, smells, lights and vibrations (living next to a very busy road, I can feel almost every large non-electric vehicle go by -- makes working from home hard at points).
Worth reading into if you have the energy. I do know folks who are diagnosed with schizophrenia and they seem to have an underlying component of some neurodivergence (arguably schizophrenia should also be considered neurodivergence) and went through an extreme burnout/traumatic event.
I moved twice in the last few years. Immediately after moving I was completely unable to sleep. Too bright. Too loud. What are these noises? What is that vibration? For me, it fades after a few weeks. The train can be rumbling by with the horn going and I'll sleep right through it now. I think maybe for some, that filter never builds up. Not sure how to articulate it but it does seem a significant component of both autism and schizophrenia (which in some ways seem to be almost opposites) is a difficulty in developing that sort of filtering-out of the constant sensory bombardment we're all under.
Acclimitisation can be hard. In some cases I can put things to the back of my mine, but often it's just hard or not possible.
Certainly in my experience and from talking to others who identify or have been diagnosed similarly, in the majority of cases you don't get used to certain things. You can't acclimitise and that's why a load of people who are autistic aren't employed.
I might seem okay in the office, but what isn't seen is my complete inability to function at home if there have been too many inputs and distractions. Lucky I can work from home a couple of times a week and my hours are flexible in that I can start earlier so not to travel into the city when it's busy -- busses are quiet at 05:00/06:00 thankfully!
Having a small office I share with a few people helps. My last place went all in on the open-planned office and it was hell. I can't see how anyone is getting much work done in environments like that, haha.
Schizophrenia is certainly neurodivergence, as far as I know. I've often seen it depicted that autism and schizophrenia are roughly on opposite sides of neurotypical:
- Autism can make one prone to detail-oriented thinking, focusing on small details, requiring logical connections to understand and apply ideas. Constraints are well understood and considered. This can result in stuff like OCD.
- Schizophrenia can make one prone to disconnected thinking, focusing on big pictures, fitting together ideas that may seem entirely unrelated. Even constraints that seem obvious may be completely ignored. This can result in stuff like conspiracy theories and convoluted delusions. Delusions happen because beliefs may not be constrained by what's actually realistic, the big picture could be more prominent.
I don't know how true this analogy is, but it certainly seems interesting to consider.
Very insteresting, my father thinks I'm autistic, while some psychiatrist concluded for "Hebephrenic schizophrenia". In my developer work I tend to rush things a bit, maybe because I don't know how long I'll feel in peace, but if I can really find peace, then I deeply focus like an autist. Also I'm not associal (except the fact I don't like cigarette, so I'll avoid crowd due to that unfortunatly) I usually engage conversations with anyone, helps breaking my loneliness, and that's not really a trait of autists I believe (who are more shy/introvert/associal no?)
> I usually engage conversations with anyone, helps breaking my loneliness, and that's not really a trait of autists I believe (who are more shy/introvert/associal no?)
I think 'autistics' is a better term here; 'autists' can make... not the best impression.
Anyway: no, autistics aren't necessarily more shy/introverted/asocial. I'm autistic and I'm definitely not that way; I usually try to connect to as many people as I can and I have to speak to people essentially every day or else I get extremely lonely/depressed. Part of this is probably due to ADHD and possibly also B(orderline)PD, but it's also because that's just the way I am.
> arguably schizophrenia should also be considered neurodivergence
Isn't it? My understanding of the word is "anyone who experiences the world differently from the social 'normal'", which would certainly include schizophrenia and other kinds of mental disorders.
I'm with you, I thought neurodivergent included any folks whose brain chemistry was different than the 'regular' baseline. Bipolar, schizophrenic, etc.
> arguably schizophrenia should also be considered neurodivergence
Nope never!
I have experience with schizophrenia and it can never be confused with anything else. The person with it is devoid of reality and does not know they are sick. They resist treatment and sometimes would rather go homeless, stop eating or taking care of themselves, in order to avoid treatment. They pull down everyone in their lives trying to help them, and it really takes a toll on family and relationships.
I couldn't agree more with you. I've got a brother who's been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He's in denial and it's a constant worry that he will stop taking his meds again. It's a brutal, life-destroying illness if it's not managed. His lows are truly soul-destroying to witness.
Just out of curiosity (no obligation to respond): how long have you been experiencing these difficulties? Have you always been sensitive to these things?
