Insight

Supposedly you are not supposed to have insight into your illness at
all when you are schizophrenic.

I was diagnosed schizoaffective at age 17 but was able to hide
sypmtoms for many years (even from doctors) and was labeled as having
depression with psychotic features.

I am proof that a person can have insight into the illness. Also, 90%
of the people who are posting here have awareness that they have
symptoms, and talk about them openly. Usually "high-functioning"
people post, for the majority, but still... they always told me you
are not supposed to have insight, and that is the difference between
sz and psychotic depression.

LIke I said, about 90% of the people here talk openly and rationally
about their psychotic spells, with awareness that they had them? What
is going on then? Only a few people here post obviously delusional
stuff, it seems to me.

What's the deal? All these sz are not supposed to have insight.

Maybe all the people who have insight around here are misdiagnosed and
actually have depression or bipolar or something with psychotic
features, or some other psychotic disorder, and not true sz.

Please do tell, those who understand the difference between all these
things. why you have sz and not something else, and why you have
insight.

Alison

"Gelly" <Gelly.D@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:f66ecca6-f6d0-46d3-99da-1ee8f0b08cb9@b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> Supposedly you are not supposed to have insight into your illness at
> all when you are schizophrenic.
>
> I was diagnosed schizoaffective at age 17 but was able to hide
> sypmtoms for many years (even from doctors) and was labeled as having
> depression with psychotic features.
>
> I am proof that a person can have insight into the illness. Also, 90%
> of the people who are posting here have awareness that they have
> symptoms, and talk about them openly. Usually "high-functioning"
> people post, for the majority, but still... they always told me you
> are not supposed to have insight, and that is the difference between
> sz and psychotic depression.
>
> LIke I said, about 90% of the people here talk openly and rationally
> about their psychotic spells, with awareness that they had them? What
> is going on then? Only a few people here post obviously delusional
> stuff, it seems to me.
>
> What's the deal? All these sz are not supposed to have insight.
>
> Maybe all the people who have insight around here are misdiagnosed and
> actually have depression or bipolar or something with psychotic
> features, or some other psychotic disorder, and not true sz.
>
> Please do tell, those who understand the difference between all these
> things. why you have sz and not something else, and why you have
> insight.
>
> Alison

i have also had talks about "insight"

as i understand it, it means you have some kind of normal-ish perspective on
your experiences...

....so that the experiences of sz or psychosis or whatever fit into a theory
of some kind


it could be the medical model, spiritual beliefs, or even ghosts


i agree that most people here are "high functioning", and that means that
these are people who have found a way to understand their experiences in a
way that appeals to common sense


-- kez

I don't know where you heard that people with sz can't have insight but
it's just not true!

Many people with sz have insight according to the DSM IV and Surviving
Schizophrenia by Torrey..

I am diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and my doctor says I have
insight.

penguin

<pengwin2@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:13682-47D2E79C-290@storefull-3171.bay.webtv.net...
>
> I don't know where you heard that people with sz can't have insight but
> it's just not true!
>
> Many people with sz have insight according to the DSM IV and Surviving
> Schizophrenia by Torrey..
>
> I am diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and my doctor says I have
> insight.
>
> penguin

i contradict myself all the time
can i be considered a rational person?
is that what insight is, the ability to continue to be rational, despite
difficult problems?

-- kez

On Mar 8, 1:23 pm, pengw...@webtv.net wrote:
> I don't know where you heard that people with sz can't have insight but
> it's just not true!
>
> Many people with sz have insight according to the DSM IV and Surviving
> Schizophrenia by Torrey..
>
> I am diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and my doctor says I have
> insight.
>
> penguin


Hmm. Interesting. It really is in the DSM IV?

According to the DSM IV page 279 (the one with the maroon cover) it
says:

"Lack of insight is common and may be one of the best predictors of poor
outcome, perhaps because it predisposes the individual to noncompliance
with treatment."

Note it say lack of insight is common, it doesn't mean everyone with sz
has a lack of insight.

According to "Surviving Schizophrenia" by E. Fuller Torrey, MD latest
editon he says:

p50"Some people with schizophrenia are aware of the malfunciton of their
brain, this is what is callled awareness of illness, or insight."

"In fact, I am always surprised at the many patients with schizophrenia
who have awareness of their illness." E. Fuller Torrey, p51 of the
same book.

I don't have the latest edition of the DSM IV (the DSM IV text revison
TR.

penguin