What is schizophrenia?

[Manjushri]

@Keyhole sorry, dopamine or ANY neurotransmitter imbalance in psychosis and schizophrenia is just a hypothesis. This medication does a lot more to the brain. Dopamine might be tok excited in the mesolymbic system hence the "mystic" experiences. If I make the map the territory, and call the neurotransmitter that I have as a certain sensation in my experience as dopamine, then, yes, whenever I had a spiritual experience a lot of dopamine was being released. 

You need to take into account that psychiatry's main quest is to remove symptoms (agitation) and to actually tranqulize those who don't comply to social norms. Mental hospitals are usually incarcetation and coercion. 

Also, the money in the game... Pharmaceutical industry. You know the amount of charges pressed against Lily for Zyprexa, the most popular antipsychotic? They tried to sell it for everything, then they figured, hey, the crazy man is not screaming anymore. Let's make a scientific hypothesis of how we fixed him!

23 hours ago, Keyhole said:

@abrakamowse Schizophrenia is much more complex than this - the neurotransmitters in the brain don't work properly in schizophrenics.
I've been to a mental hospital in the past for a psychotic episode and some of the people there are so far gone they are not even in the same room - there s no way that they could ever even hope to comprehend some of the topics discussed on this forum.

But what I did notice, was that the group of people that I had come in with around the same time - within a few weeks on medications, they were not having quite as many delusions, or hallucinations - they were coming out of their shells.  We were all talking to one another.

https://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/schizophrenia

Scientists believe that people with schizophrenia have an imbalance of the brain chemicals or neurotransmitters: dopamine, glutamate and serotonin. These neurotransmitters allow nerve cells in the brain to send messages to each other.

For them, it is like being on a drug all the time - the brain is not regulating these chemicals properly.  

This woman has learned to live with her hallucinations, but they don't simply go away.

(insert science and neurotransmitters)

Edited August 4, 2019 by Manjushri

[Manjushri]

22 hours ago, abrakamowse said:

I understand all what you are saying. It happened to me too. Probably in my case it wasn't so bad as in other cases that's why I could overcome it. I know. In my case the pills were helpful to me. It helped me to "heal" the neurotransmitters and think better and finally get well. I am still taking medication.

But, only medication doesn't assure that you can be cured too. The doctors are very clear that the pills help you to recover and then you have to try to think differently of the situation, they teach you how to cope with stressful situations because otherwise you will go again into schizophrenia or psychosis. 

What happens with those cases that are extreme, as you mentioned (where I was there was some cases that they had to be in a special area because they were violent) is that they changed the structure of the brain because of their thinking. That's harder to overcome. I am not saying that only with meditation they will get cured. The pills and the treatments can help them to leave that place of wrong thinking.

But the center point of this is that in my opinion, it all begins with our thoughts and our perception of reality. That "thinking" can go really out of hand at some moments or persons and really they are in a very difficult place to overcome that schizoid thoughts.

When you continue thinking that you are the thinker, is hard to control thoughts that go out of control.

I am not sure if I was clear to express my point Lol...

This thread is becoming very valuable, really. Thanks all for sharing your POVs.

Hey man, I'm extremely anti-medication. I have a lot of science behind that. Would you like me to send you all that? They do you more harm than good unless in extreme acute cases where it should be used for a short short time, just to tranqulize the body-mind and give it some rest. 

[abrakamowse]

@Manjushri  Thanks Manjushri, I am not going anymore to the psychiatrist anyway. I am going to take less and less medication until I will stop completely. No worries. 

Thanks for your advice anyway. I think the same as you. If you still want to know I was only taking Zoloft. That's the only thing they gave me.

Thanks!

[Manjushri]

3 hours ago, abrakamowse said:

@Manjushri  Thanks Manjushri, I am not going anymore to the psychiatrist anyway. I am going to take less and less medication until I will stop completely. No worries. 

Thanks for your advice anyway. I think the same as you. If you still want to know I was only taking Zoloft. That's the only thing they gave me.

Thanks!

Oh I guess that isn't too damaging. Don't worry, taper it off responsibly, and your system will clean itself in less than a year. Hope you don't have any severe sexual dysfunctions. Best of luck man

Edited August 4, 2019 by Manjushri
typo

[abrakamowse]

Thanks @Manjushri  !!! No problems with that so far...