[Noisebridge-discuss] tips on dealing with schizophreniform sufferers

[jim]

   excellent run-down! 

   there's research of the last ten or so years that 
shows that "love" (== acceptance, general affection, 
evidence of liking) has a definite therapeutic effect 
on people with mental/emotional disorders. 



On Thu, 2010-08-12 at 10:51 -0700, travis
+ml-noisebridge at subspacefield.org wrote:
> My $0.02, based on personal experience (three friends with schizo
> disorders); probably best to just leave it be, don't get involved,
> definitely don't pretend to be roommate :-)
> 
> Incoherent speech, or "word salad", is pretty common.  If you're sharp
> enough, and know them well enough, you can sometimes follow the jumps
> which are so obvious to them that they leave them out.  Getting them
> to try and explain themselves usually doesn't work - the explanations
> are just as spotty as the original.  They don't seem to understand any
> problems you're having understanding them.
> 
> Sometimes they use words in very idiosyncratic ways - for example,
> they might describe a strong emotional reaction as "exhibiting a polar
> response".  I ended up nodding and pretending to understand a lot,
> which was uncomfortable for me, but at least didn't make anything
> worse.
> 
> Don't ever try and sneak anything by someone who seems paranoid, you
> will never, ever fool them.  I'd recommend against calling cops unless
> necessary to protect someone; you never know how they'll interpret any
> interference.  On the other hand, since so many people seem to want to
> meddle in their lives, being generous, kind, and non-interfering can
> even lead to their recovery.
> 
> Don't be surprised if they misread you.  If they get angry or verbally
> go on the offensive, just relax, realize that they're misinterpreting
> your words, and try to be as non-threatening as possible.  Sometimes
> there's nothing you can do to explain away a misinterpretation; any
> attempt will itself be misinterpreted.  Sad, but all you can do is
> shrug it off.  Try and avoid getting them wound up; they're usually
> operating on an adrenaline high.  Alcohol, MJ and stimulants: bad
> ideas.
> 
> And, though this is probably not necessary to say in a liberal city
> like SF, try to remember the person wasn't born with it, didn't ask
> for it, and usually did nothing to cause it.  They were once just like
> you, and would trade places with you in a heartbeat.  They can also be
> highly intelligent, like Nash, and their illnesses themselves can
> be fascinating as well as tragic.
> 
> For my particular thoughts on paranoia and schizophrenia, see:
> 
> http://www.subspacefield.org/~travis/email/paranoia.txt
> _______________________________________________
> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss