A few years ago NPR did a story called “The Sights and Sounds of Schizophrenia” which tells about a training program created by Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical company that specializes in treatment for Schizophrenia.
I watched the 5 minute video just one time 5 years ago and it literally changed me. It was such a powerful and moving experience that I cannot forget it and it altered my perception of mental illness forever.
I’ve tried to tell people about it over the years, but it’s just something you have to see, so finally I searched and searched until I found it again so I could put it on the blog.
The textbook description of schizophrenia is a listing of symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior. But what does schizophrenia really feel like? NPR’s Joanne Silberner reports on a virtual reality experience that simulates common symptoms of the mental illness.
Silberner, who experienced the simulation, says it works this way: “For five to 10 minutes, someone wanting to know what it feels like to have untreated schizophrenia puts on goggles and headphones, and sees and hears a range of hallucinations. You can choose your virtual reality — what happens on a trip to the doctor’s office, or on a ride on a city bus.” In the program she experienced, a caseworker takes the schizophrenia patient to a grocery store with a pharmacy in the back, to refill a prescription.
To create the virtual reality project, technical director Stephen Streibig consulted a group of people with schizophrenia, including Daniel Frey, 26. Frey describes what he and Silberner experienced in the program: “When you first walk into the pharmacy, you’re walking through the aisles and there are people staring at you, just staring at you from every aisle. And there’s one instance where there is a woman sort of protecting her children from you when you walk through the aisle.”
Even though schizophrenia patient Frey consulted on the project, he found the simulation too disturbing to sit all the way through. When Silberner tells him she was terrified by the experience, Frey responds, “Yeah, you ought to be! Imagine not being able to take off the goggles, the helmet.”
I also found this other video that is even better, in a creepy sort of way:
If you found this as informative as I did please help spread the word. I think the more people that see this, the greater the tolerance we’ll have for those less fortunate than ourselves.
I am not a psycologist, but my theory is this:
The thoughts of every human mind can be broken down into two catagories: memories and fantasies. We all have both of them. They are both critical for our survival, as fantasies gives us the motivation to do great things and memories provide us with the tools to do those great things. But what is the difference between memories and fantasies? Well, we can play out memories and we can play out fantasies in our heads. And as it turns out our fantasies are just as vivid and real as the memories in our minds. So to answer that question the only real difference from our own perspective is that we BELIEVE our memories and we DO NOT BELIEVE our fantasies.
But what would happen if if we swithed that around? As it turns out we do it all the time. Let me give you an example; I believed True was the correct answer whereas the professor believed False is the correct answer – somebody here is believing in a fantasy.
Now lets do a very cruel science experiment on an intellegent, well-to-do, creatively thinking young adult. Lets flip the belief switch from memory to fantasy. The result? Schizophrenia. I think this is the reason why so many schizophrenics fear “thought insertion” as it is so easy for all of us to insert a fantasy into our mind, most people call it imagination while schizophrenics call it reality.
Why does this happen? I think its because our memories and fantasies are the same thing – thoughts, and you can’t blame someone for getting something mixed up with itself.
One last thing, I don’t think that a virtual reality device will ever come remotley close to simulating what a schizophrenic experiences.
No offense, but instead of making up theories, maybe you should take a look at the research? I’m not a psychologist either, but I AM about to get my bachelor’s in psychology in under two weeks, and I can say with certainty that your theory is far to simple to adequately explain what i going on in the brain of a person with schizophrenia. Don’t just make up theories when you have nothing to build them off of, you know? Educate yourself on the neuroscience of it a bit. I think you’ll see that schizophrenia has very little to do with fantasy and much more to do with neurotransmitter malfunction and unusual brain structure (ie portions of the brain of unusual size. Large lateral ventricles are common in people with schizophrenia), as far as modern science is able to tell.
Not only that, your argument about how healthy individuals process fantasy, reality, and memories is also incorrect. People make up memories all the time, and the more a person recalls a memory, the more likely that memory is to be incorrect. We don’t know our own life histories nearly as well as we like to think we do. In this sense, healthy people confuse fantasy and reality all the time.
Also, also, the logic behind your example of a teacher and student is faulty. Neither of them are living a fantasy just because they have been misinformed. It’s not information their brains made up, in classroom situations both teacher and student almost always get their answers from other sources which they trust to know the correct answer. If you trust a person to have your back and they don’t it doesn’t mean you’re fantasizing, it means you’ve made an error in judgement.
Finally, your theory completely ignores catatonic schizophrenia, which is not characterized by hallucinations or paranoia at all. It is characterized by literal catatonic episodes. I don’t really have the time to explain it in detail, but you should look it up. It’s really interesting.
Anyways, I’m really sorry if this came off as being an attack or offensive, I just think its really important that people are aware of mental health issues, and it upset me a bit that you don’t realize how putting unsubstantiated theories out there, even when they come with a disclaimer, can give people fuel for their ignorance and hate. The more misinformation their is, the harder it is to re-educate someone, you know?
