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I used to work on a psychiatric ward. One of the patients was having delusions my entire shift. She was terrified the other staff kept telling her nothing was there and told her to calm down, so finally I walked over to her an asked want she’s seeing. She putting to the corner in her room and said there was a little green man there. I looked in the corner an looked back at the client and told her “ I don’t see what you see, but I can promise you, you’re in a safe place an I won’t let anything happen to you”. Instantly, the patient became calm and remained calm for the rest of my shift.

I love your videos! I’ve been living with Schizoaffective Disorder for 6 years now. I take my meds, see my doctor, and I’ve managed to hold done a job for the last three years. I’m raising two little girls and taking it one day at a time 👍🏻

I am a schizophrenic since six years . l was very hopeless about my future but your videos gives me relief that l can do something better with my life and l am not alone.

If you’re reading this you are NOT alone❤️

My husband has schizophrenia and these videos help me understand him better. I love him

I'm an older woman with schizoaffective disorder....this helps me somehow...I'm a loner because growing up this type of format did not exist...I am hopeful that someday I can get a home care worker approved because of things like this shedding a light on our issues...thank you young lady

#10, the living a meaningful life, was something unknown to me for a decade. Even my doctors never pushed me towards better coping mechanisms, and I lived like I was under a sentence of not being able to live a life. I stopped going out and having relationships etc, which was disaster for my life and wellbeing. Still trying to dig out of that hole. My main advice is to find a good doctor, get the right medications, and stay active.

I am an autistic schizophrenic, I live without family, friends or a relationship. I am taking Olanzapine every night and this keeps the symptoms of schizophrenia away. I've been on antipsychotic meds since 1986 as well as antidepressants. Autism impacts my life more as I don't understand relationships and I fear intimacy. What became schizophrenia began around the age of 18 and became gradually worse over the years. I am on meds for the rest of my life which I fully accept as I need them to be calm. Thank you for your video, I found it interesting to watch and I wish you very well.

As a mother of a son who has been diagnosed with "Psycotic Features", I really appreciate your content in this fight to destigmatize this disorder.

My younger brother has recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia(very early prodromal stage I think is how you say it?) He is almost 18 years old. Thank you for these videos as I'm trying to learn all that I can to help him and understand him and schizophrenia. I want to end the stigma of what media perceives schizophrenia to be honestly. The first thing I thought was literally number one on your list and I am really upset at myself for just believing the media instead of educating myself. But now that my life is so deeply involved I just want to know everything about schizophrenia. Thank you again ❤️

Don't forget cognitive symptoms! Thank you soooo much for everything you do! it took me 28 years to realize not everyone experienced what we do

Very smart and well spoken young woman. I’m glad she is working in a research environment.

My husband just found out he is schizophrenic and i’m trying to learn as much information as i can on the topic and your videos are very informative. Thank you 🙏

Maybe it's a small thing, considering the seriousness of the topic, but doing your research, preparing your script, rehearsing, being well groomed, choosing your best blouse, and preparing a non distracting background speak wonders about you. Thank you for this extra effort, it's not so common in youtubers.

I tried a medication for adult attention deficit disorder which made me hear whispers and other auditory disturbances. I got off that med pronto, let me tell you. It was scary so I can't imagine living with schizophrenia. Thank you Lauren for educating us.

Thank you for making these videos . Both my twin boys who will be 24 years old in December have schizophrenia and these videos are helping me learn more about the disease so I can take care of them . When the symptoms began last year I had a hard time dealing with it , so I decided to educate myself as mush as possible about the disease . I spent hours online whenever I had the spare time watching videos and reading about schizophrenia. So far I have found a few doctors who were diagnosed with schizophrenia at around the same age as my son. They started on medication and became doctors and I just received some of their books and started reading them to learn more about the disease. This gives me a lot of hope for my sons. How amazing to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and then go on in life and become a doctor . My one son had severe symptoms when he was discharged from the hospital and now he is much better with routine MD visits and medication and he is doing very well in life and even found a great job at the college nearby our house.

