His explanation about logically knowing he's being irrational makes perfect sense to me: I use the terms "logical brain" and "emotional brain" Like if I am about to have a panic attack I feel like the world is literally ending and my life is over- that's my emotional brain I know I am safe. I know the world isn't ending. And that I am worrying over nothing and there are no triggers at times- that's the logical part However my logic and emotional states are so disconnected that I cannot talk myself, or be talked, out of my panic and emotions. My only choice is to ride it out and eventually calm down or crash from the event and then pick up and move on. Well, now that THAT'S over, let's get on with life, shall we? I feel like I am both a big sister and little sister at the same time- or I am my own mother and a child. The little sister/child is my emotions- which have been stunted due to many traumatic situations since childhood The big sister/ mother is my logic- because I am logically very mature and am decently intelligent (VA mandated testing to get done for my IQ when I was claiming disability). It's hard to be intellectually intelligent while also being emotionally immature....
During a mental evaluation, what's the puzzles and "games" they have you try to complete in a specific time frame? I've always wondered what that was for
@@kristaqualey8302 I was given: Clinical Interview Mental Staus Examination Test of Memory Malingering Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) Repeatable Battery for the Assesment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale- IV (WAIS-IV)- selected sub-tests Wide Range Achievement Test-4 (WRAT-4)- selective sub-tests Trail-Makin Test (TMT) Verbal Fluency Wechsler Memory Scale-IV (WMS-IV; Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction) This was all to test my cognitive capacity and to decide whether or not I could be repainsible for my VA compensation benefits or if I would need a caretaker for my financial benefits.
It made sense to me also. I experience what he is describing. He is saying that even though he knows metacognitively that what he is thinking is incorrect, for all practical purposes he acts and thinks like it is.
Daniel Nepveux has his own UA-cam channel and I've been following him for a while. He's incredibly articulate, creative and honest. He's well worth checking out on here.
he really is an incredible person. i’ve been following for years and it seems like every time he updates the channel, something terrible has happened….it makes me so angry that so much awful shit keeps happening to such a good person. i’m glad he at least knows he’s got internet strangers rooting him on.
SBSK is one of my favorite channels, the amount of compassion and willingness to listen that Chris displays in each and every interview is so amazing to see. I'm so glad he's able to give so many people a platform to tell their story
Oh my god. When he talked about knowing it’s insane and irrational but still believing it i literally started crying. Me too. It frustrates me so much. so many mental health professionals think the key to getting better is awareness. I can be aware and still sick. maybe this is the difference between schizoaffective and classic schizophrenia, maybe that’s why i feel like this is so overlooked, as schizoaffective is generally less known about.
I don’t know if this is a thing that differentiates schizophrenia and schizoaffective. I have what’s best described as mild schizophrenia. I’m extremely analytical and skeptical, so some of my delusions I was completely aware of and yet couldn’t get it out of my head for any reason. Psychosis isn’t something one can “think themselves out of.” You can have differing levels of insight, but no matter what you think the experience is still there and it’s very strong. It’s confusing the way some psychologists talk about it. There are tests that say “do you feel like thoughts are being inserted in your head?” Yes I feel that quite often, but I don’t actually think they are thoughts from other people. And yet they are asking that question about a delusion.
@@gigahorse1475 I appreciate this! It was just a guess tbh. I honestly think i’m gonna show the original interview to my therapist because she definitely figured it was abnormal that i could recognize my delusions. I might show her these comments too, just to say maybe it’s more common than she figured. Unfortunately most professionals are not well educated on the schizo spectrum at all, and schizo specialists are rare. I relate a lot to the “insert thoughts” question and not being sure how to answer. Weird question but are you an INTP?
@@pinheadlarry2921Close. INTJ 😆. I’m also autistic (common for INTJs). Every time I have looked at comments, talked with people, or been in online spaces where there are people diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective… they often talk about their delusions with a lot of awareness, even while experiencing the delusion. It is very fascinating and seems to be a common experience. The only way to brush this off as a professional is to say all those people are lying. But why would they do that? And I don’t think it’s intellectually honest to call us all liars. A good professional would not do that.
Yes, so much. I become the universe like clockwork every 6 months or so. Logical me knows it's not real but in that moment, it's very real and it's hard to pull out of it.
Like a few other people here I disagree with Dr. Syl’s take on the “rationalization defense.” I think Daniel explained very well what it’s like to have your senses and experience contradict the reality we commonly take for granted. Although irrational thinking is part of schizophrenia, I strongly believe that if you take the most rational person in the world and give them the mere feeling that they are being watched, they will eventually start to believe they are being watched. From my own experience, I don’t think much irrationality is required for delusions. A lot of people experience both delusions and at least some level of awareness at the same time.
Yeah I agree. I think he missed the nuances of what a delusion actually is here. Daniel is clearly questioning if what he believes is real, most probably because others have questioned it and told him he is unwell. He is trying to convince himself he doesn't believe in it to get better, but he clearly still very much believes his delusions are true.
From what I've read, the issue of insight in psychosis is more complicated. And, just speaking from my personal experience (diagnosed with unspecified psychosis), it is possible to experience something like paranoia -- thinking people are monitoring me through devices, talking about me, lying to me, giving covert signs to one another about me -- while being aware it's not based in reality. It's distressing: it feels like I'm fighting my own mind. Fortunately, it's been a while since I've had bad symptoms like that.
Iv had episodes of "OCD" where I was fairly certain I was experiencing a delusion but I couldn't stop thinking about whatever I was thinking about because It became a compulsion and it made the fear feel very real. For example I felt the TV was talking to me, so I avoided TV. I became obsessed with the fear that I was going crazy, would google symptoms and ruminate, but because OCD is all about doubt, I knew somewhere I'm not experiencing thoughts based in reality but it didn't make the thoughts feel less real.. very strange space to be in
I didn't find him talking about how he understands logically he is experiencing psychosis but for him it is a very real experience hard to follow at all. I understood what he was saying quite clearly.
He was being evasive and had no actual awareness of what it's like to go through psychosis, only second hand opinions like "it was horrible". No one who goes through a psychosis can block out the entire experience and only remember "flashes" of lucidity like being in the hospital but literally nothing of the actual psychosis. Even his delusions are generic hackneyed "people are spying on me" or like Dr Syl establishes never true hallucinations but what you'd imagine from movies is what a hallucination is like ie paraidolia and "my shadow was talking to me". These are not at all now psychosis or hallucinations manifest. The term "voice inside your head" never literally sounds like it's coming from inside your head. That would be a logical impossibility. It is always mistaken for coming from either everywhere at once or an ambient background sound that the patient could not differentiate from what everyone else would be able to hear. How would it be possible for a patient to "know the voices are coming from his head" auditory hallucinations aren't a static phenomenon and do not comprise of merely voices but background noises and even blips that sound like the sound of machines or chimes analog or digital. Eg I can hear the radio. Then someone comes in and turns on the radio. And you realize only then that you weren't actually listening to the radio.. From the way he describes his symptoms they would be cake to manage versus actual schizoaffective disorder. But schizoaffective disorder also has remission its not even as bad when it's on remission as he is pretending. He would either not be on remission or going through a state of psychosis during the video. He can't be both.
9:29 I'm not sure what you mean by saying that it was hard to follow what he was saying because it seemed completely comprehensive to me. he said that psychosis was horrifying, then explained how he can't always tell that it starts, but he's learning to recogize the symptoms more, then said that the first time he experienced it there was a trigger but decided to not go into detail, and then explained one of the symptoms he experiences which is delusions, and how he know logically that they are delusions but his senses try to convince him otherwise. it's clear that he's nervous but i think he explained it quite comprehensively
it's clear that the doctor understands what daniel said, as he is able to summarize what he said. he's referring to the disorganized speech, which is definitely present here even though one can understand him. this type of lateral connections and disorganized speech is one of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
Following Daniel I find him so likeable. It must be told that he is a Veteran and has had many serious head injuries. He suffers from PTSD , he wouldn't access any VA services because he didn't feel worthy, he thinks his illness is minor compared to ex military who have lost limbs, sight etc.
I completely understood what he meant by logically knowing that it's wrong but still believing something. I feel it's a bit dismissive to just call it a rationalization defense. (I know you didn't mean it to be.) 10:24 It's like living in two worlds and having to choose every day which world you want to believe in based on your actions. It's like having a foot on each train track and deciding which to lean on more today. One says that logically, based on everything you've ever learned and all things rational, it is not real. The other says "Yeah, but..." and won't let go of the idea. Then you have to choose one or the other and based on your mood it's sometimes harder to choose the rational one. I thought I was weird for falling into that space in between which no one ever confirms. Now I know someone else has the same thing!
You are so right. I think people who haven’t experienced psychosis have trouble grasping this, even if they are experts. I had good insight but strong psychotic experiences for years, and it pretty much made me feel like I was two people, where one person believed the delusion and the other did not. I was trying so hard to be rational! I don’t think non-psychotic people ever experience this kind of divorce from experience/feelings and your own beliefs.
i know most people who haven’t experienced it have difficulty understanding, but i truly understood how he described his rationalizing. maybe because i experience ocd, perhaps? intrusive thoughts happen so often that you believe it’s true even though you know rationally it’s not. idk maybe
@flyingfranky good lord, i was reading the original comment going "ive never experienced psychosis, i wonder why relate to this so much" and then i read your comment and i was like "oh yeah i have ocd" 🤦♂️ intrusive thoughts are truly one of the most vile things in the world. i think its a similar experience, once youre out on the other side, of having to separate what your brain is telling you from what reality is. and for me, there is almost always that voice there going "yeah, but".
@@gigahorse1475 I honestly think that many people with OCD (especially the 'magical thinking' type) can experience the same feeling of KNOWING their fears/beliefs are completely irrational (e.g. an extreme fear of stepping on a crack in the pavement might lead to their mother being killed in a fatal car accident on the way to work) but still feeling like it's impossible to not engage in compulsions/behaviors (i.e. avoiding the crack, repeatedly calling their mother to make sure she's still ok, etc) to make sure these very implausible things don't happen. It's very interesting to me how this is a recognized thing in anxiety disorders like OCD (having a spectrum of awareness of how true these irrational thoughts/behaviors are) but not in psychosis. Irrational thinking is such a common feature in most other mental illnesses so it's very bizarre to me that mental health professionals have difficulty recognizing that delusions are also something that exist on a spectrum of total lack of awareness to high levels of awareness. Especially once you already know that these beliefs are in fact delusions or implausible.
I've followed Daniel ever since this interview and it has been emotiona,l to say the least. He still doesn't have the help he needs and deserves. He's tried and tried again. The facilities that take him in after are particularly terrible episode only increases his sense of hopelessness. He deserves so much. He deserves to have light again. To laugh and sing again.