I’ve just started having the voices.. But they’re in my head, not out loud. When i do hear things out loud, i hear footsteps coming towards me and breathing and then people call my name.. The only things i see are shadows of people when no one is there. I have no control of my thoughts anymore, and they’re cruel.. I always feel like someone is watching me or like somethings there and that i’m not safe, and I taste and smell blood a lot but there is no possible way that should be happening.. Its been going on for a few weeks now, when should I go to a doctor?? He’ll never believe me if i tell him..
Ok well I had similar experiences and the doctors were very understanding. But I was fooled by some very evil people. I dont hear voices by myself only around these two faced people who tried to convince me otherwise. Anyway Honestly if they believed me someone who was tricked into believing this than I can say they would believe every word. So go to a doctor and tell them all your symptoms but make sure you tell everything. You could have chronic schizophrenia. So really go to the doctor they can be some really nice and understanding people. You would e surprised how they try all they can to help you. I dont know where you live so I cant really tell you where to go. But Find a hospital near you and spill the eans like you did here. It wont be easy but seems nothing really is in this life. Hope you get well.
Sincerely,
Chris
I do not completely understand schizophrenia…are the voices out loud or can they be your personal negative anxiose thoughts? I have read that depression, anxiety dissorders and lack of sleep can cause some of the same symptoms. I agree with the_ avenger you should seek the consultation of a therapist.
I am curious what the_ avengers story is related to evil minded people. Not because I doubt his/her story but I have a similar story where a few coworkers made my life difficult by making rude angry gestures at me to my face and behind my back. Sometimes I would here them call me names or say that I was crazy. They also made a rude nickname for me one of them said it loud and clear to my face. I tricked another coworker into telling me what I meant but many other times it was under there breathe so only I could here. I told management but they acted as if I was hearing things. I doubted myself as well. I never hear any voices outside my head when I’m alone but sometimes when I’m around some ppl…I do. But the voice I hear is there’s not a disembodied voice….or a strangers….and the Tv isn’t talking to me. Although sometimes I wont be in the room and the news will be on and ill think she cursed and ill then pay closer attention and realize it was just a word that sounded familiar.However I’m not going to lie I do feel as if someone has gone out of there to spread negative stuff about me in order to discredit me. Also I have been diagnosed with sociology anxiety and depression….I’m also hypothyroid…I fear all the time now that I’m going crazy and I’m worried how this may affect me finding jobs.
I was diagnosed with bipolar NOS and had psychosis at the time but i’m seeing a psychiatrist next week. The voices I hear are whispers that are reading my thoughts out loud. I get intrusive thought and then have to deal with hearing it in creepy whispers. This has been going on for 5 months and the voices occur when i’m depressed, happy, or even neutral. Hopefully I find out whats going on soon.
I found this video to be a little unsettling as it brings back what it’s like to exist without meds. Thankfully the meds for me mitigate the voices I hear to a degree where I can tune them out if I try very hard. That said, I couldn’t watch the whole video… too disturbingly accurate.
I’d almost forgotten how this felt. Although I never experienced visual hallucinations, and the voices were rarely this audible and pronounced, it’s pretty accurate. What these videos can’t capture, though, is the real feeling of paranoia. That’s the worst part. I can’t even describe how unnerving it gets, and it’s only made worse when people tell you stuff like “it’s just your conscience,” or some other ridiculous assumption.
Mine seems more like the movie silent hill without meds:/
Gives people a pretty good idea, I think, of the chaos that is ever present in the mind of people who suffer from this disorder. It’s also accompanied by guilt, feelings of inferiority, and ultimate loneliness in knowing that you are stigmatized even by those who are closest. Medications are essentially worthless, except for making your nervous system so depressed that you aren’t able to have as many simultaneous thoughts. And I guess that’s fine if you don’t mind things like falling asleep at lunch and dinner, not being able to get up for work, etc. It’s a terrifying experience, and if there were a Creator, he deserves to be cursed for this disease alone, not to mention the thousands of other maladies that inflict those who had no choice in the matter. My experience, and my opinion. Be glad if you don’t have to fight this 24/7 battle.
i couldnt have described myself in better words… email me
Do they hear it? or is it thoughts of dialog?
good !
My experiences are a little different than most. I feel like i have someone living in my body. they move my body at will, even against my will. they talk to me thru my mouth so we whisper to each other. i dont know. its strange. ive had this for 8 or 9 years. anyone else have anything like that?
Have you been diagnosed with schizophrenia. If so what kind?
I did.
you’re not alone…
What do you mean Don’t know me???
Could be catatonic schizophrenia? While it is normally associated with periods of catatonic stillness and rigidity, too much bodily movement is not unheard of in people with the condition. That being said, ask a doctor. I don’t have the DSM-IV with me and I would require way more information to give a diagnosis. At any rate, if you think it’s serious, and it sounds like it is, please seek help.
I have schizophrenia.
The depictions of my disease here, are actually pretty accurate! Very scary for me to watch, but also very liberating. Perhaps a tad bit creepier than how i experience it, but i think its pretty bang on the money.