Your videos are helpful to my stepson, who is living with schizophrenia. He's finally beginning to acknowledge the illness, talking about his symptoms, and working to care for himself. That's the first real progress I've seen in five years of living with him. I showed him your videos and told him that he's not alone. She's living a good life and you can too! So thanks for being a role model for people living with this disease and a champion for the community to understand what the disease is and isn't.

Thank you for sharing your story and knowledge. I have schizoaffective disorder and it’s nice to see someone so well put together with the same disorder.

I have never liked the designation "high functioning," either. It makes people think you're fine and it's not a big deal.

You speak very well. You would be a great journalist.

I’ve been watching your videos since my mom has been hospitalized. It’s been very helpful, thank you.

I had a uncle that had schizophrenia that killed his wife cause he thought she was cheating on him with the neighbor and then my best friend was also a schizophrenic and my friends and family get nervous that I hang with him a lot cause he is a big man and if he flips out he can really hurt someone but I have never ever felt more comfortable that nothing like that would never ever happen. He is actually the most kind hearted person I have ever met and he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Most people think do think that people with schizophrenia are dangerous or can be and I couldn’t disagree more. He won’t take medicine cause he believes medicine is bad and he tries to beat it threw prayer but that dose not work. So sad. I love this channel cause not many people are aware of this disease and people need to know more about it. Thanks again

Thanks for this Lauren, you're a great role model and your videos are very helpful and informative. Videos like these also help a lot in reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness. Keep up the good work, and I'm looking forward to your future work.

Educating people is the best tool on ending stigma! Thank you so much for your videos, I’ve learned a lot xx

I am SO glad you are making these videos. It’s time to break the stigma. I’ve been wanting to make similar videos around the mental instabilities I face, primarily depression, panic/anxiety and episodes of depersonalization. Once I achieve some balance in my life, I will do this. The world needs to hear your story. I would love to partner with you on hosting an awareness event sometime. I will definitely be sharing your channel with my friends and community ❤️

Thank you SO Much for these videos, they have helped me immensely since my wifes' recent diagnosis! The good news is, she's been on her medication for about a month now, and is doing MUCH better. Your videos have helped me through 4 very challenging weeks, given me peace and hope that it was going to get better, and helpful information for what to do/expect in the future! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Be blessed. :-)

Hello Lauren, I'm 66. I had schizophrenia three times having delusions of grandeur and hospitalised May 1987 aged 33, October 1988 and November 2007 but with stress induced psychosis. In my case no matter what professors of psychiatry or clinical psychologists with Ph.D.'s might and will say there is nothing in my DNA that trigged my psychotic episodes. It was extreme stress when I became 100% isolated in, let's say, my bedroom. I just added a sentence but deleted it about my immediate environment at the time not dissimilar to what it is right now as I type this comment to you. In my case I had no awareness whatsoever that I was psychotic and in every case of the three episodes it wasn't till I had left hospital that I became aware of what had just happened to me. Wishing you the very best, :) Peter Nolan. Ph.D.(physics). Dublin. Ireland.

Thank you for sharing as a mother that wants to help my son.. THANK YOU! 🙏🏻

I was diagnosed with it formally in 2012 been hard...everytime I sense a hallucination coming I have been singing Take the Name of Jesus with you!! It makes the voices mad but that is okay...I also used Jesus name once to have hallucinations pushed away...I do take medicine to keep my body physically healthy and I work out with dad...also this quarantine not been the best on my mental health...I have had hallucinations from Satan the enemy of souls...so I prayed with my grandmother one morning after I felt they were coming back and God answered by sending an angel which sung the word, “peace” in a vibrato voice which sounded good...I saw no form and the voice came from outside not from inside the house I was in else I would have been startled...which I have heard my name said outlouded once in the middle of my room which did startle and made my heart race...

