When you have to explain your illness to your family and friends and they look at you like your gonna jump at them or something. The stigma from family and freinds can be the biggest hurt a person carries with them, those of us with a mental illness that is. Everytime your around them, it can feel like you have to explain yourself, as if you were trying to prove to the world you are worthy of respect and understanding and patience and love. This can cause a person to feel like they did something wrong or they are being punished. Also, it can make a person feel unworthy to be with those they love and wished would love them back. It is hard enough facing the world out there without family and freinds bringing you down. Each family is differant, this I know, but it does get very hard when a person is dealing with a mental illness and can make all sorts of mistakes, as family calls it, as we call it, learning experiences. Sometimes a person with mental illness has to find support out side of home, and can go to support meetings and counseling. I say keep going all of you who are dealing with this. You are worthy, don't let anyone take your happiness. Love yourself and take care of yourself. And be good. smiles

Yikes, that is sad when the people you should feel safest with end up scrutinizing your every breath and movement. I grew to realize over time that sometimes we need to build our own "family" with supportive nurturing people that may not necessarily be our blood family. It sounds like you are doing that and it's reasonable and right to do so.
Best wishes!!

Well thanky much sweety, and you are too right, hope your day is a doozey of fun, smiles, be good.

All very true Inky. I'm calling you Inky if you don't mind. I find it cute.

Perceptions on such illnesses are changing slowl. Hopefully, 50 years from now, the issues you describe here will be nearly obsolete but, for now, all we can do is reach out a hand an ear to those who are in need.

I'm a recovering alcoholic - sober for some time now. Enlightening people that addiction is a disease and progressive in nature is a huge challenge as well. I am happy to say that my kids have been raised to understand the complexities of these ailments of the mind.

I wish more people would prepare their offspring likewise.

I just wish family would be accepting - I still haven't even been able to tell anyone in my family except my little brother.

I have schizo, really don't care if that leaves me with a stigma...I have enough friends in my head to keep me occupied, and they all agree with me.

you're not alone, I have a couple

1. Schizoaffective Disorder (bipolar type), which comes with manic swings of paranoia, and hallucinations (auditory and visual). And somehow affects my perception of reality from time to time (I'm still researching to understand this better).

2. Post traumatic stress disorder (I don't wanna talk about it, so don't ask), and lets just say that's why I drink as much as I do

My psychiatrist thinks there's more to me than just those two, so I'm sure there'll be more to come.

Well, I was told by a wise doctor to learn everything I can about my illness so I know what to expect when something starts to happen to me. It helps to be slightly prepared so that when something happens and you can't explain it, you can better deal with it by being able to better pin point it. Most of the time I realize what is happening in the middle of the happening but realizing what is happening to you can help you change your point of view. hugs

well some people don't have voices that agree with them. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, I find I tell them off regularly, in my head or by reasoning with my thought process. Schizo is terrible, but like I said once, you ware the mask the mask does not ware you, if you can work your illness into your life, sometimes you can become one of those people who have a heck of a sense of humor and can be very accepting and fun too. Sometimes that is.

Every once in a while....Ok, I take it back...About twice a week I go into a manic episode and everything is dirty. I need to spend 5 hours cleaning a two bedroom condo. Let's just say I don't live in a pig sty

By the way, this is one of my older posts. I don't feel this way anymore. I got over it. smiles

I'm only happy when I'm drunk. But I assume schizoaffective has something to do with that, being that people with this disorder can lead towards substance abuse.

Aspies also tend to drink themselves into social acceptance. I know it helps me.

I know a lot about schizo, so I have fun with it...comes in handy if someone wants to fight, just have to mumble and talk to myself a bit and they leave me alone.

I took that test you showed me, my aspie score was 132 out of 200

Self-medicating with alcohol will only create more problems down the road.

I know this...But at the moment I really can't bring myself to stop drinking. I enjoy it way too much, and I enjoy the feeling it gives me... It's a good thing I'm a funny goofy drunk and not a mean one

People, including family, tend to back away because they don't understand it and don't know how to help. They fear making things worse. Always remember, NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL ANY WAY--YOU DO THAT TO YOURSELF. That is the one thing you have POWER over--how YOU feel and how YOU react to others.

Sorry, I appear to be a thread stopper---I'm afraid to post because the discussion seems to stop when I do!!

Well, Eunice....you didn't stop THIS thread.....



I have have been officially diagnosed with the following:


Bipolar II Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (from my family life as a kid)

Acute Anxiety


Major Recurrent Depression



The hardest things about this for me are having to explain all of this to anyone I get to know "so they'll be warned", and having all of my actions scrutinized as if, because of these things, anytime I even get upset, it's interpreted as 'flipping out'. Then you have the people who don't believe any of this is even real.......

I have these ailments under control - I take my meds faithfully and exactly as directed, I see my psychiatrist regularly, and I've even had myself hospitalized 3 times in the last 22 years when I knew it was necessary. And I try to avoid situtations that I know are too much for me to deal with.