junkfoodjane

I agree. It is an extremely dangerous thing to have “advocates” who do not take mental illness seriously as most medical professionals do with physical illnesses. These are the same non-empathetic anti-psychiatry nut-jobs who somehow make it into the medical field, who think mental illness is nothing but a demon, a lack of discipline, an act for attention (etc.). For these people to try to convince patients with very real and sometimes very severe mental illnesses (myself included), the very same people who already have a hard time distinguishing their own reality and are already paranoid, and try to sway them into thinking that what they are experiencing is merely a projection of their own insecurities, lack of healthy daily routine, a projection of our society's mass delusion or new youth “entitlement culture”, or an invention of the Government collaborating with the drug companies in order make more money, is criminal. This is the biggest mind-f*ck that I have also innocently fallen victim to after watching an hour-long YouTube video of a man “proving” how mental illness does not exist.

Because I DO want to believe it. I DO want to get better. It’s easier (especially when we’re manic) to believe that “all we need to do is exercise and get a little sunshine, and we’ll feel better”. Because facing a mental illness that, at this point in society, the hope of finding a cure and leading a “normal” life, looks bleak. And it’s an enormous tragedy. So we are constantly on this roller coaster of ideals going from one extreme – “believing” the anti-psychiatry crooks – to another – coming back down from denial, having another psychotic, depressive or ‘what have you’ episode and having to re-realize and re-grieve having the illness all over again, which can cause more depression, more emotional outbursts, stress, and more need for real, honest-to-god help. At least what the Schofield family has helped do is a big start.

Michael and Susan, I thank you with all my heart for being brave enough to speak up on behalf of all of us. Michael, thank you for doing this AMA. I find comfort in reading your blog because it is so hard to find other people who are willing to share details of their experiences with this and it helps me know I’m not alone. Sometimes that is the biggest gift of all. If there is anything I can do personally, in my life to help raise awareness, please let me know.

Sometimes I feel like I’m sulking too much when I post about my problems on Facebook, but then I remember you guys and feel like I’m doing a small part just by sharing my struggle with my friends. It’s not much but I think if they knew someone who was being affected, that they would be less likely to misunderstand others with mental illness.

I have a few questions. I was diagnosed with Bipolar I in 2009 when I admitted myself to Austin State and have suspected that I have Asperger's since before that, and I know that those can be co-morbid. However, Psychiatrists have a hard time ruling it out because I have also been diagnosed with a Personality Disorder NOS, as well as Anxiety Disorder NOS, and my advanced knowledge about Asperger's (Psychology is one of my preoccupations) they say obfuscates a diagnosis of such at this time, requires further observation/tests, and getting tested where I live can be expensive. With my Bipolar I have always experienced psychosis only when I was at my highs and lows, but last year I started having less dramatic mood swings and longer periods of psychosis, even without a mood change, leading me to believe I now have Schizoaffective Disorder. I am reluctant to get back on medication because I am afraid of having bad side effects again, even though my psychosis is to the point where it's onset is sudden and it makes it dangerous to drive.

My questions are, on one of your Bipolar Nation broadcasts, when you and Susan interviewed a man with Asperger's, Susan mentioned that you missed the diagnosis of Asperger's by like two points, so I was wondering what similarities do you see between yourself and Bodhi and between you and Jani, as far as difficulties go? I read earlier that you have Bipolar also, so do you experience psychosis or any Asperger's symptoms, even though it's "not enough to make the diagnosis"? And how did they rule out that you did not have Asperger's, for you and Jani? And lastly, what is your MBTI personality type?