Daniel's first brain injury was in military when his parachute had an issue. He said it in one of the interviews. In a video a few days ago, he seemed better.
At around 8:15 in the conversation, the speaker points out that it's challenging to understand what someone experiencing psychosis goes through unless you've been there yourself. He mentions that when you're losing touch with reality, you often don't even realize it's happening. This is a crucial aspect of his discussion, emphasizing that during such episodes, individuals might not recognize their own detachment from reality. He goes on to explain that he has learned to identify some signs and symptoms of psychosis, which enables him to apply reasoning to determine if he might be slipping into an irrational or psychotic state. He also mentions how things can suddenly shift from normalcy to a state of disconnection from reality, echoing his earlier point about the difficulty of recognizing one's own psychosis. In his discussion, he touches on the common tendency to search for triggers when facing mental health issues. Initially, he denies any specific triggers, but later acknowledges one. He then delves into the presence of delusions during episodes of psychosis and provides examples from his own experiences. He admits that even though he logically understands that these thoughts are not based on reality, they still feel completely real to him, which is something many people can relate to. One powerful insight he shares is the idea that during psychosis, everything one senses or experiences feels undeniably real. Despite being aware of the illogical nature of their thoughts, it doesn't matter - the experiences are real to them. The speaker highlights the profound impact of these moments, where no amount of reasoning can break through the altered perception of reality. Even if you repeatedly tell yourself that it's all in your mind, the memories-- even though he doesn't say he remembers much-- of those experiences remain, making them feel as real as actual events. In summary, the speaker's discussion sheds light on the challenges of comprehending psychosis from an outsider's perspective and the disconcerting nature of losing touch with reality. He shares personal experiences and insights that emphasize the stark contrast between logical understanding and the overwhelming sense of reality during a psychotic episode. Of course, this is all just thought. I suffer strong CPTSD and have breaks from reality and I found it really interesting that you felt that he was changing topics when to me, it sounded like he was directly answering the question in a very artful and well thought out way. I think its just hard to relate to if you've never had it happen.
I've followed Daniel Nepveux on UA-cam ever since I saw this interview, and his journey has been incredible. He's a really talented writer and makes vlogs about the things he goes through. Big trigger warning on his vlogs, he talks about very heavy things, but he's so incredibly sympathetic and wonderful as a person. I'd really recommend following him. The video Syl is watching was recorded about 3 years ago at this point. A lot has happened since then.
The words "Rationalization defense" should never be uttered by a mental health professional. All it means is, "the patient has a clearer view of what is happening to him (or her) than I do and possesses an intellect more powerful than my own, and is having to explain to me in accessible terms (albeit not the professional jargon I'm used to) what he or she experiences. I, the professional, am discomfited and feel diminished, so I will now pathologize it." If that's not an admittance of professional inadequacy, I don't know what is. That poor guy conveyed very precisely how his senses (what we ultimately rely upon to construct the world around us) generate data that does not withstand rational scrutiny. Since by age of maturity we've learned that our seemingly logical conclusions, theories etc often fail in the face of reality (on account of imprecise thinking, insufficient data, biases, etc), we fall back to relying on senses as the ultimate arbiter of what's true and real. Yet, reality is perfectly logical and rational (even though that logic and rationality is often staggeringly complex and obscure), else we'd be living in a nightmare. "The rational is real, and the real is rational." That's Hegel. And so he's damned to live in a conundrum, where sense data (hallucinations), instead of being the ultimate arbiter of what's real, disagree with his rational thinking, the foundation of his self-understanding as a conscious human being. Hell, truly. Yet, I think there's hope for him. His cognition seems intact, his emotional reactions are appropriate to the predicament he fell in, there seems to be an integrated personality (in extreme distress, admittedly), yet a sound, amiable personality behind the veil of affliction.
p.s. I also think he's probably not getting the care he needs. I think a lot of what we see are side effects of improperly selected antipsychotics, I doubt his brain injuries are being cared for in any meaningful way (do they put him in the oxy bari chamber? does he receive large doses of nootropics? ETC. If he was a retired American football player with chronic brain injuries, he would likely be cared for along these lines, rather than having a teddy bear to clutch onto.
Agreed. A lot of doctors let their egos get bruised too easily and take it out on the patients. Psychiatric professionals are often the worst offenders in this diminishing and dehumanizing because their patients are the most vulnerable to abuse. You see it in elder care too, especially those with dementia.
About the promise of helping him with the treatment: in the US treatment is not affordable at all. So I interpret it more like I’ll help you with the financial burden instead of setting no boundaries. I am fortunate to live in a country where there’s a good health insurance system and good treatment is available. In the US it is just impossible to get good psychotherapy when you’re not rich af.
@@Sandra-o3epsychotherapy = not authorized to prescribe . You’re actually not helping in this scenario. Calif resident here. 42+ years in seeking mental health . 80’s = impossible without lots of money for psychiatric. 90’s = still impossible. 2000’s = very hard . Flash forward 2024 = you can get half a$$ psychiatry within a 20 mile radius of any major city . But the good ones only take the expensive insurance now . Medicare , you have to jump through hoops , call a dozen , most don’t want you due to 1) insurance doesn’t pay 2) diagnosis requires too much paper 3) the pre auths are hassle 4) the kickback (oops I mean supplemental compensation) from prescriptions are lower under Medicare and harder to scam . Same system m different dysfunctions
@@Sandra-o3e it's very, very hard to get treatment from well-trained specialists on Medicaid. Most psychologists under medicaid only do diagnostic testing or work in programs, and any outpatient treatment is usally done by social workers or LMHCs who usually don't get/can't afford to do the additional training needed to be able to effectively treat people with more complex trauma and cases like Daniel's. It might be free, but the waiting lists to get into DBT programs for example are often like 1-2 years long. There are no EMDR providers in my state right now who are accepting patients on Medicaid. Very few therapists are actually trauma-informed and very few that accept medicaid specialize in anything other than standard CBT, which can be actively detrimental for disorders like CPTSD and BPD. It's difficult enough (virtually impossible) to find any actual psychiatrist that takes medicaid and is accepting any new long-term patients. The only prescribers around that seem to take Medicaid are NPs who, in my experience, are often less informed and kind of reckless with med changes. I've been on Medicaid in multiple states btw, it's the same pretty much everywhere.
The other side of the boundaries issue is-when someone says they'll try to help you, and then they don't, it destroys trust. Sometimes trust in that person, sometimes trust in other people, generally. And people usually don't follow through. In the moment, they want to; in reality, they have lives and other responsibilities.
I have a traumatic brain injury, where I had to re-learn how to walk, talk, read, write, etc) and Daniel’s mannerisms are very similar to mine (stimming, grimace, difficulty with eye contact, overstimulation, and expressive aphasia)
I think the reason you found his answer to psychosis hard to follow is your practicing on a hangover . You’re literally experiencing what I experience on a daily under the influence of 1000 mg of depakote to treat bipolar. Cloudy , slow , unable to experience in real time .. not quite sharp . That’s depakote . That’s also your hangover . He explained his psychosis so well . He knows it’s insane but when his senses , his brain if you will, are giving him the actual signals that represent ‘this is reality ! This is what you need to believe !’ Even though he can later recognize ‘it’s insane ‘. That was the best description of psychosis I’ve ever said or heard . Dude ! Don’t come on hung . You dropped the ball . Hope you’re not treating people in this condition. It’s like being mentally ill . Welcome to the team
I really appreciated your take on this. I hope you always keep this respectful and educational tone on your channel. So many mental health professionals on UA-cam have let entertainment become the focus, and I can't support that.
Thank you dr Syl for making year videos on schizoaffective disorder. It helps to normalise these things. Also for people to understand that when you have the illness your not a monster but struggling and how they can support best. It also helps me get better insight
I'm so sorry for this man. My brain has always been my refuge, an active, entertaining "inner life", this poor man appears to be tortured by what should be his refuge. 😔❤️ But the insight he has into his illness gives me hope he can be helped. He's working terribly hard to understand his illness. Also, I've had one concussion, this poor man has had at least eight???!!! Feeling yourself at death's door eight times? Nightmare.
I agree that at the end of the interview he shouldn't have said what he said to Daniel unless he plans to actually be friends with him in real life. And I mean a real friend!
they do keep in touch! Chris has continued to be there for Daniel long after this interview ended (which I learnt from watching Daniel's videos. He's still unbelievably grateful for SBSK and all the support he's received from Chris and people online)
I really like this type of videos. It really showes you the full spectrum of humanity. We all experience reality and react to it in many different ways. And it can be difficult to understand it and be empathetic as a bystander, be it a family member or even a medical professional. I'm a nursing student myself and I hope that these videos help me to empathize and care for my future patients.
"If you weren't seen, you cant develop a self" I was diagnosed with everything under the sun until i hit 33 and flashbacks from childhood I forgot suddenly started coming. Along with the constant dialogues in my head starting to introduce themselves. Losing time, doing stuff and saying things i had no recollection of. Turns out I had a dissociative disorder nearly my entire life 😂 I've been previously diagnosed with bpd cptsd, bipolar, early this year i experienced weed induced psychosis heh. A least ten more, all official diagnoses. The healing started properly in leaps and bounds after 23 years in the system, endless hospitalisations, treatment that only half worked until almost a year ago when a specialist confirmed I had OSDD. I definitely have BPD, although age and awareness has made that very tolerable. Just like with BPD, OSDD means my self of sense was unable to form and instead fractured into lots of personalities to cope with trauma and life and unravelling that to get to who I am is intense but so cathartic. I relate to Daniel a lot ❤
I find you difficult to understand. You seem to enjoy talking to much that you circle around a lot. If you are not a mental health professional then why comment as though you are? Daniel is a military veteran and suffered many concussions and brain damage during that time. He also has PTSD. You should have held back in your comments until you had all the info. He survived the early Covid and now suffers from heart and lung damage.
What do u think about his concussions having an impact on his “lack of ability to feel happiness”, and a lot of the personality experiences hes been experiencing?
The medications can make you depressed, with intrusive thoughts, feeling suicidal, dead inside, angry ×, and all the physical stuff...they are often worse than the starting condition in my experience. I have bad back issues and CPTSD, a dr put me on a medication that was supposed to be for my nerve damage in my back. After being on it for awhile as he raised the dose I was having a bunch of new issues so I told him, but he ignored me, he told me it wasn't dependancy forming but then messed it up and I didn't get my refill...guess what was actually physically addictive, yep he had lied and I was in withdrawal. He also never mentioned that it was basically the same medication that I had a bad reaction to years before. Abusive relationship = Prozac, so fucked I couldn't even cry and my friends funeral, totally dead inside. Its ridiculous, they just throw pills at everything and hope something sticks. I'm in worse condition than when I started with the medical system.