I used to hear voices. I wasn’t a Christian at the time when they first started, but the evil things the voices said scared me and sent me running for God! I purchased a Bible and began to meditate on scripture. Psalm 8:2 promises God will silence the enemy and the avenger. John 10:27 says “My sheep hear My voice.” I wrote down the scripture and every time I heard the voices I would take the scripture out of my pocket and say “it is written ...” and quote the scripture. Soon after doing that over & over, I had memorized the scripture. It didn’t happen over night, but He did silence the voices for me! I do not take medication and do not hear them anymore! Praise God!! The Bible is full of God’s promises and I know if He’d silence them for me, He’d do it for others. I am trying to reach the desperate. The ones who are suicidal while taking medication. This happened to my daughter! Don’t give up! There is hope. Seek God. ♥️

About the number 8 (sch being contagious). At the Psychopathology classes our professor mentioned that during a prolonged exposure and close relationship with a person who has sch. The other person can develop schizophrenia-like symptoms and they can be quite difficult to cure sometimes. A term for this is Folie a deux (madness of two). So just to clarify, the other person can't develop schizophrenia, but can develop schizophrenia-like symptoms that might persist for a relatively long time even after the separation from the individual who is suffering from schizophrenia.

I don't have hallucinations but I have every other symptom of schizophrenia (especially delusions and disorganized thoughts/speech). Not sure if that means I have schizophrenia or another illness. But watching videos like this always helps.

My son is schizophrenic and a drug user. He doesn't want to be perceived as crazy so he refuses meds and remains in denial. Its been a long road and this helps me to see that its possible. Bless you and thank you for your strength and courage, its very inspiring.

#2 “Play along” with someone that is in psychosis, always provide safety and support models first! Remove dangers as they present. Always accept/believe their experiences-delusions-hallucinations as real to them, its not going to hurt you so be thoughtful and listen actively.

Another thing I've read is that schizophrenia is not always chronic. Some people have no symptoms most of the time and psychosis is triggered through events such as stress or the use of illicit drugs. These people tend to skip medications because for most of the time they experience no symptoms at all and the side effects of the medications are debilitating. Some are able to properly medicate themselves when they feel symptoms coming on.

Lauren you are the best example of someone turning a negative into a positive that I have seen. You are amazing.

I don't tell people my symptoms when I have them, but people can tell I'm struggling in general

Even though I do not have this particular mental illness. I still have anxiety and panic attacks. You help all of us with mental illness and give back meaning to life. I applaud you for being so courageous and taking the time to make these educational videos. As a nurse, we all need this very informative material coming not only from a patient's perspective, but also the facts. Thank you again and for your partner's part in filming, editing and his wonderful support. You have given hope to people who may not otherwise had any. God Bless you.

having been diagnosed with schizophrenia, i know how the stigma can make people feel, unfortunately i don't think i received the right diagnosis, and consequently have imposter syndrome. I've been living with mental health problems over 20 years now, and these kind of channels, are a god send, young people bring so much hope to the world, helping break stigma like this amazing lady and many others, it's something to really be thankful for in hard times

I’m struggling with Schizophrenia for more than 4 years now . I’m taking my medication but one thing I’m not happy about is that my own family and friends don’t know I’m with this condition but instead think that I’m somehow crazy . Much Love from The Gambia, West Africa .

This channel is so good! My grandma had schizophrenia, she passed away when I was 8 and I didn’t know she had mental health issues until years after she had passed. Learning about the illness helps me understand her and my mother much better. Thank you!

Being recently diagnosed and trying to find info to talk about it publicly because the negative symptoms have been seriously impacting my life, thank you so so much for this video

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Destigmatizing the condition is important and you’re doing important work. Also: wow production values!

Great video Lauren. I suffer from obsessional thoughts and rumination plus depression and anxiety . I have been watching your video for a while and think you do a great job in presenting them . Even though I don’t have schizophrenia it’s good to learn about other mental illnesses and makes you feel not so alone as it’s a hard illness to deal with x

Came across your page. this year I came close to taking my own life, my doctor recommended me doing this and I agreed too it. 5th treatment in & I’m feeling 50xs better than I did a few months ago. 5 or 3 more treatments, than I’ll be 100%....

