Successful and Schizophrenic

[n2doc]

By ELYN R. SAKS
Published: January 25, 2013

THIRTY years ago, I was given a diagnosis of schizophrenia. My prognosis was “grave”: I would never live independently, hold a job, find a loving partner, get married. My home would be a board-and-care facility, my days spent watching TV in a day room with other people debilitated by mental illness. I would work at menial jobs when my symptoms were quiet. Following my last psychiatric hospitalization at the age of 28, I was encouraged by a doctor to work as a cashier making change. If I could handle that, I was told, we would reassess my ability to hold a more demanding position, perhaps even something full-time.

Then I made a decision. I would write the narrative of my life. Today I am a chaired professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. I have an adjunct appointment in the department of psychiatry at the medical school of the University of California, San Diego, and am on the faculty of the New Center for Psychoanalysis. The MacArthur Foundation gave me a genius grant.

Although I fought my diagnosis for many years, I came to accept that I have schizophrenia and will be in treatment the rest of my life. Indeed, excellent psychoanalytic treatment and medication have been critical to my success. What I refused to accept was my prognosis.

Conventional psychiatric thinking and its diagnostic categories say that people like me don’t exist. Either I don’t have schizophrenia (please tell that to the delusions crowding my mind), or I couldn’t have accomplished what I have (please tell that to U.S.C.’s committee on faculty affairs). But I do, and I have. And I have undertaken research with colleagues at U.S.C. and U.C.L.A. to show that I am not alone. There are others with schizophrenia and such active symptoms as delusions and hallucinations who have significant academic and professional achievements.

more

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/schizophrenic-not-stupid.html?_r=0

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. "...excellent psychoanalytic treatment and medication have been critical to my success." -

kudos and may everyone in the USA have access to affordable Health Care.

mental and physical.

thanks for posting this. K&R

[annabanana]

2. This is the kind of thing that is only possible

when best practices are applied. Our Country needs a major change in attitude about the illnesses of the mind.. It IS part of the body after all.

[Denninmi]

3. "What I refused to accept was my prognosis."

That is the solution to the entire problem in one sentence.

[Downwinder]

7. You have to push the limits to keep them from closing in on you.

[fizzgig]

4. k&r

thank you for sharing this.

[Warpy]

5. No, she's not alone

A coworker in another department at my last job was schizophrenic. He knew he'd be in treatment for the rest of his life but the bane of his existence wasn't his illness or side effects from the drugs, it was insurance company bean counters who kept trying to save the company money by changing his drugs to cheaper ones. He'd get worse, get hospitalized, cost them ten times as much, and then go back on the original drugs and go back to work. It was maddening for him (literally) and for people around him (figuratively). It needs to be illegal.

He often talked about going to college, at least part time. He was an intelligent guy and I hope he made it.

It takes a huge amount of commitment and self discipline for schizophrenic people to push the hallucinations and crazy train thinking off to the side, but some have managed it. There are more of them in protected environments like health care and academia than you suspect.

[hunter]

8. This behavior by the insurance companies pushes many people over the cliff.

People with chronic health problems find themselves in a place where they can't work, they can't keep up with the paperwork, they lose their jobs, they can't pay insurance premiums, and then they are declared "uninsurable" because of their medical history.

The insurance companies do all they can to shed unprofitable clients.

[napoleon_in_rags]

6. That's so inspiring thanks for posting. nt.