I had extremely similar symptoms and it turns out I had Neuroboreliosis (Neurological Lyme). Basically, brain swelling can cause this! And he admits he’s had multiple concussions. The medical industry has a problem with not looking for the causes of psychiatric symptoms like this, and I really feel for people who have to live this way and may not need to with the right doctor. Find a naturopathic or holistic and get checked for brain swelling!!
I work with a charity that focuses on helping complex childhood trauma survivors access treatment - and man what we wouldn't give to have someone as clear and differential of symptomology in our arsenal....for awareness and explanation. While I personally think we do a great job, we have so many other tasks as a team that another professional voice goes so far - particularly to diversify internationally as well. If this is you with a hangover, ha, your best is even better! If ya ever wanna lend a charitable hand, feel free to reach out and I'll send ya our way ;)
Daniel would likely benefit from specialized therapy validating and soothing his inner child .. using his talents (poetry , flowers , baths etc..) he could love his inner child into expressing healthy love , first for his child, his teen, his young adult and eventually who is his now. If he can develop empathy for who he is and what he is experiencing, he can perhaps develop that ‘third eye’ is what my former therapist used to say. That ability to see from a wholesome , healthy loving ID?
@Dr Syl His explanation about logically knowing he's being irrational makes perfect sense to me: I use the terms "logical brain" and "emotional brain" Like if I am about to have a panic attack I feel like the world is literally ending and my life is over- that's my emotional brain I know I am safe. I know the world isn't ending. And that I am worrying over nothing and there are no triggers at times- that's the logical part However my logic and emotional states are so disconnected that I cannot talk myself, or be talked, out of my panic and emotions. My only choice is to ride it out and eventually calm down or crash from the event and then pick up and move on. Well, now that THAT'S over, let's get on with life, shall we? I feel like I am both a big sister and little sister at the same time- or I am my own mother and a child. The little sister/child is my emotions- which have been stunted due to many traumatic situations since childhood The big sister/ mother is my logic- because I am logically very mature and am decently intelligent (VA mandated testing to get done for my IQ when I was claiming disability). It's hard to be intellectually intelligent while also being emotionally immature....
The most brilliant quote I’ve ever heard from a medical professional “the patient is the textbook. I’m learning from my patients.” Seeing how the patient symptoms manifest and how treatments effect those symptoms is a sign of a caring and knowledgeable doctor!
yes! AND being willing to literally just ask the patient whether they feel you have an accurate understanding of their experience. So many providers will assume that a person has "poor insight" when they disagree with their provider's description of their experience, without ever really allowing the person they're treating the time to share what they believe the actual core of their issues to be. I was misdiagnosed with an eating disorder despite constantly telling my psych that I had a massively suppressed appetite from medication side effects, really poor executive functioning, and digestive issues. In his clinical notes after that discussion (which he accidentally posted to my online portal lol) he wrote that I had "poor insight" after I tried to dispute his diagnosis. Now 4 years later I'm finally being assessed for a genetic connective tissue disorder that among other things also causes digestive issues, fatigue, and loss of appetite.... (my PCP is certain I have some variant of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome but can't know which type without a genetic test)
I love your channel....I watched this video years ago, and I really like him, and I think Daniel's channel is cool. I love to hear a professional view on what's going on. Hung over, you are funny. You must have been freezing when you started this video, lol. ❤️🤣
I'm going to say it's because I may have a similar mind set and that is why I understood what he meant by delusions... And also maybe why people don't always understand what I'm saying. And I get so frustrated because I feel I make sense... Anyway, this is how I feel when I'm in a bad emotional state, I have, sensory overloads, Alexithymia, emotional dysregulation, and mirror touch Synesthesia .. Which is not the best and results in a lot of confusion and darkness in my head when it gets too much. Even though I know what I'm feeling isn't logical all of the negative inputs feel important and overwhelming. I thought I was bipolar originally as my aunt is, but never felt safe to look for help... finally did last year and turns out I have ADHD and Autism..... Oh you bring up Alexithymia, very good 🙂 I wrote this comment when you were talking about his delusions.
Having insight has to be a better thing than not? Stepping stones to work from? Very interesting video - the "I'll be your best buddy" part at the end was very cringey though!
hi Doc... could you do a piece on MAIOs? I'd be interested in your views - Tranycypromine is the only AD I have success with these days, and the side effects are negligible (although starting up would probably lead to insomnia) . I also take Lithium in case my Bipolar takes off. It's till an unfashionable drug, and Phenelzine is completely unavailable now.
Sorry but the guy is clearly faking it. He can't even keep his own disgnoses straight and claims to have schizoaffective disorder and "manic depression" which is now called bipolar disorder. He's clearly acting. He's trying to imitate lack of affect but just looks like he's acting oblivious like being depressed just means you're shrugging all the time. Schizoaffective disorder is NOT a mood disorder with a personality disorder. It's a mood disorder with psychosis that isn't tied to your mood state vs bipolar where psychosis can occur during a manic or depressive state. He can't have both "manic depression" which is bipolar AND schizoaffective disorder. Schizoaffective disorder can come in 2 subtypes ie bipolar and depressive types. He would have "schizoaffective disorder bipolar type" and if that were the case he would have manic phases too which would completely negate his supposed anhedonia. When he describes his psychosis he never even describes it but just claims he can't remember. He says things were "normal then weren't". He says nothing about his psychoses. He side steps then just talks about experiencing delusions that people spy on his correspondence. His thought forms come off more like evasiveness. No one has ever claimed they can't remember their psychoses. You can definitely have memory gaps from the several days just like you'd have memory gaps of actually experiencing several days of traumatic experiences. I think Dr Syl doesn't want to come off as "gate keeping" but even he seems to be questioning his diagnosis vs his insight. He claims he has no memories of psychosis but flashes. And his flashes are only being in the hospital. His medical records are confidential so he could easily just be referencing a movie or when he was in the hospital for an injury and pretending that having a psychosis is something like that. Many people think it's like having a salvia trip or a dmt trip but even experiences yield memories. "don't ask specific questions". If anything it all just comes off as if he has borderline personality disorder and a series of factitious "disorders." His whole soft toys thing is just playing up how much he needs donations. The hallucinations of psychosis are not simply a glitch of the 5 senses. He describes paraidolia which is completely normal and again what people who don't understand what having actual psychotic hallucinations is like. When he claims "a voice came from my shadow" it's unlike any auditory hallucination that would be caused by psychosis. A voice "inside your head" by definition doesnt sound like it actually comes from your head and is unlocalisable. Thus people believe they're hearing radio stations or voices are coming from the walls. It would sound like it comes from everywhere at once. Dr Syl again verifies that these are elusions and not hallucinations. Im glad he confirms this How would he hear his shadow talking to him? He even says "I wonder where my Oscar awards is because this is exhausting" yet pretends the opposite that he's pretending to be more lucid... Symptoms of mental illness may vary from person to person but they're not completely different. No one who actually experiences "voices in your head" would actually be convinced it's a voice coming from their own head. It is so distracting in real life that you can't tell whether or not others actually hear what you're hearing. As an example, the radio seems on, I clearly hear the radio... Then my wife turns the radio on.
Yes, the interviewer's offer of support comes from a place of empathy, however, right after Daniel spoke of attaching in an unhealthy way to someone, it could lead to major problems. For the layperson, please be so careful about how involved you can be for someone struggling with these issues.
In reference to your question at the end, I've been diagnosed with schizotypal p.d., avoidant p.d., C-PTSD, and clinical depression. Schizotypal on it's own can be pretty debilitating and disruptive. I guess it depends on what your symptoms are and their severity, but it's still not easy to live with. I can kind of see why you said you'd might pick it if you had to choose, but it's not all fun and whimsical, though again, everyone's experience is different. It's caused me a lot of problems and has gotten me into some bad situations and is one reason why I am unable to work. Some people I know who also have it seem to do ok for the most part, others not so much. And then you throw the other things into the mix, and well, yeah. Fun times...
Daniel is a friend of Chris from SBSK, hence the personal commitment from Chris. I’m so grateful to have found your channel! Lots of valuable insight on your learning journey.
Unrelated to schizophrenia, I’m on the spectrum and have ADHD and when i was a kid and got super dysregulated or overwhelmed my parents would push and push and ask and push and it would send me into a complete melt down which led to “temper tantrum” where i would get super agressive and unmanageable. So i can confirm sometimes you need different kinds of interactions or comfort or whatever.
So true and real about “I’ll be your friend” “Give you whatever you need”………..you are not being judgemental you are being absolutely accurate. If you have a history of being super dependent OR whatever under dependent?
As someone who DOESN'T have schizophrenic tendencies at all, but who does have a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, I know exactly what Daniel means when he talks about not trustinghis beliefs, but believing them anyways. I am constantly convinced that people hate me or people are looking at me and judging me or are secretly disgusted by me, but I am also aware of how ridiculous it is that I take up any real estate in a brain that isn't my own. But being aware that something is ridiculous and being able to disregard your feelings because of that are two very different things. I also feel this way about my phobia for spiders and house centipedes. I know most are harmless and want nothing to do with me, but if I see one in my home in an uncontrolled manner (loose and actively wandering) it causes me so much distress that I HAVE to do something about it. I try to rehome them when possible, but sometimes I just can't and have to kill them :(
8:18 you said you couldn't follow what he was saying because it was tangential, so let me break it down for you. The question was "what is it like to experience psychosis" He starts off by saying he doesn't know what it is. This should tell you right off that bat that his thoughts are going to be like a rough draft. Asking someone to describe psychosis is like trying to explain color to a blind person. The first question he asks himself is "why does psychosis happen?" He knows there is a trigger, but can't seem to place it. Instead of trying to grasp an idea he doesn't have, he talks about his delusions, which is the belief that he is being spied on. Come to think of it psychiatry is filled with gaslighting questions that ultimately lead to the conclusion that there's something wrong with the interviewee. Next time you diagnose someone for tangential thinking, try to think about how the question might be framed in such a way that makes it impossible to answer honestly. Try explaining color to a blind guy and you'll have tangential thoughts, too
7:25 to at least 9:32 >> I found Daniel's explanation totally plausible and easier to follow than most of the statements I hear from people around me in everyday life... 😁 Should I worry about that now? 🤔
11:15 I think that when you're trying to communicate a subjective experience, your mind grabs any thought that pops into its head at a desperate attempt of trying to illicit an empathetic experience in the listener
Around min 10. I disagree. That was very logical, philosophical, very well put. Yes, philosophy is hard to follow, but lack of realism does not substantiate lack for logic. This tells more about you than about him (objectively, not meaning to hurt you).
