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psychotic-spectrum · 5 years

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I think i might be schizophrenic or maybe psychotic but I can’t see a therapist. I experience closed eyed hallucinations, hallucinations in the dark, delusions, and physical hallucinations. Do you have any resources about symptoms or how to handle these things?

Hi anon.

I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling with symptoms and that you can’t see a therapist. I found a wiki page with a lot of useful information on how to handel hallucinations.

Remember that hallucinations can never hurt you.

Your brain is playing tricks on you, but you are safe. No matter how disturbing the hallucination might be, it isn't going to harm you.

Hearing voices can be a sign of stress, so do activities that relax you.[2] Sleep deprivation, isolation, dehydration or starvation, strong emotions, fever/illness, and drug use can also cause hallucinations.[3]

Tell yourself "it's just a symptom" or "just because it sounds/looks/feels real doesn't mean it is."

Check if the thing is real.

Sometimes, the hallucinations might obviously be fake (like a cat with glowing eyes and wings), but other times, they may be more subtle. Here are some ways to test whether something is a hallucination:

Sight: Try taking a photo of what you see. If it doesn't show up in the photo, it's not real.

If you wear glasses, try taking them off and see if the hallucination looks "clear," like when you're wearing your glasses.

Hearing: Try taking a recording of what you hear on your phone. If the voices are too loud, ask someone else to listen to the recording. Or play music: if the voices are still clear despite there being loud music, they're a hallucination.

Smell: Ask another person, "Do you smell that?" If they don't, it's probably a hallucination.

Taste: Ask someone to try a bit of what you're eating. If they don't taste what you're tasting, it's likely a hallucination, and your food is fine.

You can also notice if other people and animals are reacting to whatever you're noticing. If nobody seems to notice it, it may not be real.

Engage with something that you know is real.

This can help you focus on something better, and distract you from the hallucination.

Try doing something that you enjoy, like working on a hobby, playing with a pet, watching a show, or playing a favorite game.

Try using a different sense than the one the hallucination is engaging. For example, if you're having visual hallucinations, then you could sing along to music.[6]

Sometimes, blocking out the hallucination using the same sense might work. For example, if you're having tactile hallucinations, a warm shower or cold compress might drown out those feelings.

Try a grounding exercise.

Grounding exercises can help you stay connected to reality.

Focus on the senses that are best connected to reality right now.

Try treating visual hallucinations as friends or companions.

Give them a name. Tell them about your day, if you're alone. This can make them seem less scary.

Which is more scary: an eldritch four-tailed abomination in your corner, or the four-tailed creature named Fluffy who listens to you talk about your troubles at work?

Dismiss any mean voices inside your head.

Sometimes, you may hear voices saying awful things to you, or telling you to do bad things. Pretend they're coming from edgy, pathetic teens who are trying to upset you by being as rude as possible.

If you're in private, you might want to talk back to them. Insult the voices right back, be sarcastic, and mock them. It won't make them stop, but it may help you cope.

If you're in public, you can talk into a phone while talking to the mean voices, so that people don't get confused.

Do what helps you feel safe.

It's okay to be upset by hallucinations, even if you know they aren't real. They can be scary or disturbing sometimes. Any calming rituals, even if they might seem "silly" to other people, are worth doing if they help you.

Go to a place that makes you feel safe.

Use any comfort objects, like a favorite blanket or a book that you like to re-read.

Turn on the lights.

Play your favorite, most relaxing music.

Spend time with people who help you feel safe.

Using Long-Term Strategies

If you've been diagnosed with a mental or physical illness that causes hallucinations, work on self care.

Take your medication, as directed, every day.

Set an alarm on your phone, or write a reminder.

Talk to your doctor about what to do if you realize that you missed a dose.

If you have a pet, give your pet a treat every time you take your meds. You may forget when it's time to take your meds, but your pet won't.

Know your early signs.

This will help you recognize an oncoming episode, so you can prepare and perhaps adjust your medication or talk to a doctor.

Potential early signs include:

Sleep changes

Isolation

Feeling annoyed more easily

Wondering if it's time to stop taking your meds

Keep a diary of your hallucinations. This can help you notice patterns, such as situations when they're more likely to show up.[14] If you want, the diary could also be helpful to show to anyone who you want to explain your situation to, like a doctor.

Find ways to reduce stress in your daily life.

A lower-stress lifestyle can help reduce hallucinations. Try to do something relaxing or enjoyable each day, and limit your exposure to things that cause you stress.

Spend time with loved ones.

Try to exercise, even in small ways.

Enjoy your hobbies.

Try spending time with animals.

Get advice on how to tackle the most stressful areas of your life.

Spend less time on stressful news or social media sites.

Cut out (or at least reduce exposure to) toxic people, places and habits.

Try mindfulness and meditation. Some people find these helpful for managing hallucinations. Try focusing on your breathing, or being aware of what you're going through.

Talk to your loved ones about how they can help you when you're hallucinating. People without hallucinations may feel worried, confused, or powerless to help. You can tell them what would help you most, so they know what to do when you're hallucinating. Here are some examples of things you can say:

"Sometimes I forget what to do when I hallucinate, because I'm so scared that I forget how to help myself. It would be helpful for you to gently remind me of the strategies I can use."

"There's not much you can do when I hallucinate. But if you stay with me, and listen and validate my feelings, it really helps me feel better."

"Please don't argue with my hallucinations. It doesn't help me. What I really need is someone to listen to me and acknowledge my feelings, even if the hallucinations aren't real."

Avoid self isolation. Being alone with your delusions or hallucinations can make them worse.[16] Try to spend time seeing friends or family.