If you feel like ever reading my blog, where i write about my experiences and life, plus some art i do, its here: http://www.cghobbyist.com
Thank you for a great blog, and keep spreading the word :)
Best wishes
-cghobbyist
I li
My brother suffers the same symptoms i read above. It tears my heart listening him hallucinate. I want to help him. What is the best way to break the news that he is suffering schizopnrenic? He wil freak out if i mention to visit psychiatrist. My heart goes out to all such patient
People think you’re crazy until they have to walk a mile in your shoes. Imagine 3 to 6 voices whispering in you ear to kill your best friend, you’re going to hell, even God forsaked you or that you should blow up your school, work, house, etc. And the voices in the stimulant don’t hold a candle to how they really sound. Though the consant nagging is pretty prominate, just not the normal sounding voices. They sound more demonic and every so often they laugh at you. The schizophrenia even left me seeing things. Which there are too many to list, but these are a few memorable ones: a man/woman that walked in and out of my kitchen, a black smudge that jumps out of friends, a guy that was always sitting some where near me, and a cat that I saw so much I named Lucy.
Which these things have been here and there since I was really little (1-3 yrs), but they became this bad when I was about 10. They’ve settled down and only come back full force when you’re at your weakest point. And meds only reach so far in a persons mind, until it’s just you and them…
I found this incredibly sad and scary as well…it made me weep for anyone who has to go through this. At least there are new medications to try to treat it.
This is fairly accurate but it’s not as bad as you think. At least not all the time. For me it’s just one voice and it’s really quiet. You’d never notice unless you’re alone or in a place that it could taunt you about. As for the episodes the hallucenations can be scary but they get old fast. No one notices or knows aside from the people I’ve told. You get better at fighting it with the right support. It’s not perfect but at least I’m off the medication. That just made it worse for me. My prayers go to all those who suffer similarly. God Bless.
Sean, i wish my brother come to term and accept the fact that he is suffering what every schizophrenic suffers. I feel guilty pretending that he is fine. He trust me n shares his hallucination, somthing also seem to stimulate his private parts, and he suspects some camera tat constantly spies him. Oh it is so sad
This is more common than most think. Some people can hide their disease well. I do not know what can be one. Hopefully new future research can understand what causes this and reverse it.
– Bret Loebel
Those two stimulations scared me so much that I couldn’t finish watching either. I hear voices and see things too. I feel like everyone is out to get me and is trying to harm me. The voices usually tell me things like, “Go into the woods. It’ll be fun.” or “Go die.” or “Hurt them. They deserve it.” It’s hard but I manage to not do what the voices tell me. The things I see are usually these black figures. I also see animals and random people. My family tells me it’s just my imagination but I’m not so sure.
i know exactly what your saying i see exactly those things, i just keep thinking im seeing things. Thing is i smoke cannabis regularly frm a very young age, but its when im not in that state i see these things even when i was little long before i knew about smoking. These voices i get aswel, but to me it sounds like me in my head tellin myself but i wonder, am i?, i dont know what to think and how to go about this, my temper is becoming worse everyday just as it was when i was young. I scare myself sometimes not knowing what ill do one day.
but this isnt all, theres so much going on in my head i dont want to post it, ill look mad or i dno, but the things that run through my head scare me, and then ill be fine after, smiling, chilling, i just dont understand
I am both schizophrenic and have used psychedelic drugs.
I have all the typical symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, etc.
I’ll hear voices all the time.
On top of that, I’m constantly being assaulted with a huge amount of images being beamed directly in to my head.
I’ve seen such a huge variety of images it would be impossible to describe them all, but I’ll list a few:
Universes being created and destroyed, in big-bang to big freeze fashion
Stars forming and going supernova
Atoms forming and splitting apart
“Mirrors” of reality being formed and being visually distorted in a bunch of different ways
Hell like setting filled with thousands of demons
Super advanced machines and biomechanical aliens of sorts
“Pins” being inserted in to various parts of my body
My body exploding in to a million pieces, starting with my skin peeling of, then muscles, the organs being divided, then blood vessels, nerves, then bones, ending with the entire body atomizing
My body decaying like a corpse, flesh being eating by maggots, completely rotting away until the only the bones are left, the bones decaying in to dust
Listing them and reading them causes me to experience them over again
I am not schizophrenic… well I don’t think so but having experienced with a wide variety of psychoactives, I have found myself having exactly the kind of experience in those two video sequences. I have saw videos of how it’s like to be drunk or on psychedelics, and it just isn’t that. But this is very accurate! I beleive it is a mental disorder, having a sort of spiritual origin… because during my delirious experience, I have heard the voices and later on saw a strange cloud of multi-headed self-transforming spirits – I have also seen a seemingly evil creature made of red volatile flames. At the time it was anchored over my head and it did seem like a “soul parasite”. I have no idea what it’s all really about… but I’m pretty sure it may have to do with lessening of natural defenses, allowing all sort of strange “inorganic spirits” to infest you. I would be curious to see how shamans, especially the one using la medecinà (ayahuasca) in south america would deal with schizophrenia. Maybe the plants spirits could be of tremendous help here. Thanks for sharing!
Hello, my name is Jennifer Lara
I was wondering who can I ask for the link to this video?
The video won’t load on this webpage and I don’t know the cause.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.
the link to the videos are : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qb8wQjwVu2g
also http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dkB2CGL769o
:)