SMIs. What the heck?

The other day I was starting to walk to work when a guy from my apartment complex stopped me. He is seriously affected by schizophrenia and despite all my knowledge of the illness I was wary. He proceeded to tell me that he wanted to know the name of the manager of my store and "everyone has problems!". I assumed he had trouble in the store and I wasn't surprised. He often comes in to shop and as he makes his way down the isles he has animated conversation with what I am assuming are his voices. People stare and the staff keep an eye on him.

At the apartment complex he is continuously engaged in conversation with himself. He swims in the pool everyday and takes walks around the parking lot, talking all the way. I hear him when I walk past his apartment on my way to work. The talking never seems to stop. I feel nothing but compassion for him and think that this must be a tortuous way to live.

Maybe I am wrong though. I know a lot about schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder but I have never really engaged anyone with the illness about how they feel about it. I have never specifically asked how they feel about the voices they hear or if their responses irritate them at all. Like so many others, my knowledge about serious mental illnesses (SMIs) is limited despite all this time in the mental health world.

Sure, I know a lot about bipolar disorder from researching it due to my own diagnosis. I have personal knowledge, book knowledge and personal experience from dealing with others with bipolar. Yet, when it comes to schizophrenia I am finding I am ignorant and biased just like the rest of society.

The behaviors associated with this particular mental illness are off putting and frankly scary. Auditory and visual hallucinations are common. Being out of touch with reality, religious and persecutory delusions are also symptoms. It is a very misunderstood illness and although it shares some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder my response to it in real time is as ignorant as most of society. I have some work to go to educate myself about schizophrenia and some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder. We have a long way to go in our acceptance of SMIs as a society and I need to do some work personally.

It is heartening to see on the news that there is a push to educate young people about SMIs. Mental health should be taught in schools. After all mental health is just as key to development as physical health.I believe the more we are taught about the symptoms of mental illnesses the less frightening they will become. After all, fear is often the product of ignorance. I am the fist to acknowledge that I too suffer from this fearful ignorance and would benefit from learning more. Perhaps if we knew what to expect, the symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder would be met with compassion and assistance. People like my neighbor would perhaps suffer less and receive more support. I think it is a goal worth attaining!