Thanks for the great video, I’m glad this was written from a first person perspective. One of my friends just got diagnosed and I just witnessed a psychotic episode for the first time in my life. It breaks my heart because they’re only 15. On top of that they’re already dealing with depression and anxiety, so that makes it even worse. I want to help them and/or what to do; that’s why I’m here. Thanks again for the wonderfully informative video!

Thank you for speaking out about schizophrenia I myself have schizophrenia and am unable to explain it as clearly as you do I tend to share ur videos to friends if they have questions that I am unable to answer

People like you, and channels like this, increase KZfaq relevance by many orders of magnitude. And help bring mental health discussion to the 2020's. If I ever teach Psychopathology again I will show my students your videos, because you explain everything so well, and with that invaluable first person experience and demystifying account. Keep the good work, Lauren. Well done! And thank you. I am learning a lot with you also (I am a Psychologist, and excuse me because English is not native to me)

Thank you for your videos. I am a counselor who works with individuals living with psychotic spectrum and delusional disorders. As we do not receive adequate training during school (neither during my M.S. nor PhD programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling) in working with such individuals while experiencing acute phases of psychotic episodes, my approach has always been intuitive. My instinct has always lead me to first validate, then attempt to deescalate via applying basic skills to build trust and rapport with the individual to help lessen levels of fear. It sounds very simple, and that is the intention. It seems to work, in most cases, though your videos serve to validate that I am doing the right thing, at the right tim. My rationale has always been to try to avoid further complicating the situation. Hence, the simplicity. It is reassuring to know that my instincts have lead me in the right direction, as I receive very little feedback from my superiors.

I love the term "well presenting" as opposed to "higher functioning" - this can definitely be applied to other mental illnesses or disabilities where people might commonly use the term "higher/lower functioning" to describe a person's behavior or condition. This term has always made me a bit uneasy, but I have never been presented with an alternative that really worked as a synonym. So thank you! Also, what would be a better way to phrase "lower functioning"? "Non-well presenting?" Or is there another term you would use? Just found your channel and I am finding your videos to be very informative. Definitely a new subscriber! 💙

This is an excellent video, thank you. I've bookmarked it and will refer people to it when they don't understand what schizophrenia means. It is a simple and clear explanation that addresses many of the misconceptions.

Very impressive I thought she was probably a doctor and she mentioned she had schizophrenia. Glad to see she is doing so well at least on the surface.

I have it too Loren and I'm sorry you went through such a bad experience at the hospital. I have been treated by police and nurses the same way. Your pain helps to define you and I pray that it helps you find the balance you are looking for. You are a special girl and nurses who are solely concerned with power struggles are not worth you attention. You have a good man and whenever you are in doubt believe in him because we don't have all the answers 100% of the time. There is no physical pain in mental illness so it creeps up on us before we know what is happening. In this world there are so many things that can go wrong and solutions can be hard to come by. Stay on the narrow path. God bless.

I wish this was available sooner.Thank you for communicating the value of people with this illness and providing this information. Lost a loved one this year who resisted treatment and I know it was a direct result of stigma and misinformation. Thank you endlessly for your transparency and strength.

Thank you Lauren for these videos! Its inspiring! I agree with so much of what your saying in them and about stigma. I battle with that, and the self imposed stigma, instead of self acceptance. I struggle with who and when to disclose my illness to. So here I am in your comments admitting I have this condition or diagnosis. I would be considered "high functioning" or well presenting as you say. With the medication, therapy and support at home and at work, and also my faith, I feel I am living a meaningful and productive life, yes, living well with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder! I am sure there are more out there that feel the same way!

Thank you for this excellent description of what the illness is and is not! I have a 49 year old son with schizophrenia and you would never now he has it unless he’s having a stressful day and he’s hearing voices.

Thank you for your videos. I have used them to educate my friends about my schizophrenia. I have been med compliant for the first time in the past year. I am a full time college student and your videos inspire me that i can do it.