Stick with your self-care habits as much as you can.

Sleep well, get outdoors to exercise, and eat healthy food. This can help you feel healthier and stronger, so you're better able to cope with difficult situations.

Don't punish yourself if you have a bad day and aren't able to take good care of yourself. Tomorrow is a new day. Just keep doing your best.

Avoid drugs and alcohol.

These may worsen your hallucinations, or impair your ability to deal with them.

Marijuana might calm you down in the moment, but it makes symptoms worse and increases the risk of a relapse.

The next pieces of advice are about getting professional help, if you can’t get read them anyway because they can be useful for the future

See a doctor if you don't know why you're hallucinating.

It's important to know what's going on with you, and to get an accurate diagnosis. Make a doctor appointment to talk about what's going on with you. Sometimes hallucinations are brought on by severe stress or lack of sleep,

while other times they are a sign of a mental or physical illness.

If you've been keeping a journal of symptoms, bring it along.

If talking about your symptoms is hard, try writing down a list.

If you're nervous, try bringing along a support person to help you through it.

Try anti psychotic medication.

Anti psychotic meds may reduce your hallucinations, or even stop them.

Try talking to a doctor about whether they're right for you.

Take your meds according to the directions. Don't take more than the prescribed dosage.

Some medications have side effects. Talk to a doctor about any side effects you're experiencing, and whether a different medication might be better.

If you feel like you're "cured," it means the pills are doing their job. Don't stop taking them without talking to a doctor.

Look into therapy. Therapy may help you deal with stress and handle your hallucinations. Ask about what type of therapy might be right for you.

Try talking to other people with psychotic disorders online. There are online communities, like forums and hashtags such as #PseriouslyPsychotic, where people with psychotic disorders can talk and connect. People there may be able to give you advice and support.

Consider joining a support group. There may be support groups in your area for people with psychotic disorders, or mental illnesses in general.

Do your best to be patient with your recovery. Effects may not be instantaneous, and it's possible to have relapses and bad days. That doesn't mean that you're "broken" or that you'll never get better. Keep doing the best you can with the resources you have.

You can find the full page here:

https://www.wikihow.com/Handle-Hallucinations

#anonymous #answered #hallucinarions #how to cope with hallucinations

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sydmarch · 3 years

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ok before I actually get into changes I'd make to happy's wardrobe first I need to get into the WHY behind it all. long post below the cut this has been festering in my drafts so i’m just posting it now despite it being kind of a mess.

a few of the ideas that have been rolling around in my head like marbles are bcus of practical reasons but mostly it's about fixing what I feel is a disconnect in characterization, like how happy sees herself & people in universe see her vs what we the audience see.

throughout the entire series we constantly see happy comparing herself to other women: paige, amy, the girls at the sorority she goes undercover at, even the other kids at the orphanage in the flashback/hallucinarion scene. & a fair amount of these comparisons involve her femininity, with lines like "I've never been super feminine. I'm not a cheerleader. she's ten times girlier than I am" so it's like pretty established that happy often feels she doesn't fit in with other women & a big part of that is her lack of femininity, but to me at least there's such a disconnect between this characterization & her appearance??

I mean yes she's not as feminine as paige who we usually see in skirts and blouses and lipstick. but it's not like she looks particularly unfeminine either when her standard getup is like black skinny jeans, fitted tshirt, fitted jacket, long hair with beachy waves. maybe it's just me but if we weren't constantly being TOLD happy isn't feminine I wouldn't think of her as unfeminine but just like. thoroughly average on the femininity scale. keep in mind I'm strictly talking abt styling & appearance. & mostly these observations are based off s1 and s4

it just feels like they're telling more than showing here! & I don't mean for any of this post to come across as oh they made her too girly for a mechanic and engineer like if they had decided to make her a high femme engineer that's one thing but they DIDN'T! if they're gonna make a lot of her character hinge on her feeling less feminine and like she doesn't always fit in I just think they should've leaned into it more. & I also feel like there's some smaller more practical details they couldve included to to really make her feel like she looks more like her character should. if that makes sense

basically the boots from the pilot episode should come back those were like REAL work boots not the “combat boots but the kind you get at dsw” we almost always see her in after the fact. the tool belt i think she literally only wore in the pilot! where did it go!! i do like that she’s almost always wearing that pair of black skinny jeans w the double zipper on each side bcus it makes sense for her not to be someone who has a ton of different bottoms. it’s practical and suits her. BUT i can’t see her as someone who’s totally cool w never having pants pockets/tiny women’s pants pockets & those jeans definitely don’t look like the type to have decent pocket space. so i would’ve liked to see her occasionally wear baggier jeans that clearly have pocket space. or bring back the toolbelt w the skinny jeans. hell men’s jeans on occasion bcus they’re PRACTICAL & happy is practical. also we were robbed of happy in overalls or a boilersuit. & a lot of her tops look too like fitted or brand new especially when she’s working around the garage. i would like to see her in the black skinny jeans w a baggy top that has oil stains on it. also i would’ve liked to see her w her hair worn up way more often. & i feel like they gradually stopped showing her in that leather welding apron which is a shame. & we should see her in the garage w like gloves on and safety goggles hanging around her neck. like i’m just a bitch who likes diy projects & i’m regualrly hanging around my apartment w my goggles dangling around my neck we should see that same energy in happy. or maybe all of this post is me projecting!

thanks for coming to my ted talk

#texticles #scorpion #cbs scorpion #i just need this out of my drafts lmao i'm never gonna edit this & add little sketches like i planned to

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