4 ms·

Pardon my ignorance and prejudice, but how are you not a danger to the people that surround you? Or is schizophrenia a spectrum very much alike as autism?

by m_0x 3y ago

FollowingTheDao 3y ago
hey, that was a pretty, uh, stigmatizing statement. schizophrenics are no more of a danger to others than the general population. It is because society treats them like shit and so they take drugs to cope that makes them violent. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852683/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852683/ "Patients with schizophrenia without comorbid substance abuse have only a slight increased risk of violent crime compared with the general population, suggesting that substance abuse plays a mediating role."
- strken 3y ago
  What proportion of the general population's violent crime is caused by substance abuse? If around 40% is attributable to substance abuse[0][1] then you're comparing clean schizophrenics, for whom 0% of crime is attributable to substance abuse, to a population where 40% is. Note that "attributable" doesn't mean causation, but in reality it usually indicates it to some degree. [0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33739484/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33739484/ [1] https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi439 https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi439
TeaDrunk 3y ago
Schizophrenia can be more or less severe. A schizophrenic with very mild symptoms, a stable life, access to food and shelter, no unhandled trauma, etc. can function and even thrive without medication. The disease can also get better with age. Consider: you can hear voices and choose not to respond to them. You can have delusional beliefs and not act on them. There's no functional difference between talking with your mom on the phone and talking with an alien that has replaced your mom on the phone if you're willing to play along or simply acknowledge "hi schizophrenia, funny idea, that".
- wheelerof4te 3y ago
  On point. Many people know that they have this problem and can act before it manifests in reality, through action.
whats_a_quasar 3y ago
Schizophrenics are less violent than the general population. In general, schizophrenia is not dangerous to others around, even untreated. People who are in a psychotic episode act oddly, which can scare others, but the perception of danger comes from that erratic action, not from actual danger.
- FeteCommuniste 3y ago
  "Individuals with schizophrenia are 4 to 7 times more likely to commit violent crimes, such as assault and homicide [4,5], and 4 to 6 times more likely to exhibit general aggressive behavior, such as verbal and physical threats [10,11], compared with the general population." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852683/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852683/ That isn't to say that schizophrenia necessarily causes the violent behavior: the two variables might not have any causal relationship at all. But the correlation is there.
  - whats_a_quasar 3y ago
    Huh! Thanks for the reference. I think that my perception was based on one of the studies the review mentions that found schizophrenics weren't more violent. Wasn't aware of this other research.
    - strken 3y ago
      I've read disengenuous claims that they're less violent, but omit any mention of per capita risk.
wheelerof4te 3y ago
"Or is schizophrenia a spectrum very much alike as autism?" It is exactly that. There are a lot of people with pcychosis-related symptoms who go about their lives without treatment. They experience attacks once in a blue moon, but that is just about it. A few calming words or moments alone help.
- cwsx 3y ago
  Adding to this, I've experienced a few psychotic episodes but am not (for now) diagnosed schizophrenic. Even during my first episode, which was by far my worst while having the least experience, I was aware that what I was experiencing (hearing voices/feeling watched) was likely me experiencing psychosis. While I still 'went along' with the episode, I was doing everything in a way that minimised harm to myself and others. I eventually called an ambulance, thinking that either I'm going through psychosis (and need an ambulance), or what I was hearing was real (and having ambulance/police on scene would help). Once the ambulance arrived I had 'confirmation' that I was going through psychosis, and could then 'ignore' the voices to the point that I wouldn't act on whatever I was hearing. My symptoms continued for a couple weeks, but at no point did I even consider these to be real (despite them feeling very, very real). Going forward, I've had a couple other episodes, all of which I've noticed early on and been able to act accordingly (reaching out to friends or professionals). While some of these episodes were equivalent in intensity to my first episode, none of them had me acting on the symptoms (beyond calling my psych and saying I'm having an episode). I was briefly on anti-psychotics, but as I'm yet undiagnosed, my psych wasn't comfortable with me being on them long term. Instead I've been able to manage it through exercise, sleep management, mindfulness, and better management of my anxiety. That said, I'm only discussing my own experiences with psychosis/potential of having another episode. I'm not medicated but don't worry about it (potential harm to myself or others) in my day to day, though I make sure to mention it to those that could be affected (flatmates or friends/family).
  - wheelerof4te 3y ago
    Thanks for sharing your experience. I remmember hearing voices a few times, but they would not last more than a day. They were telling me to reach out to one person (that would be awkward at the time) or to harm someone close. I've felt fear but knew those voices weren't real. The voice sounded like me talking to myself.

