3 ms·

That’s confusing. Schizophrenia is horribly unpleasant for the person who has it, they aren’t “tested” so much as they are suffering terribly and seek help and

That’s confusing. Schizophrenia is horribly unpleasant for the person who has it, they aren’t “tested” so much as they are suffering terribly and seek help and are then given a diagnosis. It’s not like screening people for spectrum or personality disorders.

bluGill 7y ago
I the schizophrenic people I know are afraid of authority and avoid anything that might diagnose them. It takes a forceful family member to get them to a doctor (or in one case the prison system), and constant attention to get them to take the treatments. In general if they are not a harm to society or themselves it is best to let them live alone in a small town (small town because it gives the town gossips something useful to talk about: the talk helps ensure everybody knows to watch out for the victim, and small ensures even new people in town know about the situation) Note, my sample size is far too small to draw universal conclusions about schizophrenic.
- vintermann 7y ago
  > the schizophrenic people I know are afraid of authority and avoid anything that might diagnose them. Since blind people need to rely on others a lot more than people with sight, I think it would be even harder for them to avoid medical authorities than for other schizophrenics. For what it's worth, the schizophrenics I knew personally were not averse to seeking help for their condition, but were very distressed by side effects from medication (understandably!)
wahern 7y ago
> Schizophrenia is horribly unpleasant for the person who has it There's a strong cultural component to how schizophrenia manifests. Violent, paranoid thoughts are more common in societies like the United States. The extent to which their experiences can fit into a positive cultural narrative partly dictates their quality of life. The U.S. is exceedingly hostile in that regard. You're likely better off in a society where hearing voices is considered a gift from the gods, or where perceiving odd but intriguing cause+effect relationships suggests you can sense magic.
- wahern 7y ago
  Metasource: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/when-hearing-voices-is-a-good-thing/374863/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/when-hear... ("But a new study suggests that the way schizophrenia sufferers experience those voices depends on their cultural context.") Googling will show similar reporting in the literature over several decades. I don't think I've seen any contradictory research, though that's not surprising as this is just an interesting observation; there aren't any sophisticated, concrete explanatory models to critique--individualist vs collectivist dichotomy seems intuitive but not concrete on its own. Rather the focus seems to be on pragmatic therapy. It's noteworthy nonetheless, particularly as a reflection of American society, and of how culture informs pathology, a point usually made regarding more touchy-feely mental health issues and thus lacking punch.

bluGill 7y ago

I the schizophrenic people I know are afraid of authority and avoid anything that might diagnose them. It takes a forceful family member to get them to a doctor (or in one case the prison system), and constant attention to get them to take the treatments. In general if they are not a harm to society or themselves it is best to let them live alone in a small town (small town because it gives the town gossips something useful to talk about: the talk helps ensure everybody knows to watch out for the victim, and small ensures even new people in town know about the situation) Note, my sample size is far too small to draw universal conclusions about schizophrenic.

vintermann 7y ago
> the schizophrenic people I know are afraid of authority and avoid anything that might diagnose them. Since blind people need to rely on others a lot more than people with sight, I think it would be even harder for them to avoid medical authorities than for other schizophrenics. For what it's worth, the schizophrenics I knew personally were not averse to seeking help for their condition, but were very distressed by side effects from medication (understandably!)

wahern 7y ago

> Schizophrenia is horribly unpleasant for the person who has it There's a strong cultural component to how schizophrenia manifests. Violent, paranoid thoughts are more common in societies like the United States. The extent to which their experiences can fit into a positive cultural narrative partly dictates their quality of life. The U.S. is exceedingly hostile in that regard. You're likely better off in a society where hearing voices is considered a gift from the gods, or where perceiving odd but intriguing cause+effect relationships suggests you can sense magic.

wahern 7y ago
Metasource: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/when-hearing-voices-is-a-good-thing/374863/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/when-hear... ("But a new study suggests that the way schizophrenia sufferers experience those voices depends on their cultural context.") Googling will show similar reporting in the literature over several decades. I don't think I've seen any contradictory research, though that's not surprising as this is just an interesting observation; there aren't any sophisticated, concrete explanatory models to critique--individualist vs collectivist dichotomy seems intuitive but not concrete on its own. Rather the focus seems to be on pragmatic therapy. It's noteworthy nonetheless, particularly as a reflection of American society, and of how culture informs pathology, a point usually made regarding more touchy-feely mental health issues and thus lacking punch.