Why do people think that Schizophrenia is multiple personality disorder?
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I know the difference. I think people think that because they are uneducated about mental illness in general. It is still a very taboo topic in our society.
People have long held the erroneous idea that schizophrenia means "split personality". Old myths die hard. "Multiple personality disorder", by the way, is no longer the appropriate term. It was replaced years ago (in the DSM-IV) with "Dissociative Identity Disorder".
Media portrayal. I have had a friend who had it. It has nothing to do with becoming two people.
They are misinformed. I know it isn't but have had experiences with Schizophrenic people. It is a painful, sad illness that hopefully can be treated and cured better someday.
Mental Health care is a huge problem in this country. Stigmas and insurance issues prevent many from getting the proper care they should!
Too many people base their knowledge of mental disorders off of soap operas I guess. And, it frustrates me when I hear someone say they're depressed when they mean that they feel sad!
Multiple personality disorder is an extremely rare disorder, popularized by the movie Cybil, and many people question if it even exists at all - may be much more helpful for accused killers making insanity pleas or bad TV Cop shows than anything else.
Paranoid schizophrenia is a classic mental illness where people think everyone is conspiring against them, watching them, and in severe cases they may think aliens or the government are trying to control with their brain with radio waves and other nonsense (thus the aluminum foil in the hat). It is a very tragic disease, and can strike often in the teen years after a normal childhood, so I can't imagine the heartbreak a family must go through. Many of these people end up homeless and on the street because their paranoia keeps them from cooperating with Doctors and other people trying to help them. Of course our ridiculously dysfunctional healthcare system only makes it all the worse, especially the closing of nearly all free State mental care hospitals under Reaganomics. The movie "One flew over the cookoos nest" was used as an excuse to blame mental care hospitals and close them and stop many needed treatments, who were just good people trying their best to help people with the funds they had. God bless.
I wouldn't know, but I've read that the root words sort of mean 'split mind' which would make sense when confusing the two, along with media portrayal, such as "Me, Myself and Irene" although that movie is just a comedy, it does refer to multiple personalities being schizophrenia.
I think some people just go on media portrayals and are not educated about mental illness.
I know that schizophrenia is not the same thing as multiple personality disorder or now called disociative identity disorder. Awareness about mental illness is still a very new thing.
Because in general, the majority of people are misinformed or have no understanding of mental health issues.
Have you seen the questions here about Bipolar? The things people think that Bipolar is, are incredible.
It is the same with Schizophrenia. A major mental illness that people don't understand and don't want to take the time to learn the right information.
Just alot of ignorance running around.
. is a psychosis characterized by withdrawl from reality and highly variable behavioral and intellectual disturbances...
I think the impression stems from the behavior of those afflicted with the disease. Especially in the earlier stages. One day they're the brother/sister we grew up with, and in a matter of weeks, they've become withdrawn, irritable, and irrational. So it may seem to some that there is a whole other personality there, when in fact it's just the illness disrupting the thought processes.
I was tested for both of these after being in recovery for an eating disorder. I still can't figure out why the psych was pressing the issue. The noises I was hearing were mostly real. There was a high pitched ring I always heard which my GP later affirmed was caused by low blood pressure. I also learned a heightened sensitivity to light and sound occurs when a body is in starvation mode. So the things I was hearing, like soft voices in the other room when nobody was there, were most likely the TV in the apartment below or above me.
And as for signs of DID, well that was just way for me to cope with my eating disorder in private and still convince others I was perfectly normal. I'd act one way around my family, another around my friends, another at work, and so on. I felt as if the disorder could have been a seperate consciousness. Those thoughts didn't seem to be my own. Those facets of my personality just got a little mixed up as I recoverd from the ED and started trying to rebuild my identity without the disorder.
But I've digressed. I guess I can see how people can think they're one and the same because my psych suspected me of having both at the same time. I'm glad I searched for another consult and took the second opinion instead.
Because people are stupid and gullible and sensationalize everything.
because they are idiots and believe whatever they are told from movies
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