Topic Tuesday // Living with Schizophrenia // 16 May 7 - 9 AEST

[Sanefan]

Grandmother with Sciizophrenia

[NikNik]

That takes a huge amount of insight to see it from that perspective @Hannah93 I really like that approach.
It's so true - I think with all forms of stigma - it comes from a place of fear and/or lack of understanding. It's their problem, not ours!

[patientpatient]

Hello to all, just dropped in to the conversation. I'm carer for my son 27, and he has Sz plus OCD. Just watched Hannah's video (thank you to Hannah and Sane). My son rarely goes out with friends, it doesn't seem that important to him, though I think he also feels he's "falling behind" as they all get jobs, married, etc.. Haven't directly experienced stigma but very wary of revealing the name of the illness.

[Former-Member]

@NikNik @Hannah93

yes I understand your response

I have always been a great question asker, I am a strong believer that we can never know enough or have all of the answers. There are always other perspectives not yet thought of.

I also believe that helping the illness is not just about medication or professionals. It is about every single person learning and understanding, reducing stigma. Being proud of all of your achievements.

I also apologise do not mean to hog the time here either.

[Queenie]

@ViperPixie My Dad used me as an excuse to install a high tech security system. He was actually broken into by thieves but used the "schizophrenics must be dangerous" quip to lead me and other family members to believe that this was the reason he installed it. For that I am very stand offish towards my Dad, I love him but doubt we'll ever have a "normal" relationship because his head is so in the sand.

[Hannah93]

@NikNik

Agreed! I do think it's so important to share personal experiences though, so we can help those people to understand and empathise with what we're dealing with every day.

[Former-Member]

Re stigma
It seems a lot of public profile people are coming out with their experiences of depression or anxiety - I've lost count how many (Blue wiggle, Ian Thorpe etc). We need some champions (like you Hannah93) who can speak openly about sz and normalise it.

[Hannah93]

@Former-Member Thank you for understanding. You have nothing to apologise for! 🙂

[ViperPixie]

Thanx @Queenie for sharing that. My family and the town pretty much don't use it as an excuse they just st bury the fact that there is even an issue and tell u to "suck it up" and "get over it". So stigma there is a bit different to mainstream concepts of stigma if that makes sense? And yes I do ask "if that makes sense" a lot so sorry in advance everyone

[NikNik]

I think with awareness weeks, such as this one, we can get stuck in focusing on the terrible stigma, experiences and symptoms of the illness. All of this is important, but to balance out, I guess I'm interested to know:

Have there been any positive moments during your journey that stand out?