It's sad when...

It's always been kind of a joke (a not-very-nice joke) in my family about my "crazy" Aunt Dawn. She's always been weird, a little "out there", and so we would jest (I don't want to say mock, as the intention wasn't to wound) about her and her oddities. Well, after finishing my psychology course, I started thinking about her. From what I recalled--it has been many years since I have seen her--it seemed as though she had a mental illness. I decided to find out.

I started asking my mom some questions about her behavior in the past, her particular idiosyncrasies, etc. After only about thirty seconds, I was like, "Hmm, it sounds like she has schizophrenia." Guess what (you never will!)? She was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia and put on medication for it.

So it's sad when, in under a minute's time, I made a diagnosis that took her doctor(s) over forty years.

P.S. I guess she's doing a lot better now that she's medicated.

Well the thing is you might have also made a faulty diagnosis. You were right this time, but was it because you were lucky or because you were good.

I know, because my mom works with psychologically ill people all the time, that there are a lot of subtle differences between different diseases.

Those were some crappy doctors.

I think it would be interesting to have a schizophrenia friend...Never a dull moment..A new look at reality..

I know of a woman who suffers from one of the many different forms of schizophrenia ( I am not sure what her symptoms are exactly) and has been medicated for over 30 years now. Unfortunately the cocktails of different medications that she has been on over the years has apparently done damage to internal organs such as the liver and kidneys (among other stuff).

It's pretty brutal to suffer all your life like that, and then in the end , what kills you is the very things that made your life bearable.

Originally posted by Fire
Well the thing is you might have also made a faulty diagnosis. You were right this time, but was it because you were lucky or because you were good.

I know, because my mom works with psychologically ill people all the time, that there are a lot of subtle differences between different diseases.

That sounds like the NHS in England to me

Actually, my uncle is scizophrenic. Bipolar, I believe... (If that is a form of scizophrenia, anyway.)

He's been taking medications for a long, long, long time. They make him sound so tired and exhausted...

Bipolar is not a form of schizophrenia.

Originally posted by FeceMan
So it's sad when, in under a minute's time, I made a diagnosis that took her doctor(s) over forty years.

It's a shame you weren't around when the Puritans were vilifying people for being witches and then burning them at the stake. You would have saved them a lot of time...

I have a crazy aunt, too. How fun are they?

Besides that, my grandfather married this lady who has a midget/handicapped daughter. I dislike her. Apparently I'm a bad person because she makes me uncomfortable. But, I can never figure out what she's looking at when I face her. It's freaky. I don't do midgets well, obviously.

Originally posted by Capt_Fantastic
I. But, I can never figure out what she's looking at when I face her. It's freaky. I don't do midgets well, obviously.

😂 I wonder what she sees that you don't... 😱

Originally posted by Capt_Fantastic
I have a crazy aunt, too. How fun are they?

Besides that, my grandfather married this lady who has a midget/handicapped daughter. I dislike her. Apparently I'm a bad person because she makes me uncomfortable. But, I can never figure out what she's looking at when I face her. It's freaky. I don't do midgets well, obviously.

A friend of mine has a mortal fear of garden gnomes.

Originally posted by FeceMan
It's always been kind of a joke (a not-very-nice joke) in my family about my "crazy" Aunt Dawn. She's always been weird, a little "out there", and so we would jest (I don't want to say mock, as the intention wasn't to wound) about her and her oddities. Well, after finishing my psychology course, I started thinking about her. From what I recalled--it has been many years since I have seen her--it seemed as though she had a mental illness. I decided to find out.

I started asking my mom some questions about her behavior in the past, her particular idiosyncrasies, etc. After only about thirty seconds, I was like, "Hmm, it sounds like she has schizophrenia." Guess what (you never will!)? She was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia and put on medication for it.

So it's sad when, in under a minute's time, I made a diagnosis that took her doctor(s) over forty years.

P.S. I guess she's doing a lot better now that she's medicated.

I've known people who have schizophrenia.
It's a scary thing...

Oh well. Good luck to you and such.

It's freaky. I don't do midgets well, obviously.