I'm 39 now, since 22-24 so 15+ years, it started at the end of studies, I started to stop spending money (except appt. rent), OCD things appeared, I manage to keep stable jobs and after years I started eating better, fueling better the brain, most OCD troubles disappeared, but I feel like I changed myself to someone more sensitive, more wild in some way. in the long run I can't handle a "normal life", sit down in a closed air-conditioned place, eat industrial food, tolerate cigarette smokers around, noisy motorbikes, and all forms of pollutions. I started to also try to avoid polluting as much as possible, by respect for nature, which is my real efficient treatment I think
I would move outside of the city/town, on a very small but independent house far from others. A quiet and beautiful natural place. Now internet is everywhere and it’s possible to work from nice places.
May be true, but if there are no other pathologies that require frequent visit to the hospital, and the quiet living might help the mental side of things, why not? Maybe giving it a go for a while at first.
Maybe it’s just me, I only once in almost 40 years required urgent medical attention and would have survived without.. so I don’t understand the worry about not having an hospital close to home.
Thanks yes that's my plan and hope. I don't need much healthcare, except maybe teeth (that got a bit damaged when I was too underweight), not something frequent
Rural living definitely is relaxing and helps you connect with nature. But the isolation can be difficult. Hit me up if you want tips on how to cope. I am not schizophrenic, but I do have Tourettic OCD which makes it hard to 'fit' into society at large.
I do want to stress, if you have untreated mental illness, rural life is not a cure. It can make it worse.
Certified nutcase comment lmao, WIFI waves do not do anything are you gonna buy some shugnite rocks too like the two timer, also smoke smell, move then or move out of city. Im mentally ill too but its mild autism, adhd (takes me all day to watch a 2h movie I pause adn pause and pauise and pause and pause and pause) and depression (I recently cleaned my fridge from 4 year old rotting food) but astleast I sleep inside.
I don't know for WIFI, but I really receive 4 with 5/5 connectivity, and more than 30 in total from my apartment, it's crowded, and that's a bit silly that everyone installs their own box. I don't know exactly where it comes from, but even when it's calm and breathable, I don't feel especially good in my apartment, the difference with outside is incredible, so I'm trying to sleep, eat & work outside. I go back at my appt so recharge batteries, water bottles and food
> The meds helped him but he didn't like the side effects so he stopped taking them.
This is frustrating to me as a long time psych med user. If the meds have intolerable side effects then the meds do not help. Period. I do better off my meds than anything they ever tried to give me.
The system failed your friend. Not his ability to tolerate these horrible side effects.
IF we actually cared about human life we would have done much more to help your friend, but we did not. We care about human life up to the point it starts diminishing our comfort, and I am afraid we are valuing our comfort more and more than we care about others who are suffering in the last thirty years.
> The meds helped him but he didn't like the side effects so he stopped taking them.
They, their family, or guardian should have consulted their psychiatrist to tune the meds for less side effects or to switch them. That is what psychiatrists are there for.
Especially for schizophrenics, they should never have the option to get off meds, in fact there should be a long acting backup med to go with the normal treatment in case the patient were to skip a dose.
Those with experience with schizophrenia know this is the hardest part of dealing with this mental illness - getting the patient into treatment and onto meds. Sure it is easy to maintain meds, but on boarding is the biggest challenge - that once it is setup, working, and bringing the patient back to reality it needs to be maintained, otherwise the patient and family have another long, uphill battle getting the patient back under treatment.
> they should never have the option to get off meds
(I have Schizoaffective Disorder)
The meds do not work and they have horrible and even deadly side effects. To say I should never be allowed to stop them denies me of my agency and would force me to endure a life of misery. I am no longer on medications and better than I have ever been. I am rare. Even psychiatrists do not like this idea.
We could open up psychiatric institutions again like they were when my mother was in one. It was great for her. Now we have these prisons they call psychiatric hospitals run by fro profit companies. (Just google Holly Hill Hospital in Raleigh, NC for an example.)
What we need is better research that is not dominated by funding from Corporations. All funding should come from the Government.
Believe me, "they" tried. Just finding him was hard and he moved to a remote location. Gave away all of his possessions, including cell phone. Lived in a temperate climate where it was easy to get "lost" in the vegetation and live off the land.
It appears there is more suffering and misery out there than any single concerted effort could solve.
I’m in NYC and just yesterday saw a homeless guy pick up a used needle from the street and check to see if it had any drugs left in it. The story that led him that state, and where that story goes from here, multiplied by thousands of people in a big city alone…it’s hard to imagine solving that.
The meds helped him but he didn't like the side effects so he stopped taking them. Went in and out of homelessness. In the end he thought he had superpowers and could fly. He could fly, but he could not land. It eventually took him.