[HelloWorld18]

So my dr prescribed me a little class of drugs called antiopsychotics, Abilify to be exact.

I feel like when or if I tell someone that I take an antipsychotic medication they think I'm some serial killer or delusional killer. A while ago I watched a movie where a girl becomes a roommate and becomes obsessed with her roommate to the point that she wants to become her roommate. They credit her stalker behavior to her missing her medication, which I believe was Zyprexa.

I take this to ease the voices. That sounds pretty intense, but I mean the voices of judgment. When I walk down a street it's like I can hear their minds judging me. I don't know what it is, but I told my psych that so he gave me 2 MG Abilify. Does this description sound like extreme anxiety or paranoid schizophrenia? I'm very paranoid about being followed too and I trust no one as everyone's against me.

[Nammu]

They really need to come up with a new word for that classification. It's that ending..psychotic...I think it makes people think it means the psychopath. They don't hear the word anti. It's like they hear antiPSYCHOTIC....ooh...I'm running.

[notthisagain]

First off, no one needs to know what kind of meds you are taking except for you or your doctor. I am on Zyprexa myself and neither that, nor the lack of it, would cause me to be a stalker or anything else.

I blame the media, in part, for perpetuating the stigma and the misguided attitudes that people have toward those of us with MI. The overwhelming majority of people with MI aren't going to be violent or cause a lot of drama, but that's how it's portrayed. Every time that there's a shooting in a school or a movie theater or wherever, it seems that the person was on some kind of medication for their mental health. The media is going to report what gets the most attention. "When it bleeds, it leads.". I think that it's completely irresponsible how the media, movies, and TV shows portray people with MI, and I wish it would stop.

[spring2014]

hi nottisagain,
I agree with you 100% !!! the media blows everything out of portion when dealing with someone who has a mental illness . those shooters many of them are not on meds to control their urge to kill someone . many of them are like that in real life cuz of their upbringing and in their background . they didn't want to get treatment for their urges to kill someone .yes I think that the media thinks that people with mental illness are crazy and want to kill someone or other people.





Diagnosis: Anxiety and depression
meds : Cymbalta 60 mgs at night
Vistaril 25 mgs 2 x daily for anxiety prn
50 mgs at night for insomnia

[AnxietyMaster]

Hey! Where I go to school, I don't say anything about my medication or issues because it equals instant social exile. I had a friend tell me "I'm on St. Johns Wart.... Don't worry, not for depression!!".

I agree with notthisagain, no others need to know about your medication unless you want to tell them.

I also can relate to hearing people judge you... I don't know what it's like for you, but I don't "hear" them per se, but instead alter in my mind what they have said to me.

[Solipsist]

oh wow, that's an intense one.

Yeah, saying "anti-psychotic" brings up immediate fear in people because of the "psycho" right there in the name.

If you need to explain what you take to people, you might be better off just saying "anti-anxiety medication" for now. They don't need to know the name of the drug, or the dose, and even if you told them they are unlikely to look it up.

Then again, you may choose the "Honest-To-A-Fault" path of refusing to wear a badge of stigma associated with your disorder and simply allow people to judge however they want based on the medical information you tell them. There is a growing movement for people who DO have constant "voices" in their heads and (usually) choose not to medicate, taking the stance of the Hearing Voices Movement to perceive the auditory hallucinations as learning tools, as indicators of the symptom to trace back to the cause of larger problems. As with any mental health therapy plan, your health practitioner and/or psychiatrist should be worked with closely to ensure you understand the risks and benefits, and to monitor your progress.

As for the hollywood movie about the obsessed roommate (are we talking about "Single White Female", the worst Jennifer Jason Leigh movie ever?), we all know that LA cannot be trusted when it comes to treating the nuances of real-life situations with delicacy and respect (if I see one more trailer for a "Terminal Cancer Patient Discovers the Truth of Life while Dying"-movie, i'm going to kick someone's teeth in). You can't take it as reality, and you should understand that there are others who won't take it that way either.

You are not alone. That is the most important thing here.