You know when something is or is not a psychological disooder when someone has ongoing patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions that are deviant, distressful, and/or dysfunctional. On page 593 in the book, there is a saying from a mand with schizophrenia. "Voices, like the roar of a crowd came. I felt like Jesus; I was being crucified. It was dark. I just continued to huddle under the blanket, feeling weak, laid bare and defenseless in a cruel world I could no longer understand."
If someone acts "abnormal" they could or could not have a psychological disorder. It all depends on context and varies by culture. In the context of wartime, killing anyone you see as the enemy may be viewed as normal or heroic. In everyday context, killing people you view as the enemy would be illegal. In some cultures hearing voices or claiming to talk to the dead may be viewed as symbolic or special, where as in our culuture hearing voices and claiming to talk to the dead may be viewed as abnormal.
My sister's exboyfriend "Joe" was Bipolar. This was especially hard for my sister and all of us. She loved him but at the times she couldn't handle his mood swings. It was hard for all of us because we hated seeing her get hurt. Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder where the person alternates between feeling hopeless and in a state of depression and being overexcited. People go from being in complete rage to being bubbly. Signs of someone with a bipolar disorder is that they are typically overtalkative and overactive (though easily irritated if crossed); has little need for sleep; and their speech is loud, flighty, and hard to interrupt. My sister is no longer iwth this guy because he cheated on her, but thier relationship was really difficult for my sister. She never knew what mood he would be in that day. My sister is still close with "Joe's" parents but is not close with "Joe".
The most interesting thing I learned in this section was how common Schizophrenia actually is. Just to think that it is like cancer freaks me out. Nearly 1 in 100 people will develop Schizophrenia joining the estimated 24 million across the world who suffer it already. I personally have rarely heard of Schizophrenia and to realize that it is just as common as cancer baffles me.
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I can't fathom how hard it must of been for your sister to be in a relationship with someone that sufferes from bipolar disorder. There are ups and downs to every relationship, but I'm sure that took it to an entirely new level. I never realized schizophrenia was so common either. Although I have heard of people having it, I never would of thought it was as common as cancer!!
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