Not sure if you've read it, but Pete Walker's book, Complex PTSD from surviving to thriving might be really helpful in understanding this man. It seems as though he's read it. When he's talking about his senses telling you one thing but logically knowing that these things aren't true, it seems that, yes, he's intellectualising his condition, but that in itself is a grounding technique. Our memories consist of more than thought processing. For example, smells elicit an emotional response. This is to do with the amygdala in the brain processing, not only the sense of smell, but also emotion. What happens, however, if you are in an environment where a scent elicits an emotional memory when you were a baby? Perhaps your parents were yelling at each other and you could smell the cut grass in the garden. Now every time you smell cut grass, you have an emotional response, but logically you don't understand why. This can happen with all our senses. This would be pretty much impossible to medicate. So the patient has to start to learn that often our emotional states are beyond our understanding or control. Dissociation often happens in these circumstances. Grounding techniques are very important in CPTSD. CPTSD is also not only about childhood trauma, it can be about repeated, ongoing emotional trauma. Not being able to 'learn to love', as far as I'm aware is not a diagnostic criteria for CPTSD and I found that comment offensive. I think people have an inbuilt capacity to love, but it can become fragmented when this ability is not nurtured. Please don't comment on disorders that you don't know much about. It could be very damaging to people who are suffering from them. Sometimes when you don't understand something, it is in fact you and not the patient.
I read years ago if a schizophrenic prefaced the sentence with "I dreamed last night that......" the hallucinations they're describing would make perfect sense. So is his dreamworld encroaching into his waking world? 🤔
That is almoat exactly what psychosis feels like to me...including the way large gaps of time can pass in a dream...like years...or even the opposite where it seems nothing had happened but weeks had passed IRL. In retrospect, it becomes difficult to decipher what was real and what wasnt. I have been mostly 5 years free now of it...and i think self isolating from the mass of absuers in my life was what got me out of it after experiwncing it for about 20 years...since as long as i can remember.
I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and at one time in the past, BPD. There is such a horrible stigma around BPD that this video made me very nervous. What if i am just BPD without the schizoaffective piece? I would be so ashamed.
I would question your bpd disgnoses...many docotrs use that as a way to tag you as "untreatable nuisance" and wipe their hands of you. I was diagnosed as BPD...turns out i dont even have it and am just autistic, with ocd, adhd, and severe depression / anxiety. Not accepting the bpd diagnoses was the key to being able to properly address my mental health and, without doctors, and stopping all meds...i have been 5 years free of most of the issues i used to struggle with. I self isolated (life full of absusers) and that action was the biggest factor in my ability to "recover". Doctors only wanted to lock me away even though inamma danger to no one but myself. Funny thing about my BPD diahnoses...i dont even like to be aroujd people or be close with them...a prettt key componet to bpd. Docs dont care if all they want is to label you and wash their hands of you...
I'm interested in the distinction between illusion and hallucination. Say if you are on LSD, most of the hallucinations you see are in fact based on real world stimuli, such as the floor moving or patterns on an object moving or changing. Does that mean these are not actually hallucinations but illusions?
A lot of it depends on whether you have insight into your changed perception; are you aware that the floor isn't actually moving, or is it real to you and you have no insight into it?
If I had a diagnosed mental disorder, it would unfortunately be a Superiority complex. Fortunately, I'm aware of it, and try to ground and humble myself.
@@kellz6266 Close. Those with a superiority complex tend to be less concerned about what others think about them and may be haughty and dismissive. People with narcissistic traits often need a steady stream of admiration and attention and may behave in manipulative and harmful ways to get it.
The bottom line Dr. Syl is there are no good treatments in psychiatry for this and you this clear as day. A lot of young people get caught up in stressful situations in school, disturb sleep patterns, smoke a bunch of pot and end up like this guy with their lives shattered and ripped from them. The important thing is to absolutely fast track these new treatments coming out for the hundreds of thousands of people that need them
He suffered multiple head injuries while serving in the military, which is in the follow up video Chris did a year after the initial one. It wasn't drug use that did this.
I would feel incredibly uncomfortable, to say the least, if I had someone sitting that close to me and staring directly at me like that. It would cause me to shut down and have an extremely difficult time communicating. Is he like this in all videos? It seems like he is.
Yeah, he sits like that in all the videos. Someone (I can't remember who) said that it's to show that it's ok to be near people with mental health issues and you don't have to avoid them.
It would make me uncomfortable too. If I am in the middle of psychosis especially. I cannot normal. Do not expect me to think and speak normal. I cannot tell you how irritated I get when people do this. I cannot explain logically to you why space magic exists and why I now feel the need to turn myself into the authorities because I have killed people with my mind powers.
It's not like this in every video. There are videos where he sits far apart or isn't sitting with someone at all. I assume this is a discussion had with each subject beforehand.
oh my gosh. Yes every time Dr Syl has reacted to one of the videos, I just did not understand it at all. It's so awkward. My doctor doesn't come up next to me on the exam table to ask me questions or to try to show he is listening or trying to help. lol I'd be wondering if they were trying to hit on me. haha
I think the interviewer (Chris) tries to tailor how he acts/responds during the interview to each individual person he speaks to…that’s kind of the whole premise of his channel, trying to show the value in all people despite their disabilities, mental health conditions or the different ways they may communicate I think he gets it wrong at times but his intention is always to treat the person as an individual and treat them the way he believes is most suited to them personally…which can obviously be a hard task when it’s the first time he’s meeting a stranger I think Chris always tries his best but does get it wrong occasionally as we all do at times
Hey Dr Syl hope everything is well with you, maybe you don’t reading this.. but thx for your channel and you warm ❤ I have deep down period, so it’s helping me to see your videos, thanks makes me feel that I feel alone 😊 but my question is..would you doing a interview like that?? Take care Syl 🙏💫👋// J 🇸🇪
I will go with dual. Schizoaffective, he gets the mood associated irritability typical of per his account, non bizarre delusions (called here illusions vs. hallucinations) + BPD history per his account. Looks like ASD except he was likely not that way until it emerged. ASD doesn't emerge, but schizoaffective does. And the BPD vulnerabilities trigger the schizoaffective. "Multiple hits tot he head" comment, did he do sports? Or were these from physical abuse, cPTSD? I just want to remind myself, one day we r fine...maybe vulnerable from the BPD and cPTSD, and the next day we get debilitating Schizoaffective...and if life was hard then, it is unbearable next...and it could happen to any of us...he represents all of us, down on our luck....😢 My heart goes to him...he is trully suffering in ways we couldn't ever imagine....
Things get real fun when you're dealing with these types of people, they accuse you of something, and then when you ask them about what evidence they have to back everything up, they just say, "I don't know, I just know you're doing something."
I wish that people in general would not be so judgemental. You don't get to pick what you believe. It's programmed into you. Not all realities are the same.
I have bipolar 2 CPTSD and MS masking is getting more and more difficult as I age I'm 45 because I'm so tired I'm sooooo tired. Trying to get on disability 😢
I have ADHD and PTSD. I tend to wander with thoughts that are connected in my brain. I eventually come back to the first thought. I told my therapist to stop me if he can’t follow where I’m going with my point.
I found this video (the interview, specifically) really difficult to follow. Mental health is indeed a complex subject, and I struggle to understand all of the complexities. My current diagnosis is Schizoaffective disorder (with bipolar disorder components). I have found this diagnosis very difficult to swallow, and have disputed it, at times. I found the bipolar disorder diagnosis more believable and easy to swallow (that was some thirty years ago) - perhaps I have become too seated in that definition of my mental health status? At the time of the bipolar diagnosis, I was also diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, which I have heard used to be known as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. Is it true that you cannot have both of these diagnoses at the same time?? Is it also true that it is very difficult to differentiate between the two disorders?? In the past, I have ALSO been diagnosed with Complex PTSD. Is it really possible to have a diagnosis of Schizoaffective, Bipolar, Borderline and CPTSD, all at the same time?? I would be fascinated to know, and at this point in time, I wouldn't be at all surprised. During my very short (15-20 minute) appointments with psychiatrists, it is very challenging to receive answers to such questions, and usually the dialogue is dominated by a conversation about reducing the dreaded medications, which produce significant weight gain, anhedonia and such. How I wish I didn't have these diagnoses to live with!
Link to video: ua-cam.com/video/GU8VmJsX6-s/v-deo.html
His explanation about logically knowing he's being irrational makes perfect sense to me:
I use the terms "logical brain" and "emotional brain"
Like if I am about to have a panic attack I feel like the world is literally ending and my life is over- that's my emotional brain
I know I am safe. I know the world isn't ending. And that I am worrying over nothing and there are no triggers at times- that's the logical part
However my logic and emotional states are so disconnected that I cannot talk myself, or be talked, out of my panic and emotions.
My only choice is to ride it out and eventually calm down or crash from the event and then pick up and move on.
Well, now that THAT'S over, let's get on with life, shall we?
I feel like I am both a big sister and little sister at the same time- or I am my own mother and a child.
The little sister/child is my emotions- which have been stunted due to many traumatic situations since childhood
The big sister/ mother is my logic- because I am logically very mature and am decently intelligent (VA mandated testing to get done for my IQ when I was claiming disability).
It's hard to be intellectually intelligent while also being emotionally immature....
Daniel is actually a writer, poet and creator. He is an excellent writer.
During a mental evaluation, what's the puzzles and "games" they have you try to complete in a specific time frame? I've always wondered what that was for
@@kristaqualey8302
I was given:
Clinical Interview
Mental Staus Examination
Test of Memory Malingering
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) Repeatable Battery for the Assesment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale- IV (WAIS-IV)- selected sub-tests
Wide Range Achievement Test-4 (WRAT-4)- selective sub-tests
Trail-Makin Test (TMT)
Verbal Fluency
Wechsler Memory Scale-IV (WMS-IV; Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction)
This was all to test my cognitive capacity and to decide whether or not I could be repainsible for my VA compensation benefits or if I would need a caretaker for my financial benefits.
It made sense to me also. I experience what he is describing. He is saying that even though he knows metacognitively that what he is thinking is incorrect, for all practical purposes he acts and thinks like it is.
Daniel Nepveux has his own UA-cam channel and I've been following him for a while. He's incredibly articulate, creative and honest. He's well worth checking out on here.
And our dear Daniel is doing so poorly!
he really is an incredible person. i’ve been following for years and it seems like every time he updates the channel, something terrible has happened….it makes me so angry that so much awful shit keeps happening to such a good person. i’m glad he at least knows he’s got internet strangers rooting him on.
