Schizophrenia misconceptions: crazy, dangerous, hopeless...

I have recently been employed as a support worker in a supported living environment for people diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Since working here, I have become very aware of many misconceptions about Schizophrenia as a mental illness so have decided to address them here.

1. People with Schizophrenia are dangerous.

A lot of people have shown concern that I am working with people with Schizophrenia because they fear that they are dangerous. They have heard stories of Schizophrenics being violent and aggressive. It is true that sometimes people with Schizophrenia behave in this way. However, it is not always the case and is not something that happens to everyone diagnosed. Having this illness can be very distressing, many people have voices telling them to do things and do have the potential to act violently because of this. These voices are actually more likely to tell someone to harm themselves. There are many people with Schizophrenia who have no history of and would never be aggressive in any way. In simple terms, having Schizophrenia does not mean that someone will go around attacking people.Those who I work with are all much more likely to isolate themselves when struggling rather than act out.

2. It's easy to see who has Schizophrenia.

It's commonly believed that those with Schizophrenia act outwardly 'crazy' a lot of the time. Meaning that they talk to the voices in their heads all the time or are rocking back and forth in the corner. This is not true. Although, as with many mental illnesses, symptoms can manifest themselves physically and can be noticeably, this is not always how it happens. You cannot see Schizophrenia written on someone's face. Plus, people who act 'crazy' might not necessarily have any mental illness at all. Schizophrenia can cause erratic behaviour but it can also cause someone to be very apathetic and quiet. Schizophrenics can look and act and be like anyone else. Just like other mental illnesses, it can happen to anyone.

3.  People with Schizophrenia must know that there is something wrong with them.

I have met a lot of people who have very little insight into their illness. This is not just denial but flat out disbelief that they have a mental illness. People often see some odd behaviours and think that the person surely realises that they are not well. But people with Schizophrenia have a difficult time distinguishing between their delusions and reality. They can experience a lot of paranoia and often believe that their 'diagnosis' is part of a wider plot against them. Essentially, no, sometimes people with Schizophrenia do not understand that they are unwell so failure to accept treatment is not as simple as it may seem.

4. Schizophrenia will never get better.

Again, not true. People often believe this because they understand the severity of the illness. It is a serious mental illness that has a huge impact on people's lives. There is not a set cure. There is a lot of treatment available - different medications, therapies and such. It can take a long time to find something that works but it is possible to ease the symptoms of this mental illness. People with schizophrenia can go on and live perfectly fulfilled and 'normal' lives. They are not doomed to being in hospital forever. Additionally, not all treatment requires hospitalisation.

5. People with Schizophrenia have multiple personalities. 

This is often thought to be true because people are aware that Schizophrenia causes people to hear voices and behave differently from day to day. But this is not due to having multiple personalities. That is an entirely different mental illness. They also do not have split personalities. It may appear like multiple people are in this one person but this is due to other symptoms rather than actually having multiple personalities.

These misconceptions are harmful. They feed into ideas that people with Schizophrenia are 'crazy' and have no hope. This is simply not true. There is hope and people with Schizophrenia should not be feared or ridiculed any more than those without it. Schizophrenia is a very complex illness but taking the time to understand it is important. Around 1% of the population will be diagnose with Schizophrenia. The media and society have a responsible to make sure Schizophrenics will not face discrimination and stigma for their mental illness.

Skinny shaming...?

I've heard a lot recently about the idea of 'skinny shaming' and I felt like I needed to comment. First of all, I do not think it is acceptable to shame anyone for their body type. I am all about body positivity. It is never okay to make someone feel bad about their body. That is why this is a difficult topic to approach.

When Nicki Minaj released 'Anaconda' and Meghan Trainor came out with 'All About That Bass,' skinny girls everywhere got angry. Lyrics that explicitly put down skinny women and celebrated bigger women annoyed people. I get that.

