When Did Schizophrenic Suddenly Mean 'Nonsensical' or 'Self-Contradictory'?

In the last year the word "schizophrenic" has been bandied around, usually by journalists, to refer to some suddenly changing their mind, making an about-face, or just being relatively nonsensical. For instance: Put together, the outfit was rather schizophrenic or North Korean rhetoric regarding nuclear arms has been schizophrenic.

The illness schizophrenia has even been appropriated. Thursday The Washington Post published a piece by Greg Sargent entitled "Beltway narrative schizophrenia." Sargent is referring to the GOP's efforts to draw attention to several key events, like the IRS targeting Tea Party nonprofits to the Justice Department seizing AP phone records. Like any party, they want issues of mismanagement in the opposing party to gain traction and count against the administration.

How is a political party's deliberate tactical effort to draw attention to issues they want the public to focus on anything like an incurable, biological, neurodegenerative mental illness?

Why is it perfectly acceptable to bandy around the label schizophrenia or schizophrenic? It's as if schizophrenia is a unicorn, rather than a real disease that affects 1% of the population, a disease that ruins lives, can destroy families, can never been cured and often doesn't respond to treatment.

Is it any more appropriate than referring to something or someone as a cancer? If that goes too far, then why doesn't this? 

My mother hates when people use "schizophrenic" to refer to something other than schizophrenia. She's very likely to tell a person that if they think that decision the judge made on some reality show was "schizophrenic" she's likely to ask:

You mean the decision had a very promising career and then fell ill, lost the ability to work, and has lived with me ever since?

Before you use schizophrenia to refer to just any old thing, consider the illness you're talking about. If anything, it's very hard to change a schizophrenic's mind. They don't flip flop often. Schizophrenia is not related to self-contradiction or the inability to make or stick to a decision.

Just think. Is it really schizophrenic?

1. Does it have legitimate trouble telling the difference between what's real and unreal?
2. Does it exhibit paranoia or disorganized thinking?
3. Does it see or hear things that aren't there?
4. Have these things made it difficult for it to maintain a job or go to school?
5. Could it no longer maintain friendships or other relationships?
6. Did it withdraw and stop finding happiness in the things that once brought them joy? 
7. Did it stop speaking?
8. Did it stop bathing, changing/washing clothes, and other hygiene habits?
9. Did it keep you up all night accusing you of letting people into the house so it could place listening devices in the TV?
10. Has it tried a lot of different medications with varying success and failure?
11. Does it break your heart because you know it might not be at your wedding because it is so often hospitalized?

Robert De Niro gets very emotional on Katie Couric: Silver Linings Playbook

Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, and director David O. Russell appeared on the Katie Couric show earlier this week to talk about their Oscar-nominated film "Silver Linings Playbook," the story of a family coping with bipolar disorder. During the interview it became very clear just how close the subject of mental illness is to Russell, whose son suffers from mood disorder, and to the actors. When asked how he related to Russell, DeNiro broke down into tears, almost too emotional to speak. He said he understood exactly what Russell goes through.

To hear people far and wide relate to families with mental illness who are ready to have a national dialogue about the state of mental healthcare in America makes my heart swell. That bit of interest is everything. "Silver Linings Playbook" itself is a very accurate and heartwarming story of bipolar. This recognition and respect for mental illness is the silver lining for me. We live in a very exciting time.

Sandy Hook and Advocacy

I've been getting a lot of questions lately regarding Sandy Hook and whether I consider that there is a mental health crisis in this country. Of course it's hard to get help, especially when our loved ones aren't even cognizant of their mental illness. It seems like the system is set up to let the illness run rampant - not protecting Pat's rights to his own life, but protecting schizophrenia's right to consume him. It's a reality that we live with every day. So when something like Sandy Hook occurs I have to two reactions: 1) What does this have to do with schizophrenia? and 2) Welcome to the discussion, maybe you'd like to help us advocates get something done. Don't run out of steam. Don't let a couple gun laws make you forget. Call up your loval NAMI and see what you can do to advocate for mental health.

I've been working on a memoir the last few months and the last draft is almost complete. Sifting through time and picking out the most memorable, most poignant moments from my life and Pat's gave me a great deal of perspective. So often it seems like nothing has changed. Pat's still not leaving the house, he hasn't recovered occupationally or socially, and he still won't agree to any incremental changes that might include seeing a therapist once a week or even going to get his own groceries. Eventually you start to feel like everything is static and pessimistic. Breaking it down to each season, each year, I can see how far we've come. There were times when things were better, but there's no reason to imagine we can't have better times again. I think about how many times Pat has surprised us and remind myself that it can happen again.