Are you frightened of me?

[Theodoreb]

I have bipolar and schizophrenia. I'm not asking about the bipolar but the schizophrenia. Do you feel frightened of me? Would my lack of facial expressions and severe lack of emotion even when talking about something extreme scare you? Or my lack of eye contact? Does me talking to voices only I can hear and my inappropriate humor cause people distress if so can I ask why please? I know I'm different but I've never hurt anyone intentionally but people find me odd and it's hard for me to make friends (unless bipolar mania is active when schizophrenia symtoms are disguised apart from hallucinations) so just wondering.

No. My dear nan was schizophrenic and nothing about her frightened me

You use quite strong language in your post, like 'frighten' and 'scare' and 'distress'. The likelihood is that people find you a bit unsympathetic (due to your lack of emotion) and hard to get to know (due to the lack of eye contact - this is important for most people) rather than anything as extreme as you're suggesting.

I know neither of those are your fault OP. Just trying to answer your question.

People can be uncomfortable as @curlyendive posted above, but hopefully when they get to know your communication style that would help?
How do you feel in yourself when talking to others?
My uncle had schizophrenia, he could sometimes be difficult to ‘read’ body language wise but never frightening. I have some mental health issues myself, not the same, but do remember being very anxious in company when things were bad

No, you wouldn't scare me because people In my family have schizophrenia and bipolar so I am aware.

Although I could understand why some people may be "on edge" around behaviours they aren't used to because they don't understand and sometimes people can be unpredictable, it's the unknown which scares people imo.

Bipolar and schizophrenia?

Honestly I'd probably be a bit freaked out because I have never known any one with schizophrenia....not sure scared is the right word but unsure to begin with maybe

I would if I didn't know that you had schizophrenia

Yes. I've had patients with same traits lean into my face and whisper "I'm going to slice your tits off". Or the time one guy kept asking me if I had drugs and when I couldn't produce them for him he would scream into my face. It was honestly frightening.

My husband has schizophrenia we’ve been together 14 years in September, mind he is brilliant at taking his meds.

Me personally yes, in my line of work I deal with people who have personality disorders and schizophrenia and it does make me uneasy, I'm very good at hiding it though or else I wouldn't be doing the job I'm in (it's not the main role but makes up around 20%)

It's not because I don't understand though, more that I grew up in an abusive household with a narcissistic dad who was emotionally and physically controlling.

And also an experience once with a man who I was interviewing who had schizophrenia stating he had strong urges to stab someone left me feeling very chilled

@missingmum sorry I more meant don't understand what or why the person is being a certain way and it's unnerving if you don't know what's going to happen next.

I'm pretty sure you can have multiple mental health illnesses not just one.

I met someone once who talked to voices I couldn’t hear and it did frighten me.
What frightened me was because I’d had no experience, I found the persons behaviour very unpredictable. I couldn’t hear the voices and my only experience is from films that portray hearing voices as usually a dangerous situation. That made me nervous.
Now, I realise that their behaviour is as unpredictable as anyone’s behaviour and not any more dangerous, so now I don’t worry.
Hope that made sense!

My initial reaction is yes, but actually one of my longest standing friends from my ‘pub days’ is schizophrenic and I’ve never found him scary at all, so maybe not.

Thank you for all your honest responses tbh I don't actually socialize that much I have a couple of close friends but they understand me but it's little things like the fact I don't like to be touched I guess it just that if I'm over my friends houses they feel the need to explain to anyone who comes why I am different and it makes me anxious that people don't like me or are frightened of me this upsets me and I wonder if there is something I can do to change people feeling uneasy.

I know that my best friend explains to everyone not to touch me and that I'm a little quiet and quirky but a lovely girl once you get to know me yet people seem put off by me. Yet if someone upsets me or touches me I won't react violently I'll have a complete break down and become extremely upset and if someone tries to force eye contact from me I run away and leave no explanation I just run and leave.

but I've never hurt anyone intentionally

But unintentionally you have?

