- Hi everyone, in today's
video, I'm going to be reacting to the most popular video
about schizophrenia on YouTube. (upbeat ambient music) Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Loving
Well Schizophrenia Channel. My name is Lauren and I live
with schizo affective disorder and I make videos about
what it's like to live with a schizophrenia spectrum illness. If you'd like to see more videos from us, make sure to subscribe. And also if you are interested in helping us create this type of content, please check out the
link to our Patreon page. Once you become a Patreon,
you also gain access to our online peer support community through which you get access to a variety of peer support text channels, as well as video channels, and we also offer multiple
peer support groups every week. If this is of interest to you, or if you'd just like to help support us in creating this content, please check out the
link to our Patreon page in the description below. Also, we wanna say a huge thank you to all of our current Patreons. You make creating this content possible. Thank you. Okay, so this video was
posted four years ago, but it's a really old video from 1961 of an interview that was done with a person who is
living with schizophrenia. And it's captioned that he was experiencing
catatonic schizophrenia, but we'll kind of talk more about that as we watch the video. So this reaction of this video is going to be from my perspective, which is the patient perspective and someone else who is
living with schizophrenia and that's where my
reaction's going to come from. We're also going to link to a really great reaction video that was done by a physician where he provides more of the medical background information
to watching this video. So after you watch this video, I would recommend
checking that one out too. Okay, so let's watch the video. - [Interviewer] How are you feeling? - Well. - [Interviewer] How
long have you been here? - For three months, May 17th. - Okay, so just some initial
reactions to the thumbnail and the feeling of this
video to begin with, you know, the thumbnail
kind of made him look a little otherly, what
I mean by that is like, I felt he kind of looked
like a ventriloquist in the thumbnail and he's
very shiny and it's just like, oh, kind of what's going
on with this person? And I think that's kind of unfair. And this also feels very much like he is a suspect in a crime or something the way the camera is just focused on him. And the interviewer is, you can't see any identifying bits
about the interviewer. And it all just feels very
like kind of creepy, you know? And I feel like it's really playing into the stigma around
illnesses like schizophrenia. And especially since it's coming from 1961 where there was probably
even more stigma around it. - [Interviewer] And what brought you in? - That's difficult to answer. - [Interviewer] Could you gimme some idea? - Offhand, I can't. - [Interviewer] Whose idea
was it that you come here? - My psychiatrist. - [Interviewer] And what happened that ended up with your
being here in the hospital? - The psychiatrist decided that this was the situation for me. - [Interviewer] And did he tell you why? - No, the psychiatrist did not. - So I can kind of
empathize with the person. Again, I kind of feel bad for him, he's kind of being put in this weird like interrogative interview, but I think it's a common experience when you are hospitalized
for schizophrenia, when your illness is at a severe point to not really understand
kind of what's going on or not really understand
why doctors around you, or like his psychiatrist
have deemed you to be sick or deemed you to be sick
enough to be hospitalized. And it can be a kind of confusing and a time that doesn't really make sense, and you don't really
understand why you're there. - [Interviewer] Has anybody told you why? - No. - [Interviewer] Have you any idea why? - Yes. - [Interviewer] And what is that? - I am not completely like other people. - [Interviewer] What do you mean by that? - People dislike me because I
am not completely like them. - [Interviewer] And in
what way are you different? - I am trying to do with my life something which few people try to do, and this influences my thinking, and consequently my actions. - So just a quick aside, I think he's actually doing
a really wonderful job of communicating with this interviewer. I think that it's not really in line
with my understanding anyway of what catatonia involves
where there's a lack of speech and a lack of ability to communicate. It kind of seems to me like he's actually doing a
good job of communicating. Now that said, he is
responding a little bit slowly and perhaps there's a bit of delay and thought processing
there, but I don't know if that's really enough
reason to be hospitalized but we will see what happens next. - [Interviewer] What is it you're trying to do with your life? - Play the piano for people. - [Interviewer] I'm not clear, how is it that playing
the piano for people has eventually resulted in your
being here in the hospital? - I sit differently when I play the piano and when I'm away from the piano, I occasionally look
differently from other people. And this has caused dislike from people. - [Interviewer] They dislike you because you sit differently at the piano? - Yes. - [Interviewer] Why do
you sit at the piano that people would dislike you? - I cannot describe an
illustration of how I sit. - [Interviewer] And I can't imagine it, that it would make people angry at you or at least dislike you. - So perhaps we're starting to see some of his delusional
thinking coming to play around trying to do something that others are not with their life or trying to, you know, I forget his exact wording, but basically that being playing the piano and then believing that people
dislike him or upset with him because of how he's sitting at the piano. And that might not be
totally grounded in reality, but I can kind of empathize with having those maybe just
slightly different thoughts that you really believe,
and that are hard to convey. He was like, I can't really
describe an illustration, I think is what he said about it because he couldn't really
put words to why he felt that or why he felt he was sitting differently. He just felt that he was. And so that's something
that I've experienced too, not necessarily exactly like
that, but with other things. And then also it took
him a really long time to respond that one time and you could see his eyes
kind of darting back and forth, and I kind of related to that as well, especially when you're in the
hospital and you're confused and you're trying to
make sense of everything, and the doctors are asking you a question and not only are you trying to respond to that question in an
accurate or truthful way but you're also worried about how your response is going to
be interpreted by the doctors or by the people in positions of authority that are interviewing you at that moment. And so that's other reason why
perhaps he could be delayed. - [Interviewer] How do