@bfran2283 Rooting for him so much! 💞
@@shalacarter6658 fufufuGigi hoops jxi
@@shalacarter6658He posted and is doing quite well at the moment! 💜
SBSK is one of my favorite channels, the amount of compassion and willingness to listen that Chris displays in each and every interview is so amazing to see. I'm so glad he's able to give so many people a platform to tell their story
Oh my god. When he talked about knowing it’s insane and irrational but still believing it i literally started crying. Me too. It frustrates me so much. so many mental health professionals think the key to getting better is awareness. I can be aware and still sick. maybe this is the difference between schizoaffective and classic schizophrenia, maybe that’s why i feel like this is so overlooked, as schizoaffective is generally less known about.
Me too! I thought I was the only one but am so glad I'm not. It makes total sense to me. I don't know why it doesn't to others.
I don’t know if this is a thing that differentiates schizophrenia and schizoaffective. I have what’s best described as mild schizophrenia. I’m extremely analytical and skeptical, so some of my delusions I was completely aware of and yet couldn’t get it out of my head for any reason. Psychosis isn’t something one can “think themselves out of.” You can have differing levels of insight, but no matter what you think the experience is still there and it’s very strong.
It’s confusing the way some psychologists talk about it. There are tests that say “do you feel like thoughts are being inserted in your head?” Yes I feel that quite often, but I don’t actually think they are thoughts from other people. And yet they are asking that question about a delusion.
@@gigahorse1475 I appreciate this! It was just a guess tbh. I honestly think i’m gonna show the original interview to my therapist because she definitely figured it was abnormal that i could recognize my delusions. I might show her these comments too, just to say maybe it’s more common than she figured. Unfortunately most professionals are not well educated on the schizo spectrum at all, and schizo specialists are rare. I relate a lot to the “insert thoughts” question and not being sure how to answer.
Weird question but are you an INTP?
@@pinheadlarry2921Close. INTJ 😆. I’m also autistic (common for INTJs).
Every time I have looked at comments, talked with people, or been in online spaces where there are people diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective… they often talk about their delusions with a lot of awareness, even while experiencing the delusion. It is very fascinating and seems to be a common experience. The only way to brush this off as a professional is to say all those people are lying. But why would they do that? And I don’t think it’s intellectually honest to call us all liars. A good professional would not do that.
Yes, so much. I become the universe like clockwork every 6 months or so. Logical me knows it's not real but in that moment, it's very real and it's hard to pull out of it.
I have been following Daniel for some time. He is honest and vulnerable about his illness. He is also an amazingly talented poet.
Is a wartime veteran and if I remember correctly he developed his mental illnesses following combat.
@@Christine__D Yes, he had a couple head injuires that may have contributed to his difficulties.
Like a few other people here I disagree with Dr. Syl’s take on the “rationalization defense.” I think Daniel explained very well what it’s like to have your senses and experience contradict the reality we commonly take for granted.
Although irrational thinking is part of schizophrenia, I strongly believe that if you take the most rational person in the world and give them the mere feeling that they are being watched, they will eventually start to believe they are being watched. From my own experience, I don’t think much irrationality is required for delusions. A lot of people experience both delusions and at least some level of awareness at the same time.
Yeah I agree. I think he missed the nuances of what a delusion actually is here. Daniel is clearly questioning if what he believes is real, most probably because others have questioned it and told him he is unwell. He is trying to convince himself he doesn't believe in it to get better, but he clearly still very much believes his delusions are true.
With OCD I feel delusional but I can be aware of it somehow at the same time.
I had the opportunity to work with Daniel, and we became friends. He is one of the kindest people I have ever met!
From what I've read, the issue of insight in psychosis is more complicated. And, just speaking from my personal experience (diagnosed with unspecified psychosis), it is possible to experience something like paranoia -- thinking people are monitoring me through devices, talking about me, lying to me, giving covert signs to one another about me -- while being aware it's not based in reality. It's distressing: it feels like I'm fighting my own mind. Fortunately, it's been a while since I've had bad symptoms like that.
Iv had episodes of "OCD" where I was fairly certain I was experiencing a delusion but I couldn't stop thinking about whatever I was thinking about because It became a compulsion and it made the fear feel very real. For example I felt the TV was talking to me, so I avoided TV. I became obsessed with the fear that I was going crazy, would google symptoms and ruminate, but because OCD is all about doubt, I knew somewhere I'm not experiencing thoughts based in reality but it didn't make the thoughts feel less real.. very strange space to be in
I didn't find him talking about how he understands logically he is experiencing psychosis but for him it is a very real experience hard to follow at all. I understood what he was saying quite clearly.
I agree, I did think it was actually a really clear description for the question he had been asked about psychosis, it was super clear to me anyway! ❤
Yeah I agree. It was pretty succinct, to be honest. No one can be expected to perfectly formulate their thoughts on the spot...
He was being evasive and had no actual awareness of what it's like to go through psychosis, only second hand opinions like "it was horrible". No one who goes through a psychosis can block out the entire experience and only remember "flashes" of lucidity like being in the hospital but literally nothing of the actual psychosis.
Even his delusions are generic hackneyed "people are spying on me" or like Dr Syl establishes never true hallucinations but what you'd imagine from movies is what a hallucination is like ie paraidolia and "my shadow was talking to me".
These are not at all now psychosis or hallucinations manifest. The term "voice inside your head" never literally sounds like it's coming from inside your head. That would be a logical impossibility. It is always mistaken for coming from either everywhere at once or an ambient background sound that the patient could not differentiate from what everyone else would be able to hear.
How would it be possible for a patient to "know the voices are coming from his head" auditory hallucinations aren't a static phenomenon and do not comprise of merely voices but background noises and even blips that sound like the sound of machines or chimes analog or digital.
Eg I can hear the radio. Then someone comes in and turns on the radio. And you realize only then that you weren't actually listening to the radio..
From the way he describes his symptoms they would be cake to manage versus actual schizoaffective disorder.
But schizoaffective disorder also has remission its not even as bad when it's on remission as he is pretending. He would either not be on remission or going through a state of psychosis during the video. He can't be both.
We are VERY Protective of Daniel . He has a piece of our Hearts
How do you know him? Who are you speaking for? Lol
9:29 I'm not sure what you mean by saying that it was hard to follow what he was saying because it seemed completely comprehensive to me. he said that psychosis was horrifying, then explained how he can't always tell that it starts, but he's learning to recogize the symptoms more, then said that the first time he experienced it there was a trigger but decided to not go into detail, and then explained one of the symptoms he experiences which is delusions, and how he know logically that they are delusions but his senses try to convince him otherwise. it's clear that he's nervous but i think he explained it quite comprehensively
it's clear that the doctor understands what daniel said, as he is able to summarize what he said. he's referring to the disorganized speech, which is definitely present here even though one can understand him. this type of lateral connections and disorganized speech is one of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
Following Daniel I find him so likeable. It must be told that he is a Veteran and has had many serious head injuries. He suffers from PTSD , he wouldn't access any VA services because he didn't feel worthy, he thinks his illness is minor compared to ex military who have lost limbs, sight etc.
I completely understood what he meant by logically knowing that it's wrong but still believing something. I feel it's a bit dismissive to just call it a rationalization defense. (I know you didn't mean it to be.) 10:24
It's like living in two worlds and having to choose every day which world you want to believe in based on your actions. It's like having a foot on each train track and deciding which to lean on more today.
One says that logically, based on everything you've ever learned and all things rational, it is not real. The other says "Yeah, but..." and won't let go of the idea. Then you have to choose one or the other and based on your mood it's sometimes harder to choose the rational one.
I thought I was weird for falling into that space in between which no one ever confirms. Now I know someone else has the same thing!
You are so right. I think people who haven’t experienced psychosis have trouble grasping this, even if they are experts. I had good insight but strong psychotic experiences for years, and it pretty much made me feel like I was two people, where one person believed the delusion and the other did not. I was trying so hard to be rational! I don’t think non-psychotic people ever experience this kind of divorce from experience/feelings and your own beliefs.
i know most people who haven’t experienced it have difficulty understanding, but i truly understood how he described his rationalizing. maybe because i experience ocd, perhaps? intrusive thoughts happen so often that you believe it’s true even though you know rationally it’s not. idk maybe
@flyingfranky good lord, i was reading the original comment going "ive never experienced psychosis, i wonder why relate to this so much" and then i read your comment and i was like "oh yeah i have ocd" 🤦♂️
intrusive thoughts are truly one of the most vile things in the world. i think its a similar experience, once youre out on the other side, of having to separate what your brain is telling you from what reality is. and for me, there is almost always that voice there going "yeah, but".
@@gigahorse1475 I honestly think that many people with OCD (especially the 'magical thinking' type) can experience the same feeling of KNOWING their fears/beliefs are completely irrational (e.g. an extreme fear of stepping on a crack in the pavement might lead to their mother being killed in a fatal car accident on the way to work) but still feeling like it's impossible to not engage in compulsions/behaviors (i.e. avoiding the crack, repeatedly calling their mother to make sure she's still ok, etc) to make sure these very implausible things don't happen.
It's very interesting to me how this is a recognized thing in anxiety disorders like OCD (having a spectrum of awareness of how true these irrational thoughts/behaviors are) but not in psychosis. Irrational thinking is such a common feature in most other mental illnesses so it's very bizarre to me that mental health professionals have difficulty recognizing that delusions are also something that exist on a spectrum of total lack of awareness to high levels of awareness. Especially once you already know that these beliefs are in fact delusions or implausible.
I have Schizoaffective disorder. I've had 3 hospital visits in the last year. It's pretty rough at times. Thanks for the videos Dr Syl.
I've followed Daniel ever since this interview and it has been emotiona,l to say the least. He still doesn't have the help he needs and deserves. He's tried and tried again. The facilities that take him in after are particularly terrible episode only increases his sense of hopelessness. He deserves so much. He deserves to have light again. To laugh and sing again.
Yes I watch Daniels videos too I really hope that one day he can get to a good and more balanced place because he seems like a great guy 🙂
Daniel's first brain injury was in military when his parachute had an issue. He said it in one of the interviews. In a video a few days ago, he seemed better.
At around 8:15 in the conversation, the speaker points out that it's challenging to understand what someone experiencing psychosis goes through unless you've been there yourself. He mentions that when you're losing touch with reality, you often don't even realize it's happening. This is a crucial aspect of his discussion, emphasizing that during such episodes, individuals might not recognize their own detachment from reality.
He goes on to explain that he has learned to identify some signs and symptoms of psychosis, which enables him to apply reasoning to determine if he might be slipping into an irrational or psychotic state. He also mentions how things can suddenly shift from normalcy to a state of disconnection from reality, echoing his earlier point about the difficulty of recognizing one's own psychosis.
