[sillysaurus3]

While this may be true, hearing that you're useful is important.

As someone that society has basically forgotten about, realizing that I won't be useful has recently crushed me.

I would not presume to speak for schizophrenics. My quirks are bad, but not that. But the welfare of a person is greatly improved by the feeling that they'll be useful.

Deluding yourself into thinking you're useful is much easier when there aren't external forces making it entirely clear that this is false. I can see that in a society without too much coercion, people with problems would be much happier simply because they aren't called out to prove themselves on a daily basis.

I say "called out" rather than "asked," because it fits much better. The feeling that you have to do something very important is so pervasive. If you're not doing that, then what are you doing?

Which is why it feels like you're called out to prove you're useful, rather than requested.

I hypothesize that in a society that doesn't do that, schizophrenics' welfare would be much improved.

[meowface]

Excellent point. Many schizophrenics have poor quality of life, but support from friends, family, and society and large can prevent it from degrading further, and even make it a lot better. Some people with schizophrenia can even be relatively functional, even without medication, if they have a good social structure. I could be wrong, but from what I've heard, with therapy and decent support, they can basically recognize their hallucinations and most of their delusions as internally generated and try to ignore them. That's still a terrible way to live, and they also still have the negative symptoms (which even most serious medication can't treat very well, if at all), but schizophrenia isn't necessarily a doom sentence.

And especially with medication, it can be manageable. John Nash, for example.

[alexbecker]

John Nash fairly famously refused medication (although this is not portrayed in the movie).

[meowface]

You're right. That makes the case even more interesting.

He claims he was able to eventually rationally reject all delusions and voices.