I Know Someone With Schizophrenia

I know a couple people with this. I am interested in the disorder and have watched some documentaries about it. Have seen a couple stories on here where people are complaining that they are unhappy all the time due to their schizophrenia. They claim they can't enjoy anything ever, and that life has no pleasure for them. I just want to ask, is this normally a symptom? Or is it something comorbid occurring with their schizophrenia? Everything I have studied about it so far has not mentioned symptoms of intense depression. So I was wondering if there are some narcissistic elements in there. When they say that people's happiness angers them, it perplexes me. I cannot imagine not being happy for other people when they are happy, even if I myself am miserable at the time. I have several mental illnesses myself.

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Mamapolo2016 · F

I am no expert - but it stands to reason that depression could be a large part of/induced by schizophrenia.

Something like three out of four experience at least auditory hallucinations. Experiencing a reality that is not being experienced by those around you would be very isolating and disturbing.

SW-User

@Mamapolo2016 I imagine it can cause depression and I agree with you. Guess I'm mostly confused because the couple of people I know in rl seem pretty capable of happiness and being happy for others

Mamapolo2016 · F

@SW-User With most diseases, physical or mental, there are different levels of intensity.

CharlieZ · 70-79, M

@Mamapolo2016 As not a few of mental disorders and more severe illness, depression MAY be associated or to overlap with some others in different stages of development.
But it may also be relativelly autonomous of them.

SW-User

@Mamapolo2016 The documentaries I watched seemed to somewhat simplify the illness as just hearing and seeing things that aren't there. Many of the people that had it were also talking about being on medication for it and how much the medication helped with their symptoms and helped them function.

badgay · 36-40, F

@SW-User We often joke in misunderstood ways about schizophrenia,often these fun harmless chat people actually describe are actually split-personality disorders etc..

Make one like myself enjoy those chats even more

Mamapolo2016 · F

@SW-User One of the things we rarely know about documentaries is - who financed them?

You will get a very different doc if the piece was financed by pharmaceutical companies or by independent researchers. You can’t always tell, either.

We think of documentaries as information and education. Often they are. However, when a documentary is made, it is made to attract viewers and to sell advertising. You will rarely see one that says, “You know, we interviewed 500 people - and really didn’t find out much of anything.”

HardcoreJollies

@SW-User I believe schizophrenia causes delusions. Either in the form of sensory hallucinations or delusions of thought.