Schizophrenia is not a choice and it's not curable by force of will, sadly, no matter how often society attempts to re-orient the schizophrenic individual to the dominant reality it doesn't work. The current treatments are still relatively crude, with life altering side effects.
I had an aunt with severe schizophrenia, luckily she was prescribed a medicine that was very effective for her. The problem was she often refused to take her meds and insisted she didn't need them until the symptoms got worse and worse. She'd often stay in her schizophrenic state until the family severely pressured her to cut her shit and take her meds, which would bring her back to our dominant reality. That was a relief for everyone, especially her. I'm still not sure that George isn't the greatest troll ever, and simply sits back and laughs his ass off every day while watching us react. Even if George is truly schizophrenic, I'm not interested in being his caregiver. IOW, if he had malaria it also wouldn't be his fault, but I wouldn't allow him to cough on me...
Worse as schizophrenics experience, 'being called on their shit', by those in the dominant reality it usually drives them into isolation because they feel the anger and dislike and feel the brunt of their inability to share that reality. This fuels paranoidal ideation which does not end well for them, or society, as a whole.
I won't be held hostage by his condition. I had a gf in my 20s that had serious issues and often threatened to kill herself if I did do, or did not do, this or that. This is a public forum and if George is really that sick and fragile, someone should be appointed to him that shouldn't allow him to interact with the public in this manner. If he were a small, mentally ill child the answer wouldn't be to allow him into public school where he proceeds to punch kids in the face, shit on their lunch trays then ask the children to put up with it. The answer would be to confine him to an accepting environment. If George cannot act appropriately, I'd rather him be driven into isolation...
In the therapeutic milieu they are re-oriented to the dominant reality, in a nice manner, that's all I'm suggesting really, showing some kindness to someone who can't completely share the currently agreed upon reality.
I hear you, but I'm not interested in being part of his therapy, and the approach you suggest has been shown for the last few years to be ineffective. I think it's time to try the methodology I'm proposing...
Anyway thank you for talking and thinking about what you say and do, I respect that.
Thank you. I may be an asshole, but I'm an honest and thoughtful one