But, fat women do have a much harder time being accepted in society. I have been skinny and fat. When skinny, I was always told by friends that I looked good. When fat, I am told about diets and workout routines that I could try. Nobody stared at me when I was eating in public when I was skinny but they do now. With clear disgust. People are often explicitly and openly repulsed by a fat woman, it's not so common with a skinny woman.

So while women are shamed for their bodies all the time, fat or thin, we have to acknowledge that the discrimination is not on the same level. I wish I did not have to talk about this, I wish that we lived in a world where people looked beyond body shapes but unfortunately, that's not the case. Quite frankly, it annoys me to hear skinny women saying 'oh but we experience the disgust too!' Yes, sometimes you do however, your body type is in magazines and on movie screens all of the time and society as a whole accepts it as normal and okay. Whereas, fat women are mostly viewed in a negative way. While you, as a skinny woman, may have experienced individual cases of body shaming, fat women experience it on a much larger and deeper scale.

Fat women are rarely seen as beautiful by society so if some artists are going to bring out songs celebrating them then let them have it!

Ultimately, we all need to know and accept that body shaming is never okay. In order to do this we have to acknowledge that 'skinny shaming' and 'fat shaming' are very different things.

This is what a feminist looks like...

You've probably seen/heard about these t-shirts that have emerged recently, modelled here by Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg:

There are so many issues that I have with these t-shirts. First and foremost, they seem to be attempting to address the myth that all feminists look like ugly, hairy witches. It appears that many people think feminists must all be ugly so cannot get boyfriends and are therefore, angry at men. Anyone with common sense can realise that this is bullshit without having to see these t-shirts. They are completely unnecessary.

Secondly, there are far more pressing issues that need to be addressed by feminism! The movement largely does not care if people think we're all hideous looking, most of us are more concerned with important issues affecting women around the world. So again these t-shirts are pointless. How about we put time into changing things for women instead of just putting t-shirts on public figures?

On top of this, it is another way to try and make feminism into something fashionable. Fuck that. Feminism is a political movement looking to secure equality for all women across all classes, races, sexualities all around the world. Magazines and designers need to stop trying to use it as something trendy. Because it is so much more than that. It should not be a fashion statement to claim to be a feminist. I have no issue with celebrities advocating feminism but if they are doing it as an attempt to fit in then they can fuck off. There are women everywhere dealing with inequality of gender and it should not be used to sell products of capitalism. Stop trying to make money from a really important movement.

The whole issue with David Cameron refusing to wear one of these t-shirts came from ELLE magazine. Don't get me wrong, it is great that a widely read magazine has a feminist issue on sale. But this is also a magazine, like most of them, that primarily tries to sell beauty products to women. The beauty and fashion industries make billions from women's low self esteem. This is obviously not okay. It is important that women's magazines address feminism however, we must remember that their primary function is to advertise an industry which is widely known for making women hate themselves and that is very anti-feminist.

It also seems to be men wearing these for the most part. I have no problem with men supporting feminism. However, it is a movement started for and by women. Feminism has achieved a lot with very little support from men. Women's rights movements do not need men to be successful but yes, the more support a movement has, the more likely it is to progress. It is important to remember that while these middle aged white men might claim to support feminism, they have no idea what it is like to be a woman. So their support is nice but it is more important that women are involved.

It gets worse.

There are now claims that these t-shirts were made in a very anti-feminist way. Claims have been made by female workers earning 62p an hour. If these claims are proved to be true then it just rounds off the whole fiasco with these t-shirts. Wearing one does not prove you are a feminist, refusing to wear one (as David Cameron did) does not show you are against equality. They are just pieces of material with slogans on them that are looking to show that anyone can be a feminist... something most people already know.

Laxative abuse

Potentially triggering for eating disorders.

When most people think of eating disorders, they think about someone starving themselves, making themselves sick and being really thin. However, eating disorders are a lot more complex than this. A further issue that is becoming more common in eating disorders is the use of laxatives.