Pardon my ignorance and prejudice, but how are you not a danger to the people that surround you? Or is schizophrenia a spectrum very much alike as autism?

by m_0x 3y ago

Pardon my ignorance and prejudice, but how are you not a danger to the people that surround you? Or is schizophrenia a spectrum very much alike as autism?

FollowingTheDao 3y ago

hey, that was a pretty, uh, stigmatizing statement. schizophrenics are no more of a danger to others than the general population. It is because society treats them like shit and so they take drugs to cope that makes them violent. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852683/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852683/ "Patients with schizophrenia without comorbid substance abuse have only a slight increased risk of violent crime compared with the general population, suggesting that substance abuse plays a mediating role."

strken 3y ago
What proportion of the general population's violent crime is caused by substance abuse? If around 40% is attributable to substance abuse[0][1] then you're comparing clean schizophrenics, for whom 0% of crime is attributable to substance abuse, to a population where 40% is. Note that "attributable" doesn't mean causation, but in reality it usually indicates it to some degree. [0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33739484/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33739484/ [1] https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi439 https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi439

TeaDrunk 3y ago

Schizophrenia can be more or less severe. A schizophrenic with very mild symptoms, a stable life, access to food and shelter, no unhandled trauma, etc. can function and even thrive without medication. The disease can also get better with age. Consider: you can hear voices and choose not to respond to them. You can have delusional beliefs and not act on them. There's no functional difference between talking with your mom on the phone and talking with an alien that has replaced your mom on the phone if you're willing to play along or simply acknowledge "hi schizophrenia, funny idea, that".

wheelerof4te 3y ago
On point. Many people know that they have this problem and can act before it manifests in reality, through action.

whats_a_quasar 3y ago

Schizophrenics are less violent than the general population. In general, schizophrenia is not dangerous to others around, even untreated. People who are in a psychotic episode act oddly, which can scare others, but the perception of danger comes from that erratic action, not from actual danger.

FeteCommuniste 3y ago
"Individuals with schizophrenia are 4 to 7 times more likely to commit violent crimes, such as assault and homicide [4,5], and 4 to 6 times more likely to exhibit general aggressive behavior, such as verbal and physical threats [10,11], compared with the general population." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852683/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852683/ That isn't to say that schizophrenia necessarily causes the violent behavior: the two variables might not have any causal relationship at all. But the correlation is there.
- whats_a_quasar 3y ago
  Huh! Thanks for the reference. I think that my perception was based on one of the studies the review mentions that found schizophrenics weren't more violent. Wasn't aware of this other research.
  - strken 3y ago
    I've read disengenuous claims that they're less violent, but omit any mention of per capita risk.

wheelerof4te 3y ago

"Or is schizophrenia a spectrum very much alike as autism?" It is exactly that. There are a lot of people with pcychosis-related symptoms who go about their lives without treatment. They experience attacks once in a blue moon, but that is just about it. A few calming words or moments alone help.

cwsx 3y ago
Adding to this, I've experienced a few psychotic episodes but am not (for now) diagnosed schizophrenic. Even during my first episode, which was by far my worst while having the least experience, I was aware that what I was experiencing (hearing voices/feeling watched) was likely me experiencing psychosis. While I still 'went along' with the episode, I was doing everything in a way that minimised harm to myself and others. I eventually called an ambulance, thinking that either I'm going through psychosis (and need an ambulance), or what I was hearing was real (and having ambulance/police on scene would help). Once the ambulance arrived I had 'confirmation' that I was going through psychosis, and could then 'ignore' the voices to the point that I wouldn't act on whatever I was hearing. My symptoms continued for a couple weeks, but at no point did I even consider these to be real (despite them feeling very, very real). Going forward, I've had a couple other episodes, all of which I've noticed early on and been able to act accordingly (reaching out to friends or professionals). While some of these episodes were equivalent in intensity to my first episode, none of them had me acting on the symptoms (beyond calling my psych and saying I'm having an episode). I was briefly on anti-psychotics, but as I'm yet undiagnosed, my psych wasn't comfortable with me being on them long term. Instead I've been able to manage it through exercise, sleep management, mindfulness, and better management of my anxiety. That said, I'm only discussing my own experiences with psychosis/potential of having another episode. I'm not medicated but don't worry about it (potential harm to myself or others) in my day to day, though I make sure to mention it to those that could be affected (flatmates or friends/family).
- wheelerof4te 3y ago
  Thanks for sharing your experience. I remmember hearing voices a few times, but they would not last more than a day. They were telling me to reach out to one person (that would be awkward at the time) or to harm someone close. I've felt fear but knew those voices weren't real. The voice sounded like me talking to myself.