Does being a paranoid schizophrenic mean I'm a criminal ?

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I'm asking because these villains in these popular movies , The Joker from the Dark Knight and the main antagonist from Die hard with a vengeance, both seem to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia.

So does this make me an automatic criminal? Does this mean I'm most likely to end up cross dressing and committing crimes ?

A few years back, I was diagnosed of this condition but I don't know too much of it really. And it'll be nice to know where I could do research on this condition and know rather or not if I'm doomed to live a life of crime...

So my point is I'm confused

I always thought ASPD is the main mental disorder that criminals have both in and out of prison. Many non-criminals have mild ASPD too though.

dude just be who you are and don't ask yourself what the label you are named means

No, of course it doesn't make you a criminal. Sometimes some people with paranoid schizophrenia commit crimes, just like people without mental health problems do. Unfortunately there is a stereotype about people with mental illnesses being dangerous, and the media often perpetuate that stereotype.

As long as you follow your doctors advice and keep well there is no need to worry that you might do something wrong. If you have a psychiatrist or doctor that you can speak to for advice then you should do that. Otherwise, buy a book or borrow one from the library. If you have been given any medication then it is important that you keep taking that and don't stop it without speaking to your doctor or psychiatrist.

When people with paranoid schizophrenia commit crimes it is usually because their condition is not being managed properly, they might not be taking their medication or it might not be working. They might start to have paranoid delusions where they think that certain people, or organizations are trying to hurt them. They may become convinced of things that are not true, or hear voices telling them to do things that they would never consider doing otherwise. This is why there have been some incidents of people with schizophrenia killing or harming strangers - in their delusions they see that person as a risk to their own life. This is very rare and is not the fault of the unwell person. If you ever start to feel very paranoid or anxious or hear voices then you should go to your doctor or psychiatrist straight away.

Schizophrenia is just an illness that needs to be managed (just like diabetes or epilepsy or asthma) and as long as it is managed correctly then there is absolutely no reason that you cannot live a perfectly normal life and achieve the things you want.

What's ASPD?

So what I've seen in movies is just stereotypes ? I'm not destined to become a criminal if I manage my condition?

It's not that I really hear voices, it's just that when I'm in a very quiet place, I hear something very distant, like a television in another room. I don't think they count as voices really, and it's not like their getting worse. It's always been the same....

sociopath(ASPD)=anti-social personality disorder

...

Last edited by SpiritBlooms on 09 Jul 2012, 7:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

You can find out a lot about schizophrenia on line
How long ago were you diagnosed?
Can you tell more about your symptoms?
Have you been given medication?
If so I hope you are taking it

I was diagnosed a couple of years ago, dunno the full date. And haven't been on medication for a while, but I seem to be doing okay....

As for symptoms, I have this disorganized way of writing things down and I feel like my mind is all over the place. My obsessions is random, it seems like I have to know about everything I hear, read or watch on T.V. (especially with the Science Channel, History Channel, and Nat-Geo) Sometimes, late at night, when it's extremely quiet, I'd hear something almost like a televsion that's far away or on the other side of the house....

Paranoid schizophrenia does not make you a criminal. In fact, people with schizophrenia are actually more likely to be taken advantage of than commit a crime. The ones that do commit crimes tend to be drug and alcohol users and have a past history of violence. Also, the media does make us look like animals that need to be feared and taken down with full force. When the criminal so happens to have mental illness, they take it out of proportion and completely focus on the mental illness and make it sound like everyone with mental illness are dangerous people. I have schizoaffective disorder myself and never committed a crime (except with the Power of Influence) but that is unintentional. The Power of Influence is just psychic powers that are so powerful that it actually influences events. Disorganization is very common in a schizophrenic related disorder. And in paranoid schizophrenia though, that sub-type is less disorganized and more focused on auditory hallucinations and quite bizarre delusions. But when I am psychotic, sometimes I get incoherent while I speak and write. But if I had a sub-type of schizophrenia it would be Undifferentiated because I have a little bit from each. This year I had command hallucinations. Now that is scary! In fact, I ended up in the hospital because of it.

It might.

Although if you're trying to apply fiction to real life, you might want to get your brain checked.

Are you implying that I might be insane ?......

Symptoms

A person with antisocial personality disorder may:

Be able to act witty and charming

Be good at flattery and manipulating other people's emotions

Break the law repeatedly

Disregard the safety of self and others

Have problems with substance abuse

Lie, steal, and fight often

Not show guilt or remorse

Often be angry or arrogant
These are the symptoms. If you have these then you are antisocial.

I believe the person was talking to ME, therefore hurting my worthless unimportant feelings. I WASN'T applying fiction, and I don't need my brain checked. I just put my beliefs in there. Apparently he doesn't understand that psychosis can do this to people, making them believe weird things. Humans seem to not be smart as a group. Most humans are bullies. The only problem is that everywhere equates psychosis with insanity. Not all psychotic people are insane. Technically now a days its a legal term, "Criminally Insane" which means the mentally ill person wasn't responsible for their actions due to their illness. People use the word "insane" to all mentally ill people and that is wrong. That is hurtful, mean and nasty. I prefer to be called, "Mentally interesting." I know that delusions and hallucinations are insane to outsiders though. Last night I had this horrible, terrifying hallucination that someone was trying to break into the house. I heard loud knocking at 1 AM and my brother telling me in this creepy voice, "Someone's trying to break in... repeat many times" I was paralyzed with fear.

No, of course it doesn't mean that you are a criminal. Have you committed any crimes? If not, then you are not a criminal. (((hugs))) Don't worry about the media. There is a lot of stigma and ignorance surrounding mental problems anyway, but you can never get any kind of accurate portrayal of mental illness in movies or TV shows.

Okay, so it's the media ignorance of what a mental problem is, and this means I won't become a criminal. Okay I see now, thanks everyone

And thanks for the hugs I needed one lol