Saturday, May 22, 2010

Brain Video

Started smoking again last Sunday. Am attempting to stop again today.

brain series, charlie rose, episode 1

Schizophrenia is mentioned a few times in this episode of The Brain Series with Charlie Rose. At one point, Eric Kandel says, "Schizophrenics don't organise their lives." He states that there is a problem in the frontal cortex.

Previous to this, in the video, another researcher suggests that in the future, schizophrenia will be stopped in the brain.

This past week:
  • medication: 5 mg Aripiprazole a.m., 10 mg Aripiprazole before sleep
  • sleep: average 10 hrs
  • exercise: none
  • diet: made certain to eat breakfast every day, attempting to reach 35% fat, 15% protein, 50% carbs, counting calories at www.caloriecount.com
  • weight: 160 lbs.
  • mood: ok all mornings upon rising

Saturday, May 15, 2010

smokers with schizophrenia

I have started using earplugs before I go to sleep to block out the voices when I awaken in the morning. It is working!

I stopped smoking on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 1 p.m.

disabled smokers

In the blog post above, it is stated that 90% of those with schizophrenia smoke cigarettes. There are many potential reasons for this.

I even read one study (since lost) and heard of another that suggest that smoking cigarettes could be a cause of schizophrenia.

causes of schizophrenia


I believe that there are "societal pressures" on those who smoke cigarettes in ussa, not on those who do not smoke cigarettes, at this point. Those "societal pressures" can lead to shunning people which can lead to problems.

Here is another blog post that suggests reasons why those with schizophrenia have such a high rate of smoking cigarettes:

schizophrenia and smoking


I have read Stop Smoking Naturally by Martha Work Adelman. I also read Positively Quit Manual by Cassius Cheong.

I was tired of looking at smoke. I did not really like to hold a cigarette. I mostly liked the taste of smoking. I also used smoking to deal with difficult (for me) emotions or situations. I stopped smoking without stop smoking aids or medications.

This past week:
  • medication: 5 mg Aripiprazole a.m., 10 mg Aripiprazole before sleep
  • sleep: average 10 hrs
  • exercise: walked three days, situps and pushups, stair running, bicycling
  • diet: made certain to eat breakfast every day, attempting to reach 35% fat, 15% protein, 50% carbs, counting calories at www.caloriecount.com,
  • weight: 156 lbs.
  • mood: ok all mornings upon rising

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Blog Against Disablism

I really screwed up on Blog Against Disablism Day (BADD).

Scope defines disablism as "discriminatory, oppressive or abusive behaviour arising from the belief that disabled people are inferior to others".

I believe that my original post on BADD could be considered an example of disablism. I am concerned about that, but originally misread the Day and thought it to be Blog About Disabilities.

So, I apologise if it indicates disablism. Part of what I wrote is indicative of my experience of disablism. Being on disability, in my family of origin, was insisted upon, then angered them.


This past week:
  • medication: 5 mg Aripiprazole a.m., 10 mg Aripiprazole before sleep
  • sleep: average 10 hrs
  • exercise: walked four days, situps and pushups, stair running, days bicycling
  • diet: made certain to eat breakfast every day, attempting to reach 35% fat, 15% protein, 50% carbs, counting calories at www.caloriecount.com,
  • weight: 160 lbs.
  • mood: ok all mornings upon rising

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Disablity and Schizophrenia

Today is a day to "Blog Against Disablism" or "Blog About Disabilities." So, I signed up to blog about my disability. I have yet to refer to the diagnosis of schizophrenia as a disability on my blog. But, it is. I am currently on disability, which is my sole income or my "allowance." I did not want to go on disability. My mother forced me to sign the papers she wrote up. I still wanted to work. I continued to work, part time, as many hours as allowed by the disability payments. It is very hard to get off of disability. Your employer must also be informed that you were on disability in order to get off of it. At this point, I do not have plans to go off of the disability payments. I paid in when I worked. Now, I get the insurance payment for what I paid in to Social Security. Still, it is a shame that disability is so scorned and also provides such a small payment. The payment puts one well beneath poverty level, allowing very little room for extra income. I would like eventually to go off of the Social Security, to once again work a full-time job. That takes a lot of time, getting off of Social Security.

I have yet to mention the disability, the diagnosis of schizophrenia that got me to forced disability payments. I was off of work for three and a half months when the diagnosis of schizophrenia was forced on me. I had stopped working at the end of November. I was diagnosed in the middle of March. Whether a person is working or not is one of the considerations in the making of a diagnosis, according to the DSM, quoted below, though a social worker once told me that whether one works or not is not a consideration. Confusing!

The medicines I was put on made me hallucinate, actually gave me the symptoms of schizophrenia which I was diagnosed with having after 1-2 brief interviews with a nurse and a psychiatrist, in a hospital. This is not the first time that that has happened. Widely reported is the cause of symptoms of schizophrenia from the neuroleptics intended to help the supposed problem.

I am officially disabled now. The diagnosis disables a person. However, I believe that when my mother put me on disability payments, she disabled me extremely. They are so difficult to escape once a person is on them.

I got a new bicycle. We began bicycling this week for exercise and pleasure. Bicycling is fun!

This past week:
  • medication: 5 mg Aripiprazole a.m., 10 mg Aripiprazole before sleep
  • sleep: average 9 hrs
  • exercise: walked every day but two, situps and pushups, stair running, 2 days bicycling
  • diet: made certain to eat breakfast every day, began to count calories at www.caloriecount.com
  • weight: 161 lbs.
  • mood: ok all mornings upon rising