- Moderator
- #1
Many people and many families have to deal with mental illness. I think schizophrenia is one of the most misunderstood because we're only aware of it when sensational crimes are committed (like mass shootings), or we see the dirty, shambling guy on the street talking to himself, or it's a family member. A lot of times, incidents of excessive police force end up being in encounters with mentally ill people - police aren't trained to handle it in ways that reduce escalation. Some police forces are adding a specially trained people to help in those situations and prevent them from becoming violent confrontations.
I came across some interesting videos, experiments where people volunteered to try to see - hear - exist in the world as it is for a person suffering from schizophrenia.
http://www.refinery29.com/2014/06/69318/schizophrenia-simulator-video
These videos show a simulation of both the visual and auditory effects a person with schizophrenia might encounter attempting to do an ordinary activity such as a trip to the pharmacy.
This one is a link about a virtual reality program used for training police and other professionals who may have to encounter a person with unmedicated schizophrenia. Virtual Schizophrenia
I came across some interesting videos, experiments where people volunteered to try to see - hear - exist in the world as it is for a person suffering from schizophrenia.
http://www.refinery29.com/2014/06/69318/schizophrenia-simulator-video
For most of us, mental illnesses are concepts we can comprehend in the abstract — but actually empathizing with someone who suffers from one on a daily basis is another story entirely. There are often no physical symptoms for conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression. And, because there's still a stigma in this country that prevents us from talking openly about these disorders (and few accurate representations of them in the media), it's difficult to understand how they work in reality.
With that in mind, Anderson Cooper took part in an experiment designed to replicate the experience of someone suffering with schizophrenia. Cooper spent a day with a simulation of typical schizophrenia symptoms (i.e. voices) playing constantly in his ear; he was asked to perform simple tasks and go about his day. As you'll see in the video above, what begins as an annoying distraction devolves into something a bit more distressing as the voices start yelling — and the normally cool, calm, and collected Cooper fights the urge to yell back.
http://www.cnn.com/video/api/embed.html#
These videos show a simulation of both the visual and auditory effects a person with schizophrenia might encounter attempting to do an ordinary activity such as a trip to the pharmacy.
This one is a link about a virtual reality program used for training police and other professionals who may have to encounter a person with unmedicated schizophrenia. Virtual Schizophrenia