Thank you so much for being brave and helping me understand more about schizophrenia.

I remember being around my friend who had schizophrenia and I was never once afraid of him commiting violence against anyone but himself. The only time I felt afraid around him was when harm may have come inadvertently, such as a time when I was in the car with him and he was driving and he was so caught up in his delusions that he could barely focus on the road. At the end of this month it'll have been a year since we lost him to suicide relating to his illness. This is just a reminder that you should never be afraid to be around your loved ones when they are suffering from mental illness. They need you to be there for them

Amazing, as ever. Thank you for these videos. They are more helpful than you can imagine. On the causes: As you say, we have no definitive answer but we are aware of common factors that may influence. Hereditary: Seems likely or at the very least makes an individual predisposed to the condition. Time of birth: A larger proportion of people with schizophrenia were born in Winter. Place of birth/early childhood: The larger the town/city, the higher the per-capita incidence. Stress: Curiously, not always a major or traumatic event but habituation to multiple small but abnormal stresses in childhood. My stepdaughter checks all the boxes. Her mother was (later diagnosed) bipolar, alcoholic and swang from super high-energy to aggressive depression. She was born in November and brought up in a large, busy town. Stress: From the time I first knew her (she was 8 or 9) she always did her best to please her mum. Keeping her room clean, vacuuming the carpets, washing dishes and the like. Praise, any praise from her mum was like gold to her and she would proudly announce her efforts. Such efforts were not always met with praise. The negative response could vary from an indifferent 'Oh yea' to a very aggressive 'I didn't ask you to do that, who said you could?' The hurt was was all too clear on the child's face. She would retreat to her room and emerge later in a very cautious, timid state. The child had no way of knowing how to please her mother, something she was desperate to do. Add to that the very obvious preference her mother showed to the other daughter, and you have one very confused child. Did this trigger schizophrenia? We all have that second voice in the form of conscience. Did her mother's widely unpredictable responses to her daughter's good actions lead to the development of multiple viewpoints, multiple coping strategies, and multiple voices? Pure speculation on my part on what is absolutely an anecdotal case.

i luv ur videos,ima schizo n on clopixol injection,ive been on it since 2003 n im currently wrkn as n tattoo artist n got married 3 years ago.keep makn schizo videos , i reali luv watchn em coz dey veri informative n aalso help me feel normal.much luv frm south africa

It’s good to see a new video from this channel. Please stay strong in informing and helping those dealing with this destructively overstigmatized condition.

My daughter is schitzo affective bipolar .She is on meds but the meds have caused extreme weight gain. What medications work for you she's on Seroquel 400 mg now it was 900 mg. You are symptoms are identical to my daughters. This happened to her two years ago I found her and psychosis and I rushed her to the hospital.they have tried so many different medications she was so constipated swollen and sick I've been worried about the medicine I just want her to have the right one and Seroquel seems to work for her but I know that her weight gain has really bothered her.she's never been this big and she's always been a small figured girl it's just she's gained so much that she is uncomfortable. Also thank you so very very very much for making these videos she doesn't explain to me too much about how it makes her feel and this is so helping me to understand her better .just a week ago she's told me how she was feeling and it's the first time she hasn't been expressing her feelings to me I was very surprised and very happy that she did. It has been torture as a parent to see her suffer .when she suffers I suffer.I am the only person left for her all of her friends all of the family has abandoned her..she needs to have good supportive friends that don't party and drink and that understand what she is going through it's hard to find that she lives alone can you maybe give me some tips on where I can take her where she might find a friend that would understand what she's going through,,???you don't know how much this means to me this video has helped me so much I cried tears of relief because you explain it so well what's going on with her.when she had it was hospitalized the doctors did not explain schizophrenia the way that you do they did not help me to understand what it is what it does and if a person can live a long life with it or not. Thank you again I wish I could give you a hug you are So kind and thoughtful to help people to understand better...