In his discussion, he touches on the common tendency to search for triggers when facing mental health issues. Initially, he denies any specific triggers, but later acknowledges one. He then delves into the presence of delusions during episodes of psychosis and provides examples from his own experiences. He admits that even though he logically understands that these thoughts are not based on reality, they still feel completely real to him, which is something many people can relate to.
One powerful insight he shares is the idea that during psychosis, everything one senses or experiences feels undeniably real. Despite being aware of the illogical nature of their thoughts, it doesn't matter - the experiences are real to them. The speaker highlights the profound impact of these moments, where no amount of reasoning can break through the altered perception of reality. Even if you repeatedly tell yourself that it's all in your mind, the memories-- even though he doesn't say he remembers much-- of those experiences remain, making them feel as real as actual events.
In summary, the speaker's discussion sheds light on the challenges of comprehending psychosis from an outsider's perspective and the disconcerting nature of losing touch with reality. He shares personal experiences and insights that emphasize the stark contrast between logical understanding and the overwhelming sense of reality during a psychotic episode.
Of course, this is all just thought. I suffer strong CPTSD and have breaks from reality and I found it really interesting that you felt that he was changing topics when to me, it sounded like he was directly answering the question in a very artful and well thought out way. I think its just hard to relate to if you've never had it happen.
I've followed Daniel Nepveux on UA-cam ever since I saw this interview, and his journey has been incredible. He's a really talented writer and makes vlogs about the things he goes through. Big trigger warning on his vlogs, he talks about very heavy things, but he's so incredibly sympathetic and wonderful as a person. I'd really recommend following him.
The video Syl is watching was recorded about 3 years ago at this point. A lot has happened since then.
Daniel is also a brilliant poet, truly gifted with words and invoking emotion.
The words "Rationalization defense" should never be uttered by a mental health professional. All it means is, "the patient has a clearer view of what is happening to him (or her) than I do and possesses an intellect more powerful than my own, and is having to explain to me in accessible terms (albeit not the professional jargon I'm used to) what he or she experiences. I, the professional, am discomfited and feel diminished, so I will now pathologize it." If that's not an admittance of professional inadequacy, I don't know what is.
That poor guy conveyed very precisely how his senses (what we ultimately rely upon to construct the world around us) generate data that does not withstand rational scrutiny. Since by age of maturity we've learned that our seemingly logical conclusions, theories etc often fail in the face of reality (on account of imprecise thinking, insufficient data, biases, etc), we fall back to relying on senses as the ultimate arbiter of what's true and real. Yet, reality is perfectly logical and rational (even though that logic and rationality is often staggeringly complex and obscure), else we'd be living in a nightmare. "The rational is real, and the real is rational." That's Hegel.
And so he's damned to live in a conundrum, where sense data (hallucinations), instead of being the ultimate arbiter of what's real, disagree with his rational thinking, the foundation of his self-understanding as a conscious human being. Hell, truly.
Yet, I think there's hope for him. His cognition seems intact, his emotional reactions are appropriate to the predicament he fell in, there seems to be an integrated personality (in extreme distress, admittedly), yet a sound, amiable personality behind the veil of affliction.
p.s. I also think he's probably not getting the care he needs.
I think a lot of what we see are side effects of improperly selected antipsychotics, I doubt his brain injuries are being cared for in any meaningful way (do they put him in the oxy bari chamber? does he receive large doses of nootropics? ETC.
If he was a retired American football player with chronic brain injuries, he would likely be cared for along these lines, rather than having a teddy bear to clutch onto.
Agreed. A lot of doctors let their egos get bruised too easily and take it out on the patients. Psychiatric professionals are often the worst offenders in this diminishing and dehumanizing because their patients are the most vulnerable to abuse. You see it in elder care too, especially those with dementia.
About the promise of helping him with the treatment: in the US treatment is not affordable at all. So I interpret it more like I’ll help you with the financial burden instead of setting no boundaries. I am fortunate to live in a country where there’s a good health insurance system and good treatment is available. In the US it is just impossible to get good psychotherapy when you’re not rich af.
This is not true. Medicaid pays for psychotherapy in my state .
@@Sandra-o3epsychotherapy = not authorized to prescribe . You’re actually not helping in this scenario. Calif resident here. 42+ years in seeking mental health . 80’s = impossible without lots of money for psychiatric. 90’s = still impossible. 2000’s = very hard . Flash forward 2024 = you can get half a$$ psychiatry within a 20 mile radius of any major city . But the good ones only take the expensive insurance now . Medicare , you have to jump through hoops , call a dozen , most don’t want you due to 1) insurance doesn’t pay 2) diagnosis requires too much paper 3) the pre auths are hassle 4) the kickback (oops I mean supplemental compensation) from prescriptions are lower under Medicare and harder to scam . Same system m different dysfunctions
@@Sandra-o3e it's very, very hard to get treatment from well-trained specialists on Medicaid. Most psychologists under medicaid only do diagnostic testing or work in programs, and any outpatient treatment is usally done by social workers or LMHCs who usually don't get/can't afford to do the additional training needed to be able to effectively treat people with more complex trauma and cases like Daniel's. It might be free, but the waiting lists to get into DBT programs for example are often like 1-2 years long. There are no EMDR providers in my state right now who are accepting patients on Medicaid. Very few therapists are actually trauma-informed and very few that accept medicaid specialize in anything other than standard CBT, which can be actively detrimental for disorders like CPTSD and BPD. It's difficult enough (virtually impossible) to find any actual psychiatrist that takes medicaid and is accepting any new long-term patients. The only prescribers around that seem to take Medicaid are NPs who, in my experience, are often less informed and kind of reckless with med changes. I've been on Medicaid in multiple states btw, it's the same pretty much everywhere.
The other side of the boundaries issue is-when someone says they'll try to help you, and then they don't, it destroys trust. Sometimes trust in that person, sometimes trust in other people, generally. And people usually don't follow through. In the moment, they want to; in reality, they have lives and other responsibilities.
I have a traumatic brain injury, where I had to re-learn how to walk, talk, read, write, etc) and Daniel’s mannerisms are very similar to mine (stimming, grimace, difficulty with eye contact, overstimulation, and expressive aphasia)
I think the reason you found his answer to psychosis hard to follow is your practicing on a hangover . You’re literally experiencing what I experience on a daily under the influence of 1000 mg of depakote to treat bipolar. Cloudy , slow , unable to experience in real time .. not quite sharp . That’s depakote . That’s also your hangover . He explained his psychosis so well . He knows it’s insane but when his senses , his brain if you will, are giving him the actual signals that represent ‘this is reality ! This is what you need to believe !’ Even though he can later recognize ‘it’s insane ‘. That was the best description of psychosis I’ve ever said or heard . Dude ! Don’t come on hung . You dropped the ball . Hope you’re not treating people in this condition. It’s like being mentally ill . Welcome to the team
I really appreciated your take on this. I hope you always keep this respectful and educational tone on your channel. So many mental health professionals on UA-cam have let entertainment become the focus, and I can't support that.
‘He’s just being nice, and I’m being jugdemental’
Me all the time
Thank you dr Syl for making year videos on schizoaffective disorder. It helps to normalise these things. Also for people to understand that when you have the illness your not a monster but struggling and how they can support best. It also helps me get better insight
For how difficult it is for him to describe his experience, he is very articulate. He seems like a resilient guy going through some difficult things.
Daniel is such a sweet man. He’s really struggling.
So insightful. I thoroughly enjoy your speculations Dr Syl.
I'm so sorry for this man. My brain has always been my refuge, an active, entertaining "inner life", this poor man appears to be tortured by what should be his refuge. 😔❤️ But the insight he has into his illness gives me hope he can be helped. He's working terribly hard to understand his illness. Also, I've had one concussion, this poor man has had at least eight???!!! Feeling yourself at death's door eight times? Nightmare.
I agree that at the end of the interview he shouldn't have said what he said to Daniel unless he plans to actually be friends with him in real life. And I mean a real friend!
they do keep in touch! Chris has continued to be there for Daniel long after this interview ended (which I learnt from watching Daniel's videos. He's still unbelievably grateful for SBSK and all the support he's received from Chris and people online)
He is a friend of Daniel
I really like this type of videos. It really showes you the full spectrum of humanity. We all experience reality and react to it in many different ways. And it can be difficult to understand it and be empathetic as a bystander, be it a family member or even a medical professional. I'm a nursing student myself and I hope that these videos help me to empathize and care for my future patients.
My son has schizophrenia and this video is heart wrenching.
I follow Daniels channel as well as SBSK channel. Both really good
I see Schizophrenic with BPD and all I can seem to think is "how are you alive?". That is an Everest to climb in terms of symptoms.
There is an old video of Daniel before his disorder and he was a complete different person. I wish he could find happiness again. Its so sad
"If you weren't seen, you cant develop a self"
I was diagnosed with everything under the sun until i hit 33 and flashbacks from childhood I forgot suddenly started coming. Along with the constant dialogues in my head starting to introduce themselves. Losing time, doing stuff and saying things i had no recollection of. Turns out I had a dissociative disorder nearly my entire life 😂
I've been previously diagnosed with bpd cptsd, bipolar, early this year i experienced weed induced psychosis heh. A least ten more, all official diagnoses. The healing started properly in leaps and bounds after 23 years in the system, endless hospitalisations, treatment that only half worked until almost a year ago when a specialist confirmed I had OSDD. I definitely have BPD, although age and awareness has made that very tolerable. Just like with BPD, OSDD means my self of sense was unable to form and instead fractured into lots of personalities to cope with trauma and life and unravelling that to get to who I am is intense but so cathartic. I relate to Daniel a lot ❤
I find you difficult to understand. You seem to enjoy talking to much that you circle around a lot. If you are not a mental health professional then why comment as though you are? Daniel is a military veteran and suffered many concussions and brain damage during that time. He also has PTSD. You should have held back in your comments until you had all the info. He survived the early Covid and now suffers from heart and lung damage.
I find dissecting his video and self-reporting a really odd thing to do imo. But maybe that's just me.
9:29 Dr syl that thought process was pretty easy to follow 😂 i think you need to get checked mentally for being slow
What do u think about his concussions having an impact on his “lack of ability to feel happiness”, and a lot of the personality experiences hes been experiencing?
The medications can make you depressed, with intrusive thoughts, feeling suicidal, dead inside, angry ×, and all the physical stuff...they are often worse than the starting condition in my experience.
I have bad back issues and CPTSD, a dr put me on a medication that was supposed to be for my nerve damage in my back. After being on it for awhile as he raised the dose I was having a bunch of new issues so I told him, but he ignored me, he told me it wasn't dependancy forming but then messed it up and I didn't get my refill...guess what was actually physically addictive, yep he had lied and I was in withdrawal. He also never mentioned that it was basically the same medication that I had a bad reaction to years before.
