WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID
The following quotes about schizophrenia where obtained from various web sites.
"The schizophrenic experience can be a terrifying journey through a world of madness no one can understand, particularly the person traveling through it. It is a journey through a world that is deranged, empty and devoid of anchors to reality. You feel very much alone. You find it easier to withdraw than cope with reality that is incongruent with your fantasy world. You feel tormented by distorted perceptions. You cannot distinguish what is real from what is unreal. Schizophrenia affects all aspects of your life. Your thoughts race and you feel fragmented and so very alone with your 'craziness.'" - Janice C. Jordan, a person with schizophrenia.
"I cannot tell you how difficult it is for a person to accept the fact that he or she is schizophrenic. Since the time we were very young, we have all been conditioned to accept that if something is crazy or insane its worth to us is automatically dismissed. We live in a world that is held together by rational connections. That which is logical or reasonable is acceptable. That which is not reasonable is not acceptable." - Dr. Frederick J. Frese, a psychologist who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 25.
"Some people may not be able to recognize the illness for what it is. The realization that your relative may never be the same again, may never get 'cured,' is too unbearable to contemplate. . . . There are those who push themselves to the limit. They never let go. They never get on with their lives. They wear themselves out." - "Schizophrenia: A Handbook for Families". published by the Schizophrenia Society of Canada.
"Acceptance means that you have learned to look at your relative as he or she is now. Then there is room for hope, and you can begin to work for those things that will really make a difference in your relative's life." - father of a patient with schizophrenia.
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PERCEPTIONS
"How To Handle The Truth"
by Norman Bales
The author of Proverbs urges us to "Buy the truth and sell it not." Pontius Pilate cynically asked Jesus, "What is truth?" Jesus said the truth will make us free. So how shall we handle the truth? Read our thoughts on the subject
at
http://www.allaboutfamilies.org/sh/percep200208.html
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If you have questions about marriage and family relationships, you can "ASK THE COUNSELOR." Address your questions to Mikal Frazier. Her address is
mikal@allaboutfamilies.
org
Norman's e-mail address:
nlbales@allaboutfamilies.org