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Comment by djaouen | Hacker News Reader

As someone formally diagnosed with schizophrenia, I would say the worst parts of it are anhedonia and stigma. Anhedonia means we can just rot in our apartments for days at a time getting nothing accomplished and stigma prevents us from working even when we overcome the mountain that is anhedonia. Honestly, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

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What you're describing as anhedonia also includes avolition. At least in my case, there are three components that feed back into each other: avolition - that lack of impulse to do ... anything, even when there are strong stimuli; executive dysfunction - even if you're ready to act, a sense of being overwhelmed by choices and unable to put one foot in front of another; and anhedonia - even if you're finally doing something pleasant or productive, there's absolutely no mental reward or lasting sense of accomplishment to build upon. A row-row-row-your-boat of suck as it were.

I would imagine anosognosia could be worse. I know someone who delayed diagnosis and treatment because they didn't believe anything was wrong with them (although it was obvious to everyone around them)

As an anlogy, consider how hard it would be to convince a random person they have to take diabetes medication if they don't have it. It is the same way convincing a schizophrenic person with anosognosia to take antipsychotic medication.

My brother was diagnosed with same and certainty suffers from anhedonia to this day.

You seriously think the public stigma is one of the "worst" things about it? Almost no one my brother encounters knows about his diagnosis and yet he suffers a lot. I sort of doubt other people's opinions are of primary significance in that, although perhaps his perception of how others see him does seem a bit problem

Think about it: how likely is it for an employer to hire someone who self-discloses schizophrenia? And if you choose not to disclose, how do you explain the gaps in your resume when you were involuntarily committed or recovering from a recurring series of episodes? Stigma still plays a big role, even in today’s society. Edit: And that is to say nothing of the problems you face if you are kicked out of the hospital with no place to go. Schizophrenia is a scary illness, bro.

Hmm. My brother has never had interest in holding a job for too long so it isn't something I think about a ton.

If an employer doesn't want to hire someone who occasionally disappears I understand that and I'm not sure it's stigma.

Anyhow, this is a sensitive topic and thanks for discussing it. It's hard to unfurl and investigate these things. Good luck with your own experience.

I may be atypical because I was able to work in industry for a few years before my formal diagnosis. My illness was exacerbated by the fact that I could no longer bolster my identity with work and achievement, so I have found other ways (meditation, medication, and therapy, mostly) to cope with my symptoms.

Good luck with your brother.

my dad had schizophrenia and he starved himself to death because he thought most food and water was poison. he was estranged from his family and was on the streets off and on, mostly because he was ashamed. he on some level knew he was delusional and was ashamed of it, which you would think would undermine his delusion, but i suppose fear comes first.

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