"validate what they're feeling in response to what they're experiencing" This is so important for me! I have been with a partner whom seemingly denied my mental health and would tell me, "I am not going to sit here and play these games with you." That statement alone entirely invalidated both my feelings AND my mental health diagnosis. That being said to me sent my mind into an absolute frenzy, making the situation entirely worse BECAUSE of the crystal clear invalidation. People like this in the lives of those struggling daily with mental health is a HUGE warning sign and red flag. Someone who supports you while they may not understand what you experience choose to love you unconditionally and will always want what is best for you. I cannot stress enough to others that a HEALTHY support system could quite literally mean life or death for someone. For example, that statement was said to me when I was 200lbs. That statement altered my mindset so much that I went into a DEEPression. While others eat their feelings, I reclused myself and found it impossible to swallow anything- even water. Over a course of 8 months I dropped down to 120lbs, which is 2lbs heavier the weight I was graduating high school. I worked heavily with my doctor during those months and it began first with me being honest with what I was experiencing. With patience and dedication to myself, we were able to manage the symptoms that were crippling me and was able to gain a healthy relationship with food again. This is just one example of how I struggle and how it may be different from others with Schizophrenia or other similar conditions. PS: I regards to the twin comment, my mother is an identical twin and my aunt fell victim to schizophrenia whom ultimately lost her life to the disease at just 32 years old. The same fate fell onto my uncle (moms brother) who also took his life to the disease. He was in an institution permanently for years and FINALLY made it to where he could be released back to our family. Our family was unaware he stopped taking his medication and the voices returned, reminding him that he wasn't alone. He broke down my grandparents door with an axe, grabbed a shotgun from under the bed, and chose to no longer fight the demons in his mind. He never ever wanted to hurt anyone and was just tired of the internal war. These are the two examples in my life that have been the motivation for me to NOT WANT THAT END GOAL FOR ME. I am very aware that I struggle and I have made it my responsibility to communicate to others my struggles so that they may be accountable for me when and if I may lose hold of myself. Thank you so so so much for bringing awareness to Schizophrenia, and for being the voice for us on how we can better live our best and most successful lives. It means a lot.

Fascinating and inspiring young woman. You are likely helping more people than you realize.

honestly you've really helped me learning more about this, sometimes im afraid that i will have this sometimes in my life.. who ever is reading this.. you are not alone !

I believe normalizing the experience is detrimental to the holistic health of the experiencer, as well people getting to know the voice hearer as a individual and not as a mentally ill person. someone "taking interest in the voice hearer as a person" as it says in 50 stories of recovery. there are so many ways to balance yourself when dealing with symptomology and we all have our bad days, just some of them are internal stress that no one other than a supportive person could understand. great video! and I'm glad I discovered this channel!

This woman is amazing. As someone living with this ,she hitthe nail on the head with those topics. I myself am regarded on first glance as "well" but i assure you i have my moments that i can manage but somtimes i need my supports help, mainly with helping me to ground myself. But im at a point in my journey where im managing more for myself that the future has become exciting for me. It wont be long until i can reach my full potential in a way i never knew exsisted for me and all this has been achieved by an holistic approach me and my saviour/support have come up with. So far its working for me, and it wont be long until im working in a role of a lived experiance in mental health peer support worker,just gotta be rid of this pesky corona virus pandemic before anyone can do anything . But yes, this woman has been beneficial and helpful for me

Hey madam your video is very informative and clarifying. Before I thought that because I was diagnosed of having schizophrenia, there is no chance for me to live a meaningful and productive Life. It's my families belief too, that's why they do not expect difficult chores and obligations from me like having a suitable and creative job that suites my personality. But by doing the daily routine of household chores, they believed that I can be trusted upon. So my families believe that I can still cope to daily activities by performing well dispite of having this disease

Thank you so much for helping me deal with my mental illness and understand it, I hope you are cured too and lead a meaningful life.

