PsychosisPsositivity

Delusions are amophorus in character, difficult to pin down and elusive. I've spent much of my career talking about them, but I feel I have not made enough that defines/explains them for those who have not experienced them first hand. I believe there is a need for this, because I continue to come across misinterpretations of the Delusional experience in worm by non-Psychotic authors. A follow-up to my essay "On the Philosophy of Delusions", here are some thoughts on Delusions as Events. Let me know what you think in the Instagram comments.

Do you like to read? I certainly did, until the ability slowly began slipping away from me. I lost the ability to read over a number of years, but regained it relatively quickly. The cognitive symptoms of Schizophrenia are no joke, but receive relatively little awareness. Here, I explain. my journey with the most severe cognitive symptom I have experienced and how I recovered from it.

The podcast is back from break for my move!
We all know that bullying can leave a mark on the psyche, but what happens when a child with Schizotypy gets bullied? Well, I believe that the severe bullying I faced in grade school and part of high school was a factor in the development of my chronic Schizophrenia. Like any trauma, bullying shapes the brain in its own image, and in my case I believe that lead to Paranoid ideation and possibly other Schizophrenic symptoms. Join me on this exploration of the past and ideas of Schizophrenia pathogenesis.
TW: Discussion of suicidal ideation, sexual harassment, and eating disorders

Schizophrenia is a whole brain condition and also affects the neuroendocrine system, and this is not even to mention the far-reaching effects of psychotropic mendication. It is hard to makle peace with your body when it is so stigmatized and seems to be determined to do whart you don't want it to do. Here, I describe my thought process in how I made peace with my Schizophrenic body, an action that has given me signiicant mental freedom and relief.

Meet Cecilia McGough, founder of the non-profit Students With Psychosis. Cecilia has gone on a harrowing journey, from navigating first Psychotic symptoms in childhood to leaving her Astronomy major in university to make it on her own in NYC. She has a TEDx talk with millions of views and is one of the most prominent voices of our community currently. She's also one of my best friends. Join us, as Cecilia shares her journey and we banter about the work of Psychosis Advocacy.

Can you remember who the President is? For me it might take a few tries, just like this espisode did! Sense of time and space can easily be distorted in Schizophrenia, either directly by delusion or by other aspects of the neurodivergence. This is not a subject I have seen much content on, but it is something that interests me and I would love to hear your thoughts back on Instagram.

What is a Boundary Experience, and how do they relate to Schiszophrenia? I explain that here, describing the variety of ways Schizophrenia can create what are called Boundary Experiences. These experiences put you on the edge of life, and I hypothesize might play a role in the mechanism for Psychosis. Join me in this brief philosophical exploration of the Schizophrenic mind.

Book Details: "The Gift of Therapy: an Open Letter to the Next Generation of Therapists and their Patients" Yalom ID, 2012, Audible Audiobook.

This is a first for PsychosisPsositivity as we welcome our first podcast guest! Michael O'Grady developed Schizophrenia at 15 but managed to graduated from Princeton and earn an MBA, have a distinguished career in mental health and business, and raise a family. His story shows that a person can have chronic Schizophrenia and still live a successful and fulfilling life. Schizophrenic people can live good lives, but we must be given the opportunity.
Please note the audio got a bit warped when we were recording, so my end became unintelligible for most of the episode. I've recorded over to fill in the gaps, but it might be a little weird. Mr O'Grady can be heard, and he is the star this time so I decided to roll with it.

Cotard's Syndrome is defined as "any one of a series of delusions that range from a belief that one has lost organs, blood, or body parts to insisting that one has lost one’s soul or is dead" (Ruminjo & Mekinulov, 2008). I experienced Cotard's symptoms fof various kinds for about a decade, and I explore these delusions and their meaning in this episode.
Citation: Ruminjo, A., & Mekinulov, B. (2008). A Case Report of Cotard's Syndrome. Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa. : Township)), 5(6), 28–29.

This one gets personal as I discuss my feelings towards the concepts of recovery from Schizophrenia. I personally do not see my journey as being on a path to "recovery", but rather as a long adaptation to an unusual life that I see as a gift. I found treatment most helpful when it worked with my brain rather than trying to make the Schizophrenia go away. I sometimes found my thoughts difficult to articulate, so expect a few pauses.