yuuzora

yuuzora @yuuzora Sorry to hear your friend is having to deal with ye ol' influenza. That shite sucks. Ew, socializing. lol. Sounds like you had some fun at least. Is your friend with the mental illness the same whose nana is diagnosed with dementia? If so, that is incredibly difficult. If only there were an international network of people who could support each other through mental illness. I'm sure lots of people would benefit from such a thing.

Gabriel @gabriel_true The friend taking care of his grandmother is a different person. I know there are local groups that offer assistance, but it isn't available everywhere.

Gabriel @gabriel_true I've been friends with this person for going on 15 years. God made our friendship possible when they reached out to me in high school because they were suffering isolation from peers and adults alike. This individual though normal in appearance does have difficulty keeping up with normal conversations. Often they will deviate from one topic to the next without warning or seemingly reason. They have lost a number of jobs in the past because employers for whatever reason have failed to understand their disability prevents them from concentrating on tasks that are expected of normal workers. Another challenge that they bare are sudden mood swings that involve spontaneous crying in the middle of a casual conversation. This confuses the uninitiated into thinking they themselves have offended or spoke in a way that upset my friend even though it literally has nothing to do with anything going on in the moment. This person simply can't control their emotions and will brake down randomly. I picked up on this early on and simply kept a level head through even the most awkward restaurant episodes with wait staff looking to me for answers as to why asking for a drink order would cause my friend to go spiraling into a crying episode. I simply respond it's a condition and they're going to be ok once they work through it.

yuuzora @yuuzora That is a tough one to handle. Even with medications, it doesn't remedy all the symptoms. Not to mention adherence is difficult because those side effects really create their own problems. It's good this one has a friend like you, though. People who don't judge are like finding shiny legendary pokemon. I wonder how many people on MO are as open-minded and accepting? We'll see. We'll see who I scare away. Or I'll attract the swamp creatures. lolololololol

Gabriel @gabriel_true Thus far in our conversation I haven't felt you were difficult to speak to. As you said it perhaps is an odd quirk of yours that only becomes apparent after lengthy discussions. As of current I don't perceive you as "a bit too much."

yuuzora @yuuzora I'm a bit surprised to hear that. While I am considered 'high functioning' for the disorders I have, lots of people tend to think I'm off due to my bluntness. I can only hope your friend has had a good support network to feel at least not alone in their conditions? It's notoriously difficult to find good groups, even just online. I did change my profile to mention the illnesses, so we'll see what happens. I guess I am open to questions you have about the two disorders, since I know they're relatively rare and heavily stereotyped and demonized.

Gabriel @gabriel_true To be honest I hadn't read the updated information. I felt it was better to simply talk without relying on perceived barriers. The worst I could say I picked up on was that you have been suffering with anxiety about how others think of you. That's not uncommon as many have those thoughts. Some worse than others, but they exist in most people never the less. As for my friend, you are kind to offer concern for their well being. Aside from their grandparents sadly they have no others save for the local government provided counseling (which is woefully equipped to be supportive) and myself. It can be a struggle to always know in what ways to help or words to use to convey a sincere message of understanding about their daily challenges. Still we're nearly 2 decades into the thick of it and I remain optimistic.

yuuzora @yuuzora It is sad to hear that there isn't much support out there for your friend. Generally the world is ill equipped for it, like you said before. I think the only place doing well right now is maybe Sweden. This one is an empathic person, so it's in my nature to care about other human beings and offer to help them when they need help. Especially people at risk of self-harm, which I hope your friend does not have to deal with. I do experience some anxiety toward my mental illnesses, as they are both demonized and I'd rather not be seen as a demon. Many, many people know next to nothing about Schizophrenia and DiD. It doesn't help that DiD has had some sort of surge of children trying to self-diagnose with DiD which clogs up the resources for people who actually have it. I can't stress enough, that it's not like the movies and it isn't a collection of anime characters to be used on a whim.

Gabriel @gabriel_true Well put! It's as if you're able to read my thoughts on what I was going to say next. My friend is doing alright minus a sudden case of the flu. As for Schizophrenia and Identity Disorder I have heard that doctors are changing their understanding and treatment plans for such disorders constantly. I suspect my father's mom was suffering with some form of it. She died when my father was still a kid, but he had to be taken by social services since his mom was known to put him in danger when having "episodes." This was back in the 1960's when even less was understood about mental health. The disability my grandmother was afflicted with apparently was genetic. My dad's eldest brother also shared a shifting personality that sadly led to his untimely demise. He left behind a daughter, but I haven't ever spoken directly with my cousin to know more about the kind of man my late uncle was. It might make sense to simply ask my father, but he is hard to get information from. He appears to have invented a narrative that acts as a form of coping mechanism for a rather tragic family dynamic. Admittedly I can't blame him. There was no easy answers for how things played out. All I can do with the knowledge of my family's mental health history is try to be vigilant of its many forms and act accordingly when it crops up with surviving relatives. Sorry to get off on a tangent, but I can empathize with your condition on some level at least.

yuuzora @yuuzora Aye. It's good to hear your friend is doing okay. Though being sick with the flu sucks. DiD used to be known as MPD and for some people the latter is still more accurate, a majority feel DiD describes the experience more clearly. There is a strong genetic component to Schizophrenic disorders, DiD however is always triggered by childhood trauma. So people that claim it and have no significant childhood difficulties are molded potatoes. That is quite the family history. There is some evidence to suggest that Schizophrenic disorders can lead to dementia. Especially when untreated. I sincerely feel the utmost sorrow hearing what people go through when they have to be institutionalized. Even now that we have all this technology and better understandings, patients in state asylums are still treated like animals. And the medications are only slightly better than they used to be. Especially the heavier stuff. Is your friend on medications to help or is this person afraid of the side effects?

Gabriel @gabriel_true My friend who has the disability is on medication and does have a counselor that is supposed to be providing them resources. However it has fallen to mostly themself and their grandparents figure out a solution. I also had a recent conversation where they informed me that they were handed off to another counselor who seemed to not understand the situation.

yuuzora @yuuzora This one understands the feeling of being shuffled off between counselors. Especially trying to find one who understands the vibe. Which is why I'm not currently in therapy though I know I need professional help other than myself. What about you? Do you suffer from any mental ailments?

Gabriel @gabriel_true Haha, as for myself I can't say I have been diagnosed with anything thus far! I've had concerns about my family history potentially causing future issues as I get older, but currently I am not suffering any notable ailments.