I know it is helpful for those recovering. It offers kinship and information and maybe helps recovering sz to not become psychotic again through lack of meds or whatever.
I think it is also for those that have some lingering delusions but are mostly ‘in reality’ with the majority of their thoughts.
Where my doubts lay are in those that are floridly psychotic. THe conventional, one on one, method for helping these people is to not directly challenge delusions and earn trust and whatnot.
However, here, in a group setting not challenging delusions or agreeing with them, the thinking is, has the potential to have them spread among those that are suscepticle to such here and/or trigger them. I’m not sure a working pdoc could figure out the proper way to handle this in a group setting like this, let alone those of us (all of us here) who are not.
A peer support forum is probably not the place to be very helpful to those that are floridly psychotic.
This is primarily a recovery forum, I believe, which lends itself well to those that are recovering and those with limited, lingering delusions but not for those that are actively in major psychois beyond maybe some friendship.
Hi, please include the psychotic. They need help too and it reminds others why they need help as well. I felt unwell yesterday and someone here reminded me how important medication is and I feel really grateful.
It was helpful to me to get support here when I was in psychosis a few months ago. I still have lingering symptoms and appreciate all the support I get.
I am glad to hear that as well @Dika . Maybe it is more helpful than I thought when in psychosis. It is certainly a difficult tightrope to walk for those of us trying to help, though.
In the past, years ago, on the old forum, I used to write hymns to paranoia in my psychosis. People were saying “call your pdoc”, “please go to the hospital” etc. but nothing could persuade me that I had a problem
It can. People often become deeply socially withdrawn in sz, so would lack interest in using a forum. Over the years of using the forum I have become withdrawn at times and had little impluse to interact. It has been said before that the forum geneerally caters to higher functioning szs. If someone is functioning high enough to use the internet, meaning they are organized, interested, thinking with intent, not prohibitively paranoid of technology/ others etc, then the forum kind of exists for whoever gets past that natural 'screening" process. The forum can help those who can be helped ultimately, I think.
[Active psychosis is the acute phase of a psychotic episode where a person temporarily loses touch with reality. It is characterized by severe symptoms such as hallucinations (e.g., hearing voices), delusions (strong, false beliefs), disorganized speech, and highly erratic behavior. It is a symptom of an underlying medical or psychiatric issue rather than a standalone illness.]–NIH
Based on the definition of active psychosis by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), I don’t think this forum will be helpful to a person who is in active psychosis. Also, I think the mental health and safety of all of the members on the forum has to be taken into account when trying to help someone who is in active psychosis.
I try to not talk about my sz irl so I talk about it here. I try to completely forget my sz and never talk about it even here but still can’t. I have no positive symptoms on meds unless I lower my dose.
