This is a post to help those that experience the same lives that the anonymous poster has, as well as I do:
Many schizophrenics and people who experience abnormal thought patterns and/or manic episodes actually have an advantage by thinking “outside of the box.” See the movie “A Beautiful Mind” about John Nash. He is a man who experienced schizophrenia and then found success after many trial and errors.
Quoting your anonymous post message, “that you feel very high (a surge of uncontrollable thoughts), or low”; this really is because our minds work differently that the norm (they may be mutated in some way), but that doesn't mean you cannot control them. To myself, the “ill” component of your diagnoses may be considered as “interference.” It is possible to learn how to control it. You may choose technology, pharmaceutical chemistry, therapy, and then also prayer and meditation. I prefer to use them all. Your life is a project, you can program yourself to correct your errors.
Life, in a way, is about managing yourself. Motivate yourself to never give up, and then to apply yourself in every way to reward yourself (and others.) By blessing others, you may find that you learn about ways to improve yourself as well. If someone gives you bad vibes, analyze that they are the ones that may be experiencing low-self esteem and are the bad critics. Don't acknowledge pessimistic critics; only accept those who give constructive-criticism. Never give up on yourself or those who give you a positive influence.
Do not label yourself as an underdog, even though at times it may seem to be this way. If you accept to be a failure by your (so called) “disease”, you will be one. Don't accept that “pill.” You must be an over-comer of your “illness” and play your “hand of cards” the best that you can. From the deck of cards that our Creator serves us, you must do the best to play your game with success. You must use your (possibly enhanced) creativity, and thought patterns for good by learning to channel them to your outcome in success. No person is perfect because “to err is human”, but you may still live Life to the fullest of your ability.
You must understand that success is not the same goal for everyone. I have had many failures in my thirty-one years of Life, but “failure is a stepping stone to success.” There may even be “a thorn in you side” that you must live with rest of your Life, but you may learn to live with it and learn from it. By working with people (such as co-workers, friends or family), you may learn from their lives (just as anyone else may.)
I am now in my thirties, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was young. Most people who have illnesses such as schizophrenia or are manic-depressive/bipolar (maybe of different types) are considered “dreamers.” To an extent this may be true, but that doesn't mean they are less useful than people who are not diagnosed with a “condition.” They may suffer from detachment from the common life; but wouldn't the world be boring if we were all the same? I really do deeply understand your aggravation with you working with your “illness.” I have gone through many bouts and struggles with this through out my life, and many times people look down on you for something that is not your fault.
I believe the key is to find an occupation that you are good at (by finding work that is fun and enjoyable to you. Find what you are good at, and do it! This may be computers and technology, or maybe graphic design. It may be something that has nothing to do with technology at all! That is for you to figure out.
Setup your Life management project and do “First things First, One Thing at a Time.” You may multitask your Life, but schedule yourself in order. Many veterans would understand this because they are taught the acronym “K.I.S.S”, which means “Keep It Simple Soldier.” You may do complex processes, but humans should make simple actions to execute.
The only losers are those who accept pessimism from people that may, in fact, be unhappy with their own lives. It is up to you to gain the motivation, study your health, pharmaceutical conditions, and life skills to be a winner. I must admit, I am still on a journey (as well as yourself) that may continue for many years, but that is something that is common to all people. Enlighten yourself and others with your journey. When you are puzzled, decipher it.
Most "Mental Illnesses" are coined by psychiatrists as dysfunction (are diseases of the human brain) that are identified as something that is wrong you as a human being. To an extent, I can agree that it causes people to lead less productive lives because they are under an “influence” of being distracted with an interference. Much of the information in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-IV) is based on theory and hypotheses that doctors have generated based to medicate patients to lead more productive lives by pharmaceutical medication (which, much of is still chemically experimental.)
Many years ago I did a study on the pharmaceutical system, and how many psychiatrists work. Some psychiatrists really do live up to their standards to diagnose and analyze a patients “illness”, but this alone does not actually tune a “patient' to near perfection of chemical balance. Late at night (2008), I was in bed late at at night thinking and then had decided to publicly posted (Open Source) a generalized idea of a pharmaceutical system that works with via a network that would allow an advanced set of computer programs that monitor your vital medication levels. The idea was similar to a tablet computer that collects information on your symptoms of your illness. It would definitely not be a sober idea to have everyone shave their heads and wear electrodes to collect this information. At least, not in that way. But their may still be a way with electroencephalography (EEG) to retrieve this information from the human body, and not make us all look like Martians. The idea was to use a “super network” or encrypted cloud via the Internet to collect the mind's status, and then allow clusters of server computers to calculate this medical information and diagnose it with “algorithmic code” to compete and perform solutions to near exact medical chemistry for a psychiatrist to examine and then submit to their patient. It may have been an error for me to post this as open source (code name: “enlightix” by my corporation Enlightec, Ltd. [http://www.enlightec.com]), but I believe that “There is nothing new under the sun”, and that most discoveries may have in fact existed eons ago.
The only new discovery that can exist is that you are a new creation from our Creator; (Whatever religion you believe in, you where born with a new earthly body to live Life to the fullest.)
Carpe diem: Seize the day
Godspeed: God prosper You
Emmanuel: God with us
Go live, prosper and Love!
R. Andrew Stillwell
Date: 12-22-2013
