Everyone on this site is so nice.

Thank you for your kind words you had to say about those of us who come to this site. I must agree with Dave on the importance of medication in those of us that have this illness. One question for you is what about all those other illnesses in the world where people need medication in order to live? Let me close by saying if not for the medication I would not be as stable as I am today and for that I ma glad be living in a day and age that my medicine is working for me and that newer medications are constantly in the works.

Hi Janet,

Good morning!

It is great to hear from you and I always look forward to your wise, thoughtful and sensitive comments.

I agree with you: medication gave me my life back.

The alternative is no option.

Cheers,

Christina

Hi Janet,

Yes, we are living in exciting times and we are learning more about the technical side of things like with sz. If I am not mistaken, good counseling is one of the key ingredients in the treatment. Yes, a good example is diabetes where the person needs to actively regulate his blood sugar. I know that people can get out of control. I know that and one way to save the person is through medication. The more we learn about it, the more we can target the problem. That does not mean that counseling is of no use. It is likely one of the more important things. I also know that a person that has been very affected by sz for a long time would be harder to help especially if the person refuses help. The first step in getting over a problem is admitting that you have a problem. I suppose there are some that would want to take the medicine away but I can see the need for it. In a perfect world, there would be no need for it things go wrong. I am just trying to see what the best way to go about helping people is. There are people with pain that need pain medication. I suppose it is somewhat of a lesser of two evils.

Thank you for your kind words you had to say about those of us who come to this site. I must agree with Dave on the importance of medication in those of us that have this illness. One question for you is what about all those other illnesses in the world where people need medication in order to live? Let me close by saying if not for the medication I would not be as stable as I am today and for that I ma glad be living in a day and age that my medicine is working for me and that newer medications are constantly in the works.

Dave, I don't know of any magic cure for all. I know that many if not most of you need your meds. They must do something even if they don't work as they should. I am not trying to get rid of meds and I don't want anyone blaming themselves for their condition but I would like to know if there is a way to get rid of sz symptoms. My friend was able to do that without meds and I was wondering if what he did would help other people with sz. Sz seems unrelated to anything that we do (besides medication) but there has to be some kind of cause. I find it hard to believe that the mind was working well and then "for no reason" it stopped working as it should. I know the mind is not working as it should but there could be a reason it gets caught in a rut. It tends to follow the same track of reason repeatedly. I am wondering if there is an indirect cause but a cause none the less. The mind is very complex. Its capability could become its own demise if not properly oriented. Also, it may be true that each mind has to work its own way. There is no reason for anyone to blame themselves or find blame as that is unproductive anyway. There is always hope even when it seems there is no hope. My friend noticed that whenever he became intense, angry or in a heated debate, the sz tended to lose its power and influence. It still returned but that bit of repose was reason enough for having the hope that it would go away for good.

Christina,

Let me begin by saying that you do an excellent job with research. I guess that is because of your field of work.

There are many people that are not considered normal but they do not have sz. I can see the loss of brain matter with the loss of function as a result of sz but I believe it is more a result of the one track mind issue and the apathy and loss of function that sets in.

Someone with sz will never be normal even if he loses all the symptoms because he still knows what he went through and he still has to maintain the belief that sz symptoms are not there so they will not be there.

Quite frankly that's a loaded comment that someone with SZ will never be normal.  A person diagnosed with schizophrenia would not dare say that.  What is your intent in saying that?

Regards,

Christina

Ask yourself if you can return to the way you were before sz (without blaming yourself or someone or something else). Not being normal is not necessarily a bad thing. There are a lot of people that don't want to be "normal" (ordinary). It is more matter of fact but there is a lot of normalcy that can be had even with sz as you can attest to. My aim is to see if it is possible for people to get back where they were before they had sz or even better. It is not very common but I believe it is possible for some. If some can be helped, it could be that others could be helped. I know it's a tough sell but I have this desire to want to know.

Hello Daleri,

I know a lot of people with schizophrenia who do not have symptoms.  It is possible to have a good life even though you are diagnosed with schizophrenia; it is possible to have a better life.

You are trying to understand, however, it's not as simple as pretending the voices aren't there.  Nobody should have to suffer for five or ten years if the medication can stop the symptoms within five or six weeks.

Regards,

Christina

"pretending they are not there" is exactly what you should not do. That is not what I was suggesting. If the symptoms are there, you have to be honest but you can change the whether they are there in the future. The symptoms are the result of thoughts and beliefs that you have to learn not to think. Just like the indigenous people that lose the "spirits" when they become civilized. The "spirits" lose their power and influence from nothing more than a shift in the person's values and priorities. A spirit means nothing in a Judeo-Christian environment. There are exceptions where there are people that still believe in "black magic" which is an African belief that is quite common among Latin Americans that has made its way into church beliefs.

BTW, my friend suffered from symptoms about five years before he was able to beat them and that was with no help from anyone.

Also, a person that recovers from sz is not normal by any stretch of meaning. They are extraordinary. You are extraordinary yourself because of the level of work that you are able to do. Dave is extraordinary because of everything that he has gone through. It is not likely that either of you will ever be ordinary and that is a good thing. Of course the normal that we are defining is "symptom free". That is the goal but even symptom free is not ordinary for someone who has been affected by sz. It is quite extraordinary but in regard to having symptoms or not, it is normal as in having no more symptoms. There is no more fighting the symptoms because the symptoms are no longer there. I don't think that is very common but I do believe it is possible even after having had very severe symptoms. I can't explain it very well but I have seen it happen.

A "normal" person does not believe in sz symptoms affecting them. It is weird because tribal people believe in spirits until civilization comes and the spirits tend to "go away". There are clearly physical factors involving sz but it would be nice if the symptoms would also go away with true beliefs. Each mind is different and each person has to navigate their own obstacles from where they are at. It requires a lot of change in the way a person thinks. I am not sure that every person affected by sz will be able to make the changes in beliefs that are needed. I just know that some people can.

This will be the last response I send on this thread.  I understand you mean well.

I'm still unable to use the word normal or not normal to describe any of this.  And I don't think extraordinary sums it up either though I will concede that's your own take on things.  I simply persisted because I had the goal to live independently and work full-time.  I did what I knew I had to do to achieve this instead of doing what I felt like doing at the time.  Once I told someone, "The fight, the fight, never give up the fight."  The way I see it is that you should not give up the hope that you can recover.  Most people do recover.  I told a rehab counselor at the IPRT where I spoke, when she asked me what enabled someone to recover, that it came down to persistence and desire.  You have to want something soi bad you focus on achieving that goal with a laser precision.  It overrides everything else.  So that you simply do one thing after another, however long it takes, until you get there.

Christina

You have done very well and I hope you continue to achieve whatever goals you have. I know that sz is absolutely terrifying and it is as if there is no hope but to prove otherwise is a great achievement.