Yep, Schizophrenia is not contagious and requires proper treatment. I think you have given this message across quite clearly that irrespective of ethnicity, gender, educational level etc anyone who is anyone can get Schizophrenia. So stigmatizing is a destructive process. And at the same time I think it's important that social support, education of illness and avoidance of avoidable precipitants like Cannabis, Stimulant abuse is equally important. And it's most often confused that the violence associated with such Psychoactive substance misuse is incorrectly attributed to Schizophrenia. Violence like you said is NOT a symptom or characteristic unique to Schizophrenia. Violence is a learned behaviour through society and reinforced in various methods in various cultures. Substance abuse and crime has more risk of violence than in Schizophrenia alone. And the funniest thing is that it's a minority of the ppl , who encourage violence and believe violence and intimidation are methods of a 'real society' , who try to stigmatize these illnesses. Ppl need to understand as long as they have a human brain with neurons and neurotransmitters anyone who is anyone is susceptible to any Psychiatric disorder be it Psychosis or Neurosis. Thank you for your great video.

For myself I am more well presenting however my symptoms are typically very severe. Even on medication I still experience fights with all types of hallucinations and delusions. I've fallen into psychosis more than once and it has even caused me to become violent but out of fear. Paranoia is always there and I battle with these things everyday but I do still live a life where I have my relationship and my daughter. I have family and even though my circle is small I am very supported.

Lauren you’re amazing! Thanks for creating these videos, they are so helpful for building our community ❤️

This channel is more helpful than literally %70 of psychologists in my country.

You are very brave person and thank you so much for puting this sensitive issue in public. Mental illnesses public awareness is extremely important to shift public opinion specially about schizophrenia. Thank you for your videos !!!

They can definitely live meaningful lives! Good information :).

Can you give me some tips on what I should say to a person who is experiencing physcosis? And how to calm a person down without invalidating what their experiencing?

I had schizophrenia as a child I had your typical hallucinations it was it was so crazy at times, as I aged my symptoms faded away but I still struggle with it at times.

Can you please do a video like this on schizoaffective disorder??? People don’t talk about schizoaffective often

The production quality of this video is next level. Thanks so much for the great work you're doing.

Im waiting for my diagnosis but im getting worse , i cried because i was sure there was a child on the balcony calling me mummy . I cant have the curtains open , im a terrified wreck and the drs are taking so long

Thank you both for your honest & open talk about mental illness in general. You touched my heart. I wish you both, the best of times in the future. I & my daughter fight with mental illness everyday. Take care of each other is the best advice. Thanks for your time on this!

Thank you for your videos lauren.

I love your videos. Your messages really give me hope. I don’t have Schizophrenia but I believe a lot of the things you talk about are relevant to mental health in all aspects. I have CPTSD and severe anxiety and severe depression. With all the trauma I have experienced sometimes I feel hopeless but your messages really made a difference!!

So cute, and a great photo-journalist with a sharp intellect.. Kudos!

Lauren. Like your films because it is helpful, insightful, educating, convey personal real experiences, informative as well. Please do it more often. At least once on the beginning and end of your film. It makes so many people feel better. It can melt icebergs. Please... Your smile !

Thank you Lauren for the information and demystification of schizophrenia (Schizoaffective disorder, I have been around a long time and dealing with this before the evolution of the DSM to DSM - 5) as well as allowing people to see what it is like for you. I appreciate you very much.

I am a wholistic doc dealing with emotional problems using diet and plant pharmacology for treatment, blood chemistry normalization. What are your personal symptoms. If you have discussed that, please link me to it. Your personal story will be helpful. Your presentation is understandable and very helpful. Continue with a passion for helping. Thank you!

People who think DID is the same as schizophrenia really need to take a intro psych class. They aren’t the same, like, at all. Nice video by the way. Your content is awesome.

Excellent video, Lauren. This helps me understand my brother's illness much better. Keep up the good work.

i have schizophrenia 7 years now, i am working, and doing master in waste management.... before seven years i have psyhotic episode, i would not believe i can make again my life.....

