Schizophrenia the most stigmatized disease?

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I have a whole host of mental and emotional abnormalities, from major depression, social anxiety, alcholism, schizophrenia, and possibly some sexual and emotional anorexia issues. As a male, I'm not embarrassed about the first three so much, but the last two are particulary

For starters, there's the issue that people confuse dissociative identity disorder with schizophrenia - no we do not have multiple people living inside our head, we just might hear or see things that aren't there. Secondly, and maybe it's just me, but whenever someone calls me schizophrenic, I feel really ashamed and get defensive. I don't want to be known as "schizophrenic." Also, schizophrenia seems like two separate disorders. Someone with psychosis, paranoia and delusions is completely different than someone with the negative symptoms, such as lack of ambition and desire to talk and socialize. Why would they receive the same diagnosis? Lastly, I have major issues with the term "schizophrenia." I realize it means splitting of the mind, but to me it just sounds like a horrible disease that you really don't want. I propose we split up the disorders, and rename them to something more pleasant, something like "London syndrome."

That's my schizophrenia rant for the morning, thanks for listening

With everything else that's wrong with me I'm surprised schizophrenia isn't one of them. I have hallucinated before but it was related to illicit drugs.

In Japan, they recently changed the name for schizophrenia to remove stigma. The old term was a more direct translation of schizophrenia than the new term. The old term was 精神分裂病; basically, the first 2 characters mean "psyche" together and the next 2 characters mean "split, rend" together, while the last character means "illness." Of course, unlike in English, the etymology of each individual character or compound stands out very well in kanji compounds, and the term became very stigmatizing, as it became viewed by the general public that schizophrenia meant that the person's psyche or personality became completely shattered.

They switched to using a new term, which is 統合失調症, and here the first 2 characters mean "integration" together and the next 2 characters mean "dysfunction" together, while the last character means "disorder." So the implication of this is someone who just has a hard time keeping things together. It is highly approved by families, patients, and patients' advocates.

I believe, however, that in China and Taiwan, the old stigmatizing term is still used, and it's just as stigmatizing in those countries as it was in Japan, I hear.

I believe that schizophrenia/ schizoaffective disorder has the most stigma attached to them. Especially because of the news, how they make out the disorder to be. How the media perceives the disorder is that we are all psychopath killers that need to go to jail or die. There are approximately 40 murders a day in the US. But if one is committed by someone with schizophrenia or a mental illness in general, then of course that's the one they focus on. I rarely hear something positive on the news about someone with schizophrenia. In fact I don't remember the last time. People look at us differently, like monsters. What's wrong with DID? There's more stigma with that? I hope not. But everyone makes out schizophrenics to be crazy, nuts and just someone no one wants to be friends with because we are so evil (according to the media). I have schizoaffective disorder and have friends with various disorders including the same as me. They are very nice. They wouldn't kill anyone. Of course what makes schizophrenics 'dangerous' is they are a danger towards themselves because of suicide. That part is true.

I think this comic, "If physical illnesses were treated like mental illness," is quite appropriate here:

http://www.robot-hugs.com/helpful-advice/

I was dx'ed from an early age as being on a schizoid spectrum [not full on but with major traits, ala schizotypal]. my late Japanese mother thought I was "baka yaro." I don't blame her.

Psychosis susceptibility syndrome sounds more like an alternative name for attenuated psychosis risk syndrome than schizophrenia.

It's not just the name 'schizophrenia' that's stigmatised, it's the symptoms as well. I've had psychotic depression in the past and I couldn't even admit how bad my psychotic symptoms were, even after the doctor told me I didn't have schizophrenia. I was scared of the schizophrenia label, but more than that, I was scared of it being known that I had hallucinated and had delusions and paranoia. Scared of even my doctor thinking I was that crazy.

Looking back, I was probably sensible to be cautious about saying too much. I've read that they tend to give ECT and section you if you have severe psychotic depression. I'm glad I've avoided both. I would've benefited from antipsychotics at certain points in my life because antidepressants didn't do enough, but hmm. I hope I don't end up in that position again, though there's a chance I will.

But yeah, the label itself is very stigmatising - but changing the label won't remove the stigma until people stop stigmatising the symptoms as much.

Like it - thank you

Yes schizophrenia is stigmatized, but it's not the most stigmatized mental health disorder. The most stigmatized is propably psychopathy and also Cluster B Personality Disorders (antisocial, borderline, histrionic) are also heavily stigmatized.

I disagree. In studies you see that usually women have more positive symptoms and men more negative symptoms (not true in every case, just a tendency), but I would even go so far to say that all schizophrenics have positive and negative symptoms. In the past there was "schizophrenia simplex", where ppl got dx where it was thought that they just have negative symptoms. But this diagnosis is not even in the DSM anymore and even countries who use the ICD-10, where schizophrenia simplex is still in, usually don't use this diagnosis anymore. Michael Fitzgerald even thinks that in the past this diagnosis was used, to dx autistics. So there is no proof that negative symptoms alone exist and this is highly controversal. Some schizophrenic patients might have just very few positive symptoms, but they are still there.

beneficii,
you posting was very interesting, thank you for sharing.

I don't know about Taiwan, but China is still using the old term.

I'm not sure about this. I've heard people with bipolar say that they noticed a difference after the label was changed from manic depression. There's just something about the name schizophrenia that makes me shiver. I recently told someone that I was diagnosed with it, and it made me feel pretty crappy and embarrassed. I think next time I'll just say "I had a psychotic episode" or something. I don't agree with being labeled.

Although, I'm pretty sure that in due time people will see that I'm actually not psychotic. I can't wait to be able to say "See, I told you I wasn't crazy. I just believe in God."

I've been reading about Princess Alice of Battenberg, the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II. She had schizophrenia--as well, she was deaf--but during World War II she risked her life to hide Jews while she was in Greece and for that she is recognized as Righteous Among the Nations.

Yehh I remember meeting an astounding jazz pianist who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when I was around 13. I vaguely recall feeling rather afraid as myperception at that time was derived from news reports. I perceived it to be a disease which rendered sufferers violent and likely to commit the most inhumane acts on a dime.

Of course I was wrong - but that seems to be the understanding that the more ignorant members of our adult population have. I was a child so I had an excuse

So...I'm new here. A family member or few...yes more than one, see and hear things that most people cannot but they have not been diagnosed with schizophrenia or another psych disorder that talks to self, etc. They claim they see things like spirits, orbs, guides, demons, have vivid dreams, astral project, predictions/deja vu, suffers from blurry vision a lot but not medically noted, they can pass eye exam-it has been checked. One family member we took off medication, since a side affect of Rx was hallucinations, to see if they would stop. It did not stop and is now back on those meds. I have another family member, on medication as well, who claims to have seen ghosts as a child and now hears things telling them negative things about themselves. This person looks and acts like they have aspergers, suffers from OCD-eating disorder/anorexia, and seems to be on the appropriate autistic medication. The voices did not go away. So, in your opinion, what is the difference between hypersensory gifts-divinely ours as written in the Bible, or a mental disorder? When does it become insanity-when they cannot tell the difference between the voices/visions and reality? But I believe they are their reality they just learn to take back control of their life.

These things, ie: ghosts, lets say, started crazy-like chasing/following them around-all the time, yelling at them, and became darker like telling them negative things. As we searched for help and found information about the 6th or multiple senses and spiritual and quantum physics possibilities, for one, they started seeing Divine beings and understood they see multidimensions. The medication doesn't stop this for them, they have learned it is normal and surround themselves with others like them. For this family- this is normal.