What not to say to someone with schizophrenia

SANE Peer Ambassador Sandy shares her advice on communicating respectfully with someone living with schizophrenia who may be experiencing auditory hallucinations.

Remember, connection is a click or a call away with SANE.

[NSelina]

"tf, just stop hearing them voices, dude"

-"tf, just stop being an asshole, dude"

like the video suggests, it's real to the person and so is as scary as regular occurences

[seanharris]

I'm schizophrenic & hear voices too. What you are saying in this video is correct. Some people just don't understand or don't want to understand

[viketouliepienyu]

Treat them with respect. Treat them as someone who needs our attention and support. Never tell them that he has a mental problem unless he admits himself. An empathetic understanding of his situation and treating him like a normal person will greatly help. Do not ignore them or underestimate them since they have a very fragile self-esteem. Be sensitive to their needs and pay attention when they say something.

[ofelia]

Thank you. It is about acknowledging what they experience.
🍃

[LibertyRapsher]

I've always had a lot of empathy for people with schizophrenia, because the way the medical system treats them... at least in the US. They essentially force the person with schizophrenia to admit it's all in their head and those with schizophrenia have to front that it's all in their head to appease their doctors and their families. The medical system teaches doctors/psychiatrists to have this perspective (it's a sinister design with the purpose of feeding the anti psychotics pharmaceutical industry, however most doctors aren't aware that it's a sinister design). If you're a doctor and you acknowledge that the voices are real to the patient and treat the patient with this in mind, then you literally risk losing your license. Jerry Marzinsky is one of the few heroic ones, but he's in a very small minority in the psychology/doctor community... at least in the US, which I'm fairly sure it's this way in most countries. Based on everything I've learned I believe the voices are very much real and even the visions... they're not delusions or hallucinations, but this is what society is told about those with schizophrenia.

[happybergner]

I would not share about my illness with any person who would reply that way to me

[richardcranium]

As someone who suffers from this ailment, one thing I am constantly running into, is a lot of people who suddenly think that they are Marcus Welby MD. They never set foot in a pre med college class room (they usually lack the aptitude and intellectual capacity to become a physician) and yet THEY wanna give me medical advice, or try and undermine my own doctor's instructions with their unique, substandard logic. They labor under the delusion that THEY are a healthcare professional, and yet I am the one who was diagnosed with this mental illness?! These same scatterbrained fools also usually treat me as if I either do not have a legitimate medical condition (with sheer and utter contempt for my feelings) or as if THEY have come up with solutions that no licensed doctor has discovered thus far in the field of medicine. A lot of people do not understand mental illness, even some healthcare professionals with the bedside manner of a rattlesnake. However, what I see in society is a blatant refusal to educate one's self about the possibility of interacting with someone who suffers from a mental illness (like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder). They don't wanna take the time. Uh, those with mental illnesses are all around us. They are our coworkers, friends, family members and neighbors. Contrary to what the mindless puppets in the mainstream media say with the ugly stigma that they have helped attach to the mentally ill (because of the actions of relatively few mental patients) most people with a legitimate mental diagnoses are safe, productive, intelligent and friendly people to be around. Also, in my experience, employers in some parts of the U.S. anyway can get away with refusing to hire someone on the merit of their mental disposition EVEN if the patient has no violent history to speak of or has a condition that requires VERY reasonable accommodations on the part of the employer. The American's with disabilities rights council has made it against the law to discriminate under what is supposed to be a PROTECTED status. But those laws are not worth the recycled toilet paper they are printed on if THEY and no government agency has any intentions of enforcing them. I digress. I know this is a boring subject and making taxpayers pay to fund a SPORTS stadium for some mediocre sports team (with rich spoiled players who set bad examples and can;t seem to stay out of trouble with the law is much more important than using some of those funds for quality services to address the needs of the mentally ill.

[ShotsFired]

Telling them the truth isn't rude. When was being honest ever rude..?

[DavidEsp]

I hear what you advise not to say, but I don't understand how it is unwelcome or perceived as disrespectful. Can you explain why? Covered in another vid?

[kungfooslap]

It should be that you can say what you like but alas we live in a failing world where the weak are rewarded.

[peterwilliamson]

It's sad you have to remind ppl to be human, if one is so simple and narrow minded, should they even be in the company of mentally disabled ppl?

[DHorse]

Yes that is dismissive. I think it's an issue of not knowing what to say.
I think an appropriate answer would be that everything is in your head.
All of your perceptions reside in your head. Reality is in your head too. It's a huge subject in philosophy.

[heroireianjo]

I am schizophrenic and I believe our primal regenerative instinct is what becomes sick. The same as every other animal obtains awareness of knowing things without learning them itself. I personally believe that these things exist in something like a dream state CLOUD direct from our human tribe and family lineage. And schizophrenia is forged by being so misunderstood by our own mother for dealing with life differently it marks our way of thinking as an abomination and to ourself

[retroboomer]

It is all in your head and the voices aren't real.

[brendanbishop]

quit the caffeine and get some magnesium, the medical community don't recognise caffeine being the reason for a huge portion of mental health, theres lots of information on the internet and so many clinical sub terms for things which are one and the same but maybe at different levels or degrees, caffeine caffeine caffeine...

[eddieD]

What about the suffering of the family? My life was ruined because of my schizophrenic brother. Nobody cares? Why does nobody care about what not to say to me? I'm a pariah, because of him. That's OK I guess?

[horsecodenumbers]

Nella said people were always following him but he wasn't smart enough to figure it out those people were trying to show him who where going to win future sporting events, by the clothes they are wearing it's all about the colours, we are living in a repeated program.

[MrYourDry]

We don't have to pretend anymore. I've solved it. 😁

[socalfriend]

I will say to the social worker 'my roommate can no longer function living at my home. Please arrange a room for him to rent, or he may have to go live outside somewhere. I am sorry, but 4 years is enough enabling. If he cannot save up a dollar in 4 years then there is no hope. Please for the love of God. I have gone out of my way to help a friend and I need to have my home back I need my privacy and I want to know my pets are safe when they are here. My friend needs a room to rent. That is all. Thank you

[DHorse]

This is great thanks very much. And of course it's an very important to have these statements about negations and what not to do.
It of course begs the question what do you say instead?