Schizophrenia and stigma

[Dimity]

Good article.

Thanks @RachSANECEO 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/24/is-the-inquest-into-the-bondi-junction-murder...

[RiverSeal]

Hey @Dimity, thanks for sharing the article! As a person who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, this is something that impacts me too. It's a challenging time, and I'm thankful for the Forums where it's a safe space to talk about our experiences openly. Take care RiverSeal ❤️

[Dimity]

Thanks @RiverSeal . I used to have a schizophrenia diagnosis and my meds are still much the same so it's close to my heart.

[Till23]

Thanks for sharing this article @Dimity 

@Ziggy posted some commentary on schizophrenia a couple of days ago, which I thought was a very informative first person account.

[Dimity]

Yes @Till23 it's good to see people sharing. 

I think it's also important - as emphasised in increasing awareness of autism - to know that individual experiences can differ.

[Till23]

Yes @Dimity I think experiences of people with any MH issue differ. 

I have a friend who was initially diagnosed with schizophrenia, then BPD and now has bipolar diagnosis. She has maintained a professional career throughout all of the confusing diagnoses and treatments and continues in that profession today and we remain good friends. I have recently had the honour of supporting her through a cancer diagnosis, having had cancer twice before myself. So was able to use Lived Experience there!

[Dimity]

Thanks for sharing that @Till23 .

That was my path too - schizophrenia then BPD then bipolar, and working as a professional for as long as I was able, through many challenges. I now think there's a liberal sprinkling of c-ptsd there as well and have done some EMDR.

I trust your friend is receiving treatment and doing as well as possible.

[Till23]

That’s interesting @Dimity that you had pretty much the same pathway to current diagnosis as my friend. I wonder if that is common.

 I have not been diagnosed with any of those issues but I do have cPTSD (dissociative subtype), depression and anxiety.

My friend had a few changes in meds along the way but has been on current meds for a while and is seemingly very stable.

The cancer diagnosis and treatment did not seem to impact her MH, well probably slightly, unlike mine which really impacted my MH. Not the diagnosis but one of the treatments.

We both had similar treatments.

She (and I) are on treatment for cancer still, but the prognosis is good for both of us.

[chibam]

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@Dimity wrote:

Good article.

Thanks @RachSANECEO 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/24/is-the-inquest-into-the-bondi-junction-murder...

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Wow. I was only talking about this the other day with @Appleblossom . My particular concern was that the incident will get watered down by the government and media as simply being the result of a mentally ill person going off his meds.

And that this simplification may likewise cultivate the black-and-white idea that "Medicated = safe; Unmedicated = dangerous" when it comes to anyone who has a suspected mental illness.

That's not to deny that some people need medication, of course. But the public needs to understand the nuance of the role medication plays in mental healthcare, and that not every 'mentally ill' person needs to be medicated.

I've read a fair bit of the transcripts relating to Mr. Cauchi's mental healthcare and, IMHO, there are a lot of pertinant questions about what was going on in his life that don't seem to have been asked (although perhaps they were asked, and I just haven't read that section yet). On the other hand, there's a massive amount of dialogue about how he came off medication.

That really seems to be the focus of the inquiry at this point, and I can really see the inquiry attributing the whole incident to Cauchi being unmedicated. It's a very simple and tidy answer for what happened. And, as we all know, there's a sizable portion of the media and general public who love nothing more than a simple explaination.

[Appleblossom]

That’s right. You weren’t the only one to notice, @chibam wondered if I should tag you… it is just good that alternative discussion is happening. Good to see you posting.