Many of you might think that using laxatives seems a bit strange so why do people with eating disorders do this? Some people think that it will help them lose weight. For me, I enjoyed the empty feeling that taking laxatives gave me. I personally could never make myself vomit. But, laxatives were easy to get and although I knew that they did not stop me from absorbing calories, that feeling of emptiness was good for me. Laxatives help get rid of any retained water and that lowers the number on the scale. For someone suffering with an eating disorder, that is perceived as a great thing.

My laxative abuse started off by taking the recommended dose whenever I felt bloated. However, it soon got out of control. My body got used to the laxatives so I started taking more and more often. It was one of the hardest parts of my recovery. My body was used to being aided like this. It did not help that I was then diagnosed with IBS. When my IBS causes horrible constipation, I cannot take laxatives to help it. When you stop taking laxatives, you tend to get bloated and the eating disorder voices in your head convince you that this translates as getting fat/putting on weight. It takes a lot of strength to stop abusing laxatives, to recognise that this bloating is temporary and that your body can live without them.

So this all sounds really difficult and horrible, right? Yes but I am one of many examples that it is possible to stop abusing laxatives. Here's some advice:

• Remember that laxatives do not make you lose actual weight. They simply dehydrate your body which sometimes resembles losing weight.
• Laxatives can cause dehydration, bloating, electrolyte imbalances and a variety of health problems. Remember that recovery is about taking care of your health.
• Get rid of any laxatives you have in the house.
• Talk to your doctor or a friend, get some support.
• Take each day as it comes and be proud of your progress, do not beat yourself up if you slip up at all.
• Depending on how long you have been abusing them, you may have to reduce them gradually. Assess the best way for you to stop this, everyone is different.
• Drink lots of water and eat lots of fibre, it will eventually stop the bloating and stop your body's reliance on laxatives.

Beat, the UK's leading eating disorder charity, is currently seeking to address the problem of laxative abuse. They are calling for the sale of laxatives to be better regulated. This is so important. If laxatives are more difficult to access then less people will have the chance to take them. Take a look at what Beat is aiming for.

Currently MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) claim that they recognise the problem but do not believe that sales restrictions would be appropriate. I disagree. If laxatives were not so easily obtainable, if I could not buy lots of them at the age of 14 wherever I wanted, if I had to ask for them from behind the counter, if they were clearly not a weight loss aid... well, I really think that I might not have abused laxatives so readily and I think that's the case for many eating disorder sufferers. Something needs to be done because this growing trend is scary and dangerous.

Things I've learnt while job hunting...

As most of you know, I graduated this year and have been looking for a job since my internship finished. It's been a month. I've applied to over 50 jobs, had 5 interviews and am yet to get anywhere but I've already learnt a lot...

Some interviewers will not even have read your CV.

Yeah, that's right. They invite you along to interview without having looked at your CV that you spent ages working on. I don't know if they just pick random candidates and hope one of them is suitable. So expect them to ask really obvious questions sometimes. 

Putting your CV online will mean receiving lots of phone calls.

Mostly from recruitment companies wanting you to work for them. This might be good for you. But a lot of it is about sales and I, for one, am really fed up of these calls from companies that I would never want to work for.

You should always take a pen to your interview.

Well, you should always carry one but make sure you have a working one just in case. It shows you are prepared.

There's lots of specialist jobs available...

For budding engineers, teachers, lorry drivers and such, there is a lot of choice. But for those of us who are uncertain or want less common jobs, there is not much out there and it can get pretty frustrating.

You will start to question why you bothered with your degree.

If you are not looking to do a job directly linked with your degree subject, you will question why you bothered. You will remind yourself about "transferable skills" and all the interesting things you learned. But why didn't you pick something that would ensure a job at the end?! Why did we bother with degrees when everyone wants experience?!

It is not all bad!

Yes, job hunting is time consuming and stressful. It makes you feel like crap and useless. You start to apply to jobs that you really do not want because you need the money and you need to do something. However, it also gives you a chance to see what is out there and to explore your options if you are unsure. It provides time to think and to learn how to do well in interviews and applications.

So if you're like me and getting stressed and miserable with the whole job hunting thing, just remember that the right job will come along in the end and all this will be worth it!