I couldnt believe that she also has schipzophrenia shes well-spoken and smart..i salute ur bravery and for accepting it as part of ur life encouraging people not to afraid of it but to face it instead..my uncle was dignosed with Schizophrenia he also have hallucinations hearing voices in his head we took him to a mental hospital and his doctor gave him medicines to be taken everyday in few weeks medication hes still hallucinating but not as severe as he havent taken the medicine yet the problem is when he came back to his sanity he stopped taking his meds and hes said hes not insane we cant force him so wen he rejecting the medicines his symptoms strted again..in my opinion based on what ive observed to my uncle, the key to this mental problem is acceptance its the number one important thing to do by the patient who have this illnes and the support of the family..i know its inheritable so i didnt close the possibilty that i might inherit it too or my other siblings..

I dated this guy with schizophrenia all last summer. We would sit in church together and I’d hang out at his apartment. He’d take me to events and out to eat. He even took me out for my birthday and bought me a beautiful diamond bracelet. I really loved him and I thought he felt the same way. My first incident with him, I was telling him that I love animals and that he reminds me of an eagle flying free and solitary. He told me to stop! He said that that was very insulting to him and to take it back! I was shocked and told him I was sorry and tried to explain, but he didn’t want to hear it. He ignored me for a long time after that. Then in January of 2019 I got up the courage to call him and apologize again and this time he explain to me that it wasn’t him, that it was his Schizophrenia. We started hanging out again and since I knew how sensitive he was, I was careful not to say the wrong thing to trigger him. We had bonded all summer that year, there were ups and downs though. August was the last month we had fun together before he erased me from his life. My birthday was on the seventh of the month and that day he forgot to call me and say happy birthday. I was sad, but then the very next day he called me saying that he’s sorry he forgot to wish me a happy birthday and will make it up to me by taking me out eat and hang out. It was a very good day and he gave me a present which contained a cute pink card and a sparkly diamond bracelet. I remember our last kiss. One he was going somewhere and could not hang out with me at his apartment. Then September came and that first week, I called him and we were talking just fine about how our days went, I forgot about his sensitivity and told him that I had a dream that there were spiders in his apartment. I wasn’t even done telling the dream when he told me to stop! He told me not to talk to him like that and I said ok, I won’t and that it was just a dream anyways. I started telling him how much I love his apartment, but he wasn’t listening. He repeated himself again, telling me to stop talking to him like that. He said that he’s gonna go to bed. for the next few weeks I tried to explain myself through text, but he never replied. Four months later I received a letter from him and at first he apologized, but then he said that Him being angry at me had nothing to do with the dream, but had everything to do with what I said to him. Then he wrote, “you cannot, cannot, say that to me again!” When I read that, I very disappointed that he still won’t let whatever happened four months ago go! I also was confused as to what I said that made him that mad? I wrote him back and asked him to explain it to me, but he never wrote back. I stopped going to the church he attends and am going to another church. To this day, I still haven’t heard from him or received any calls or text messages. He still go’s to church and work. I heard from one of my friends that he was hanging out with another girl, but then I know she’s gonna get the same treatment from him. 😔

Great video. Thank you so much for being a positive role model for people experiencing this condition. You must be giving so many people so much hope. 💜

What people hear and see and also taste as hallucinations and delusions are what we experience in the collective unconscious or in the the universal mind at the All level from a psychic perspective, remember reality is based on perspective. Most of what people experience as hallucinations and delusions are what people who can experience higher states of consciousness in their own psychic development as of the mind in their own conscious development in the world at large being clairvoyant, clairaudience, and clairsentience. Which are apart of people's spiritual own development.

You are amazing! You are so smart and so strong then I really feel proud of you! And I believe in your great future!

Thanks for your videos Lauren, you're doing a great job and it always makes me feel less alone to watch your videos. ❤️

I SO appreciate you and your channel. I work on an inpatient mental health unit and I am a PMHNP student. Thank you for your perspective and for sharing your journey

"WELL presenting" is the perfect term. I have an auto immune disease, but function mostly normally. That doesn't mean I don't want acknowledge the disease. I know it's not the same, but the term is very helpful for me. Thank-you