Do I or My Loved One Have Mental Illness

Do I or My Loved One Have Mental Illness?
Here is a check list:

[ ] Is my world view different now?

[ ] Are most of my "thoughts" about myself and my feelings?

[ ] Do most of my conversations and thoughts begin with "I"?

[ ] Am I preoccupied with intruding thoughts that interfere with work, school and relationships?

[ ] Do I have nightmares that interfere with sleep?

[ ] Do I have trouble getting out of bed?

[ ] Do I have trouble leaving the house?

[ ] Do I have trouble concentrating at work?

[ ] Do I have trouble concentrating at school?

[ ] Do I wet the bed?

[ ] Do people frequently talk about me?

[ ] Do I have a "secret" life, friend, or preoccupation?

[ ] Do I have "problems" with my sexual identity?

[ ] Do I usually miss the urinal or toilet when peeing?

[ ] Is it too hard to daily shower, wash up, brush my teeth, shampoo hair?

[ ] Is there a heaviness on or about me that I cannot shake?

[ ] Is there an unrelenting urge to flee, run, be moving, escape?

[ ] I have committed an unforgivable sin.

[ ] Nobody would ever love me.

[ ] I could never share/reveal the real me.

[ ] I am damaged goods.

[ ] I have lost my salvation.

[ ] Cleaning (dishes, the bathroom, the bedroom, the house) is women's work.

[ ] Doing laundry or cooking meals is too much work.

[ ] I have a craving for fast foods, junk foods and sweets.

[ ] I gulp down 3 helpings before others have finished their appetizer.

[ ] Voices speak to me from the TV, radio, etc.

[ ] Loud rhythmic music drowns out voices in my head.

[ ] My visions, voices, or thoughts tell me to do things which get me into trouble.

[ ] I believe things which my family or acquaintances do not (or would not) accept.

[ ] Are a lot of family, friends, or work associates out to get me?

[ ] I am the black sheep of the family.

[ ] I have a family member who has mental illness.

[ ] I had turmoil in high school (age 14-17), but in college (age 18-21) things really began to go astray in my life.

[ ] It seems that I am in a daily crisis.

[ ] I often feel like crying.

[ ] I am angry a lot.

[ ] I have these bursts of energy where my talent blossoms and I perform exceptionally well even without sleep, but then I crash and cannot function well at all for awhile.

[ ] People tell me that I overreact to circumstances.

[ ] Everybody pushes my buttons (of - anger, fear, distrust, criticism, bitterness, jealousy, resentment)

Doctor Abram Hoffer has the HOD written question and answer test to determine if one has schizophrenia. www.orthomed.org

We all may have, from time to time, any of the above issues, especially after a personal crisis. However, if the above and similar issues become predominant in our lives, where our "normal" life becomes less and our "new" life becomes more, to the extent that we cannot function without great difficulty, then we need to discuss and work with a "safe" person, before we so isolate ourselves that we may lose the ability to get help. That is because, as the illness worsens, so does the loss of insight. Then it becomes safer and safer to live on the street, rather than live with those who can walk with us, as we work out our dilemmas.

A priest Father Hampsch in Healing Your Family Tree advises, "An astonishing number of mental patients suffer from the presence of 'spirits' or the intrusion of 'voices'..., audible only to themselves. Psychiatrists not familiar with demonology usually dismiss these phenomena as expressions of insanity, and in some cases they are correct."
Father Hampsch continues on to state, "The Eucharist is the single most powerful exorcistic prayer available to us."

The RESOURCES page at web site www.schizophrenia-info.info suggest a lot of good doctors, clinics, literature, and other "safe" alternative and conventional resources that have worked for many many people. The sooner you plug into them or others, the sooner you will be at peace.

Do not forget to plug into God. You may not like Him or know Him, but He is a key to your and my healing. Remember, He made us, so He can fix us, but we have to give Him permission. The first step is to make sure He is not our enemy. Reconcile with God if you are separated from Him. You may want to check out some of your local synagogues or churches or some of the resources listed on our web site. Today God often works in the flesh (through people), the same way He used to work His healings through Jesus.