In my experience, people are terrified of things they cannot control or understand. I also have close family with schizophrenia. As a child I was genuinely just curious and truly wanted to understand what he was going through. As an adult I’m a bit frustrated he’s refusing medical help. But his life, his choice and I wouldn’t change him.
Also, I suffered from a severe psychotic episode a few years ago where I was hearing voices. I was in my own little world for a good few months but I recall how many would stare and/or step away as if I would harm them by just breathing the same air. Since having the psychosis, I now know what not to do if that makes sense. Psychosis is massively misunderstood by loads and so is schizophrenia.

@Crikey0000 yes unfortunately I was first diagnosed with bipolar when on a manic episode that I was sectioned during then as my mania was stabilized my psychiatrist noticed certain traits which remained like my inability to focus on anything new, my lack of emotion, the fact I don't like being touched, the fact that sometimes the words I say make no sense, And my inability to learn anything new, I cannot watch new tv I re watch the same things over and over again and will only play the same games as anything new causes me too much concentration my complete lack of interest in self preservation and the fact that I have psychosis all the time so my diagnosis was broadened.

@Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel yes I have hurt people by accident for example I hurt my first love when I had a termination at age 15 I hurt my dc when I was to unwel to care for them for a period of 18 months and didn't want them seeing me that unwell so left them with my mum and went away still seeing them daily for as long as I could remain suitable to be seen by them but they were still hurt by my absence. I have done lots of things which have unintentionally hurt people. My various suicide attempts hurt my mum, it hurts her when I hurt myself.

I'm sorry you feel so different and upset. I suppose it would depend on the experiences of the person to how they wold perceive you. If they'd only seen someone with schizophrenia on tv, portrayed in a bad way, or had bad personal experiences with someone with schizophrenia, then they may be more inclined to be scared or unsure of you.
Personally I've looked after two people with schizophrenia who took regular medication and whilst they had their "quirks" I can honestly say I had good experiences with them.

So in answer to your question, no I wouldn't be scared of you. I would want you to be honest with me and tell me not to touch you etc so that I would trigger you in any way, but I would expect anybody who had these issues to tell me up front so that I didn't upset them.

I'm glad you have such understanding friends.

@Twatcat thank you very much, people who know me are not frightened of me at all.

And to you and everyone else who would not be frightened I feel much better. To those who would be frightened I am grateful for your honesty it helps me to understand.

I would like to point out that while I appear unemotional I have feelings the same as everyone else I just don't show them.

@ElectricTonight yes, just that, the unpredictability frightens me not the illness.

@Theodoreb that is so tough, mental illness is so difficult, I feel humbled by your posts, my fear is due to childhood abuse by a narcissists, mental health comes in many many forms.

My uncle had a psychotic breakdown 4 years ago and has never recovered, no longer psychotic but chronic bed bound depression, this scares us as a family knowing he'll unlikely make a recovery, not scared that he'll hurt us. It's complex.

Does medication help you? Do you always take it?

@missingmum thank you I am actually doing very well for many years my mum has lived with me and my dc then a couple of years ago I was coping well enough that she was able to return to work and unfortunately badly timed but she moved out in January as I have been coping so well with everything we decided to see how well i could do with living alone, while I am struggling with lockdown I am told by my psychiatrist that it is normal to be struggling right now and it's ok and normal to struggle mentally sometimes but that I am doing well under the circumstances.

I'm sorry about your uncle but have faith I spent about 18 months bed bound extremely psychotic yet I recovered the brain has a amazing way of adapting there is always hope that he will improve just keep trying don't give up 

@HollowTalk yes my medication enables me to function and look after both myself and my dc and to live a good happy life i love my medication and even though it has some horrid side effects it is the reason I'm here.

I take my tablets at the exact same time every single night as they will work best like that so I take them at 10 every night and they make me sleep at 11 so will be my last post. Then the morning ones I take when I wake up I am not as strict on the morning ones.