Schizophrenia

There was a time when a person who believed that they were a woman trapped in a man's body or a man trapped in a woman's body would have been diagnosed as Schizophrenic. The cynic in me says that the medical industry decided it was more profitable to call it "gender dysphoria" and to chop off their junk at $100k a pop.

The internet claims that people who are diagnosed as schizophrenic and who are meds-compliant with an effective anti-psychotic drug commit violence at rates that are no higher than the general population. Peer-reviewed research that uses meta-data (combining a multitude of studies that are similar to produce a very large sample-size) states that the mean rate of meds noncompliance among people with schizophrenia is 52%.

The other fly-in-the-ointment is that drugs will suddenly stop working. There will be no warning. The brain will go off-the-reservation. So it is disingenuous to qualify the phrase "meds-compliant" with the term "an effective anti-psychotic drug" when the effectiveness of any drug might be years...it might be months...it might be weeks. It is a circular logic: They aren't any more violent than the general population (IF) they are taking the drugs that (by random chance) are making them no more violent than the general population.

Schizophrenia symptoms

• Delusions (often paranoia)
• Hallucinations (often hearing voices)
• Disorganized speech and thinking
• Unusual motor behaviors, agitation
• Flat affect, unable to show emotion (dead-eyes), poor hygiene
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Doing poorly at school or work
• Sleep irregularities
• Irritable, depressed
• Listless
• Much higher risk of suicide...as many as 5% of people with schizophrenia commit suicide. 

Note: early use of cannabis is liked to higher risk of Schizophrenia

Side effects of Clozapine

Clozapine is the last-resort drug that is the go-to when everything else fails.

More common side effects

blurred vision

confusion

constipation

dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position

fainting

fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse

fever

nausea

shakiness in the legs, arms, hands, or feet

sleepiness or unusual drowsiness

sweating

trembling or shaking of the hands or feet

unusual tiredness or weakness

vomiting

Less common side effects

absence of or decrease in movement

change in appetite

dark urine

decreased sexual ability

difficult or fast breathing or sudden shortness of breath

increased sweating

increased thirst

increased urination

lip smacking or puckering

muscle stiffness (severe)

puffing of the cheeks

rapid or worm-like movements of the tongue

swelling or pain in the leg

uncontrolled chewing movements

uncontrolled movements of the arms and legs

unusual bleeding or bruising

unusually pale skin

weakness

yellow eyes or skin

Gee, I wonder why people go meds-noncompliant.