Abusive relationship = Prozac, so fucked I couldn't even cry and my friends funeral, totally dead inside.
Its ridiculous, they just throw pills at everything and hope something sticks. I'm in worse condition than when I started with the medical system.
I had extremely similar symptoms and it turns out I had Neuroboreliosis (Neurological Lyme). Basically, brain swelling can cause this! And he admits he’s had multiple concussions. The medical industry has a problem with not looking for the causes of psychiatric symptoms like this, and I really feel for people who have to live this way and may not need to with the right doctor. Find a naturopathic or holistic and get checked for brain swelling!!
I love daniel, he’s been through a lot recently, pls send him lots of love
I work with a charity that focuses on helping complex childhood trauma survivors access treatment - and man what we wouldn't give to have someone as clear and differential of symptomology in our arsenal....for awareness and explanation. While I personally think we do a great job, we have so many other tasks as a team that another professional voice goes so far - particularly to diversify internationally as well. If this is you with a hangover, ha, your best is even better! If ya ever wanna lend a charitable hand, feel free to reach out and I'll send ya our way ;)
Daniel would likely benefit from specialized therapy validating and soothing his inner child .. using his talents (poetry , flowers , baths etc..) he could love his inner child into expressing healthy love , first for his child, his teen, his young adult and eventually who is his now. If he can develop empathy for who he is and what he is experiencing, he can perhaps develop that ‘third eye’ is what my former therapist used to say. That ability to see from a wholesome , healthy loving ID?
@Dr Syl
His explanation about logically knowing he's being irrational makes perfect sense to me:
I use the terms "logical brain" and "emotional brain"
Like if I am about to have a panic attack I feel like the world is literally ending and my life is over- that's my emotional brain
I know I am safe. I know the world isn't ending. And that I am worrying over nothing and there are no triggers at times- that's the logical part
However my logic and emotional states are so disconnected that I cannot talk myself, or be talked, out of my panic and emotions.
My only choice is to ride it out and eventually calm down or crash from the event and then pick up and move on.
Well, now that THAT'S over, let's get on with life, shall we?
I feel like I am both a big sister and little sister at the same time- or I am my own mother and a child.
The little sister/child is my emotions- which have been stunted due to many traumatic situations since childhood
The big sister/ mother is my logic- because I am logically very mature and am decently intelligent (VA mandated testing to get done for my IQ when I was claiming disability).
It's hard to be intellectually intelligent while also being emotionally immature....
The most brilliant quote I’ve ever heard from a medical professional “the patient is the textbook. I’m learning from my patients.” Seeing how the patient symptoms manifest and how treatments effect those symptoms is a sign of a caring and knowledgeable doctor!
yes! AND being willing to literally just ask the patient whether they feel you have an accurate understanding of their experience. So many providers will assume that a person has "poor insight" when they disagree with their provider's description of their experience, without ever really allowing the person they're treating the time to share what they believe the actual core of their issues to be. I was misdiagnosed with an eating disorder despite constantly telling my psych that I had a massively suppressed appetite from medication side effects, really poor executive functioning, and digestive issues. In his clinical notes after that discussion (which he accidentally posted to my online portal lol) he wrote that I had "poor insight" after I tried to dispute his diagnosis.
Now 4 years later I'm finally being assessed for a genetic connective tissue disorder that among other things also causes digestive issues, fatigue, and loss of appetite.... (my PCP is certain I have some variant of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome but can't know which type without a genetic test)
I love your channel....I watched this video years ago, and I really like him, and I think Daniel's channel is cool. I love to hear a professional view on what's going on. Hung over, you are funny. You must have been freezing when you started this video, lol. ❤️🤣
I'm going to say it's because I may have a similar mind set and that is why I understood what he meant by delusions... And also maybe why people don't always understand what I'm saying. And I get so frustrated because I feel I make sense... Anyway, this is how I feel when I'm in a bad emotional state, I have, sensory overloads, Alexithymia, emotional dysregulation, and mirror touch Synesthesia .. Which is not the best and results in a lot of confusion and darkness in my head when it gets too much. Even though I know what I'm feeling isn't logical all of the negative inputs feel important and overwhelming. I thought I was bipolar originally as my aunt is, but never felt safe to look for help... finally did last year and turns out I have ADHD and Autism.....
Oh you bring up Alexithymia, very good 🙂 I wrote this comment when you were talking about his delusions.
Having insight has to be a better thing than not? Stepping stones to work from? Very interesting video - the "I'll be your best buddy" part at the end was very cringey though!
Yes, it is a sort of reward for Daniel sharing his thoughts, but it seemed to make him uncomfortable.
Easy to follow his thoughts, maybe it was the hungover listeners fault this time and not a symptom of the patient.
hi Doc... could you do a piece on MAIOs? I'd be interested in your views - Tranycypromine is the only AD I have success with these days, and the side effects are negligible (although starting up would probably lead to insomnia) . I also take Lithium in case my Bipolar takes off. It's till an unfashionable drug, and Phenelzine is completely unavailable now.
I love videos on schizophrenia as I have it myself and recently it was switched to schizoaffective disorder depressive type
I found this to be very interesting. Thank you for doing these.
Sorry but the guy is clearly faking it. He can't even keep his own disgnoses straight and claims to have schizoaffective disorder and "manic depression" which is now called bipolar disorder.
He's clearly acting.
He's trying to imitate lack of affect but just looks like he's acting oblivious like being depressed just means you're shrugging all the time.
Schizoaffective disorder is NOT a mood disorder with a personality disorder. It's a mood disorder with psychosis that isn't tied to your mood state vs bipolar where psychosis can occur during a manic or depressive state.
He can't have both "manic depression" which is bipolar AND schizoaffective disorder. Schizoaffective disorder can come in 2 subtypes ie bipolar and depressive types.
He would have "schizoaffective disorder bipolar type" and if that were the case he would have manic phases too which would completely negate his supposed anhedonia.
When he describes his psychosis he never even describes it but just claims he can't remember.
He says things were "normal then weren't". He says nothing about his psychoses. He side steps then just talks about experiencing delusions that people spy on his correspondence.
His thought forms come off more like evasiveness.
No one has ever claimed they can't remember their psychoses. You can definitely have memory gaps from the several days just like you'd have memory gaps of actually experiencing several days of traumatic experiences.
I think Dr Syl doesn't want to come off as "gate keeping" but even he seems to be questioning his diagnosis vs his insight.
He claims he has no memories of psychosis but flashes. And his flashes are only being in the hospital.
His medical records are confidential so he could easily just be referencing a movie or when he was in the hospital for an injury and pretending that having a psychosis is something like that.
Many people think it's like having a salvia trip or a dmt trip but even experiences yield memories.
"don't ask specific questions". If anything it all just comes off as if he has borderline personality disorder and a series of factitious "disorders."
His whole soft toys thing is just playing up how much he needs donations.
The hallucinations of psychosis are not simply a glitch of the 5 senses. He describes paraidolia which is completely normal and again what people who don't understand what having actual psychotic hallucinations is like.
When he claims "a voice came from my shadow" it's unlike any auditory hallucination that would be caused by psychosis.
A voice "inside your head" by definition doesnt sound like it actually comes from your head and is unlocalisable. Thus people believe they're hearing radio stations or voices are coming from the walls. It would sound like it comes from everywhere at once.
Dr Syl again verifies that these are elusions and not hallucinations.
Im glad he confirms this
How would he hear his shadow talking to him?
He even says "I wonder where my Oscar awards is because this is exhausting" yet pretends the opposite that he's pretending to be more lucid...
Symptoms of mental illness may vary from person to person but they're not completely different.
No one who actually experiences "voices in your head" would actually be convinced it's a voice coming from their own head. It is so distracting in real life that you can't tell whether or not others actually hear what you're hearing.
As an example, the radio seems on, I clearly hear the radio... Then my wife turns the radio on.
Absence of joy is also one of the side affects of taking antipsychotic medications.
Yes, the interviewer's offer of support comes from a place of empathy, however, right after Daniel spoke of attaching in an unhealthy way to someone, it could lead to major problems. For the layperson, please be so careful about how involved you can be for someone struggling with these issues.
We Love Daniel ...we keep up w/him on his channel
In reference to your question at the end, I've been diagnosed with schizotypal p.d., avoidant p.d., C-PTSD, and clinical depression. Schizotypal on it's own can be pretty debilitating and disruptive. I guess it depends on what your symptoms are and their severity, but it's still not easy to live with. I can kind of see why you said you'd might pick it if you had to choose, but it's not all fun and whimsical, though again, everyone's experience is different. It's caused me a lot of problems and has gotten me into some bad situations and is one reason why I am unable to work. Some people I know who also have it seem to do ok for the most part, others not so much. And then you throw the other things into the mix, and well, yeah. Fun times...
Daniel is a friend of Chris from SBSK, hence the personal commitment from Chris.
I’m so grateful to have found your channel! Lots of valuable insight on your learning journey.
Unrelated to schizophrenia, I’m on the spectrum and have ADHD and when i was a kid and got super dysregulated or overwhelmed my parents would push and push and ask and push and it would send me into a complete melt down which led to “temper tantrum” where i would get super agressive and unmanageable. So i can confirm sometimes you need different kinds of interactions or comfort or whatever.
So true and real about “I’ll be your friend” “Give you whatever you need”………..you are not being judgemental you are being absolutely accurate. If you have a history of being super dependent OR whatever under dependent?
Could you, please, make a video about histrionic personality disorder? It's not easy to find content about it...
As someone who DOESN'T have schizophrenic tendencies at all, but who does have a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, I know exactly what Daniel means when he talks about not trustinghis beliefs, but believing them anyways.
I am constantly convinced that people hate me or people are looking at me and judging me or are secretly disgusted by me, but I am also aware of how ridiculous it is that I take up any real estate in a brain that isn't my own. But being aware that something is ridiculous and being able to disregard your feelings because of that are two very different things.
I also feel this way about my phobia for spiders and house centipedes. I know most are harmless and want nothing to do with me, but if I see one in my home in an uncontrolled manner (loose and actively wandering) it causes me so much distress that I HAVE to do something about it. I try to rehome them when possible, but sometimes I just can't and have to kill them :(
Diagnosed BPD, schizoaffective, and OCD. I am mostly in remission and primarily impacted by sza negative symptoms and ocd.
Is CPTSD a diagnosis in Australia? Here in the US it’s still in limbo.
8:18 you said you couldn't follow what he was saying because it was tangential, so let me break it down for you. The question was "what is it like to experience psychosis" He starts off by saying he doesn't know what it is. This should tell you right off that bat that his thoughts are going to be like a rough draft. Asking someone to describe psychosis is like trying to explain color to a blind person.
The first question he asks himself is "why does psychosis happen?" He knows there is a trigger, but can't seem to place it. Instead of trying to grasp an idea he doesn't have, he talks about his delusions, which is the belief that he is being spied on.
Come to think of it psychiatry is filled with gaslighting questions that ultimately lead to the conclusion that there's something wrong with the interviewee. Next time you diagnose someone for tangential thinking, try to think about how the question might be framed in such a way that makes it impossible to answer honestly.
Try explaining color to a blind guy and you'll have tangential thoughts, too
Do you have any video of people suffering with ocd with pure o and intrusive thought about taboo theme? So many needs to hear about this!
7:25 to at least 9:32 >> I found Daniel's explanation totally plausible and easier to follow than most of the statements I hear from people around me in everyday life... 😁 Should I worry about that now? 🤔
11:15 I think that when you're trying to communicate a subjective experience, your mind grabs any thought that pops into its head at a desperate attempt of trying to illicit an empathetic experience in the listener
Around min 10. I disagree. That was very logical, philosophical, very well put. Yes, philosophy is hard to follow, but lack of realism does not substantiate lack for logic. This tells more about you than about him (objectively, not meaning to hurt you).
Sounds not too different from an acid trip gone wrong or even eating too much cannabis edibles of course with those it is only temporary
Not sure if you've read it, but Pete Walker's book, Complex PTSD from surviving to thriving might be really helpful in understanding this man. It seems as though he's read it. When he's talking about his senses telling you one thing but logically knowing that these things aren't true, it seems that, yes, he's intellectualising his condition, but that in itself is a grounding technique. Our memories consist of more than thought processing. For example, smells elicit an emotional response. This is to do with the amygdala in the brain processing, not only the sense of smell, but also emotion. What happens, however, if you are in an environment where a scent elicits an emotional memory when you were a baby? Perhaps your parents were yelling at each other and you could smell the cut grass in the garden. Now every time you smell cut grass, you have an emotional response, but logically you don't understand why. This can happen with all our senses. This would be pretty much impossible to medicate. So the patient has to start to learn that often our emotional states are beyond our understanding or control. Dissociation often happens in these circumstances. Grounding techniques are very important in CPTSD. CPTSD is also not only about childhood trauma, it can be about repeated, ongoing emotional trauma. Not being able to 'learn to love', as far as I'm aware is not a diagnostic criteria for CPTSD and I found that comment offensive. I think people have an inbuilt capacity to love, but it can become fragmented when this ability is not nurtured. Please don't comment on disorders that you don't know much about. It could be very damaging to people who are suffering from them. Sometimes when you don't understand something, it is in fact you and not the patient.
I read years ago if a schizophrenic prefaced the sentence with "I dreamed last night that......" the hallucinations they're describing would make perfect sense.
So is his dreamworld encroaching into his waking world? 🤔
That is a theory on why schizophrenia happens… the brain confused between the dream state and waking state.
That is almoat exactly what psychosis feels like to me...including the way large gaps of time can pass in a dream...like years...or even the opposite where it seems nothing had happened but weeks had passed IRL. In retrospect, it becomes difficult to decipher what was real and what wasnt. I have been mostly 5 years free now of it...and i think self isolating from the mass of absuers in my life was what got me out of it after experiwncing it for about 20 years...since as long as i can remember.
Apathetic!!!! wait does 4 exclamation points make me not apathetic?
I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and at one time in the past, BPD. There is such a horrible stigma around BPD that this video made me very nervous. What if i am just BPD without the schizoaffective piece? I would be so ashamed.
Either way you shouldn’t feel ashamed. Both are serious. Having BPD doesn’t make you a bad person.
Bpd is real and debilitating ! I hope you’re okay!!
I would question your bpd disgnoses...many docotrs use that as a way to tag you as "untreatable nuisance" and wipe their hands of you. I was diagnosed as BPD...turns out i dont even have it and am just autistic, with ocd, adhd, and severe depression / anxiety. Not accepting the bpd diagnoses was the key to being able to properly address my mental health and, without doctors, and stopping all meds...i have been 5 years free of most of the issues i used to struggle with. I self isolated (life full of absusers) and that action was the biggest factor in my ability to "recover". Doctors only wanted to lock me away even though inamma danger to no one but myself. Funny thing about my BPD diahnoses...i dont even like to be aroujd people or be close with them...a prettt key componet to bpd. Docs dont care if all they want is to label you and wash their hands of you...
I feel weird when i experience joy. I been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder depression type.
Hey just so you know, UA-cam doesn't like words like s*xual *buse anymore. You have to say stuff like SA. Or bleep/mute out the words.
Unless tou get the YT certification that you're a real doctor
Loved hearing your analysis of the video.
I'm interested in the distinction between illusion and hallucination. Say if you are on LSD, most of the hallucinations you see are in fact based on real world stimuli, such as the floor moving or patterns on an object moving or changing. Does that mean these are not actually hallucinations but illusions?
A lot of it depends on whether you have insight into your changed perception; are you aware that the floor isn't actually moving, or is it real to you and you have no insight into it?
If I had a diagnosed mental disorder, it would unfortunately be a Superiority complex. Fortunately, I'm aware of it, and try to ground and humble myself.
Man, I'm awesome at grounding and being humble. Better than anyone, actually!
narcissism?
@@kellz6266 Close. Those with a superiority complex tend to be less concerned about what others think about them and may be haughty and dismissive. People with narcissistic traits often need a steady stream of admiration and attention and may behave in manipulative and harmful ways to get it.
@@kellz6266 I assume you're talking about yourself. 🙂
Dr Syl is so charming that I keep watching those videos even though I don’t relate to the topic😄
The bottom line Dr. Syl is there are no good treatments in psychiatry for this and you this clear as day. A lot of young people get caught up in stressful situations in school, disturb sleep patterns, smoke a bunch of pot and end up like this guy with their lives shattered and ripped from them. The important thing is to absolutely fast track these new treatments coming out for the hundreds of thousands of people that need them
He suffered multiple head injuries while serving in the military, which is in the follow up video Chris did a year after the initial one. It wasn't drug use that did this.
Hi, where’s the link to the original video? Shouldn’t it be in the notes?
Borderline
Grretings from Brazil!😊
Hi, from the Netherlands!
I would feel incredibly uncomfortable, to say the least, if I had someone sitting that close to me and staring directly at me like that. It would cause me to shut down and have an extremely difficult time communicating. Is he like this in all videos? It seems like he is.
Yeah, he sits like that in all the videos. Someone (I can't remember who) said that it's to show that it's ok to be near people with mental health issues and you don't have to avoid them.
It would make me uncomfortable too. If I am in the middle of psychosis especially. I cannot normal. Do not expect me to think and speak normal. I cannot tell you how irritated I get when people do this. I cannot explain logically to you why space magic exists and why I now feel the need to turn myself into the authorities because I have killed people with my mind powers.
It's not like this in every video. There are videos where he sits far apart or isn't sitting with someone at all. I assume this is a discussion had with each subject beforehand.
oh my gosh. Yes every time Dr Syl has reacted to one of the videos, I just did not understand it at all. It's so awkward. My doctor doesn't come up next to me on the exam table to ask me questions or to try to show he is listening or trying to help. lol I'd be wondering if they were trying to hit on me. haha
I think the interviewer (Chris) tries to tailor how he acts/responds during the interview to each individual person he speaks to…that’s kind of the whole premise of his channel, trying to show the value in all people despite their disabilities, mental health conditions or the different ways they may communicate
I think he gets it wrong at times but his intention is always to treat the person as an individual and treat them the way he believes is most suited to them personally…which can obviously be a hard task when it’s the first time he’s meeting a stranger
I think Chris always tries his best but does get it wrong occasionally as we all do at times
This is the earliest I’ve ever been holy cow
Hey Dr Syl hope everything is well with you, maybe you don’t reading this.. but thx for your channel and you warm ❤
I have deep down period, so it’s helping me to see your videos, thanks makes me feel that I feel alone 😊
but my question is..would you doing a interview like that??
Take care Syl 🙏💫👋// J 🇸🇪
i was diagnosed with Bipolar 1, depression
I take buproprion it helps a lot
Daniel is an extremely talented poet.
I will go with dual. Schizoaffective, he gets the mood associated irritability typical of per his account, non bizarre delusions (called here illusions vs. hallucinations) + BPD history per his account. Looks like ASD except he was likely not that way until it emerged. ASD doesn't emerge, but schizoaffective does. And the BPD vulnerabilities trigger the schizoaffective. "Multiple hits tot he head" comment, did he do sports? Or were these from physical abuse, cPTSD? I just want to remind myself, one day we r fine...maybe vulnerable from the BPD and cPTSD, and the next day we get debilitating Schizoaffective...and if life was hard then, it is unbearable next...and it could happen to any of us...he represents all of us, down on our luck....😢 My heart goes to him...he is trully suffering in ways we couldn't ever imagine....
Will share. Thank you again.
Things get real fun when you're dealing with these types of people, they accuse you of something, and then when you ask them about what evidence they have to back everything up, they just say, "I don't know, I just know you're doing something."
I wish that people in general would not be so judgemental. You don't get to pick what you believe. It's programmed into you. Not all realities are the same.
I have bipolar 2 CPTSD and MS masking is getting more and more difficult as I age I'm 45 because I'm so tired I'm sooooo tired. Trying to get on disability 😢
I have ADHD and PTSD. I tend to wander with thoughts that are connected in my brain. I eventually come back to the first thought. I told my therapist to stop me if he can’t follow where I’m going with my point.
I found this video (the interview, specifically) really difficult to follow. Mental health is indeed a complex subject, and I struggle to understand all of the complexities. My current diagnosis is Schizoaffective disorder (with bipolar disorder components). I have found this diagnosis very difficult to swallow, and have disputed it, at times. I found the bipolar disorder diagnosis more believable and easy to swallow (that was some thirty years ago) - perhaps I have become too seated in that definition of my mental health status? At the time of the bipolar diagnosis, I was also diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, which I have heard used to be known as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. Is it true that you cannot have both of these diagnoses at the same time?? Is it also true that it is very difficult to differentiate between the two disorders?? In the past, I have ALSO been diagnosed with Complex PTSD. Is it really possible to have a diagnosis of Schizoaffective, Bipolar, Borderline and CPTSD, all at the same time?? I would be fascinated to know, and at this point in time, I wouldn't be at all surprised. During my very short (15-20 minute) appointments with psychiatrists, it is very challenging to receive answers to such questions, and usually the dialogue is dominated by a conversation about reducing the dreaded medications, which produce significant weight gain, anhedonia and such. How I wish I didn't have these diagnoses to live with!