you know they dislike him? - My father does, and doctors do because of the way I appear in relationship to the
way I sit at the piano, and occasionally stand when
I'm away from the piano, because of the way I sit at the piano. - So I think that's kind of interesting that he mentioned his dad
doesn't like the way he sits and doctors don't like the way
he sits or the way he looks and whatnot, because that might be kind
of an element of reality, kind of intermingling with
his delusional thought where perhaps he's picking up on things like his dad and doctors think there's something wrong with him because of his presentation
of schizophrenia or whatever it may be, and that's kind of getting interwoven into this delusional thought
that people don't like him because of something
that is maybe unrelated, such as sitting at the piano - [Interviewer] You stand when
you're away from the piano that they dislike you? - I can't describe an illustration. - [Interviewer] Does it
feel to you any different from the way other people stand? - Yes, it feels different. - [Interviewer] In what way? - This is becoming too
involved to describe. - I think he kind of
felt overwhelmed with, this is all my presumptions,
but what I have felt in terms of how he responded there is that you kind of get overwhelmed sometimes when you are trying to
like keep thinking along, maybe your delusional train of thought and then people are questioning it and it becomes very hard
to know what is real. And it becomes very hard to
maintain a train of thought. And so I wonder if maybe
that's what he is experiencing when he says that this
is becoming too involved. - [Interviewer] Would I be
right in assuming then that you don't feel that you
belong in the hospital, but that other people did feel that? - As soon as I express the belief that I do not belong in this hospital, which is a mental hospital, then those who dislike me want
to find a worse place for me. - That's probably a really
important thing to highlight in terms of how people who end up in psychiatric hospitals
against their will really feel like it is not
really a helpful or good place, and that there's always that underlying fear of
saying the wrong thing and ending up someplace even worse. You know, it feels very much like you are under constant observation, which you kind of are. And all of your actions
and thinking and whatnot is constantly being judged
as to your capacity to live your life out in society
or to stay in the hospital or to maybe even go someplace worse. There's always that fear. And so, that's an interesting thing that came up in this interview too. - [Interviewer] I'm not sure I understand, could you make that clearer for me? - No. - Is this a way of.
- Ha-ha, yes, I can. As soon as I express the belief that I do not belong in
this mental hospital, then those who dislike me
want to find a hospital where the living conditions
are not as good as this. - [Interviewer] But why are you in the hospital in the first place? I'm not clear. - Because I'm working to do
something which in my life, which most people do not do,
this influences my thinking and occasionally my actions and a psychiatrist has noticed this. - [Interviewer] What has he noticed? - Like the actions and the thinking, and has decided that I should
be here to change them. - [Interviewer] What actions? - How I talk and how I
look right at this moment. - [Interviewer] And how would you describe the way you're talking and
looking right at this moment? - As other people talk, and at this moment,
however, I've been told that it is not the way
other people talk and look. - [Interviewer] Have you any idea in what way it's not like others? - No, because I believe it
is as other people talk. - So this is also interesting
that yeah, you know, yeah, he is presenting maybe
a little bit differently than most people present. His body hasn't really moved much throughout the whole interview and he's got a bit of a flacked affect with the occasion like
some grimacing or whatnot. But he doesn't feel that it's distressing or that it's a problem at all to be interacting with people in this way. And I feel he's still able
to communicate quite well but he's also very aware
that the people around him, his doctors and whatnot believe that he is presenting differently. And that, that is a problem. And I don't know, maybe that's something to explore a bit more within
the medical community is that, is it really a problem if someone
is presenting differently? You know, like, I think it's interesting that this whole video is kind of set up to display him as a bit of
kind of like a side show or like a freak show for
lack of a better word. And it's kind of scary and setting him up as
kind of a scary person but all I'm really getting
from this video from him is that he doesn't really
understand why he's there, he doesn't really think he's sick and he just kind of
wants to play the piano. And so I don't know some
stuff to think about there. - [Interviewer] So then
from your point of view, not from other people's point of view, from your point of view, the
look, you talk, you think, you behave as other people do. You're very interested in
learning to play the piano. You sit at the piano a little differently from the way someone else might and you stand somewhat differently. - Occasionally I stand differently. - [Interviewer] Hmm. Now that in itself doesn't
seem on the surface to be sufficient reason
for being in a hospital. So what other reasons
have been given to you or what other reasons do you understand are the causes of your being here? - I'm supposed to not be mentally well. - [Interviewer] Oh. And what's supposed to be wrong with you? - No doctor has told me. - [Interviewer] That's hard to believe. - I don't like that the interviewer said
that's hard to believe. That's not very nice, because I don't think he's trying to lie and say that no doctor has told him. Maybe they have, and maybe
he just hasn't understood and hasn't processed that. And so it's kind of up to the doctors to keep trying to communicate with him, not just be like, well, we told you and that's hard to believe
that no one's told you. So that's distressing to me
from the patient perspective of I've been there where I have felt like no one has
told me what is going on, I felt like no doctors have talked to me about what they think is wrong with me. I literally haven't remembered. And people around me, my partner
and whatnot have been like, oh, well actually, no, they
did talk to you about that. But I just didn't remember because I was in a compromised state, and that's probably a
very common experience for people who are
going through psychosis. - I tell the truth. - [Interviewer] What are your plans if things should go well, if
you were to leave the hospital, then what? - I need financial help
from my father to prepare me for obtaining a job as a piano
instructor at a university where I will be able to teach
people how to play the piano and also play the piano for people. - [Interviewer] Have
you had the training yet to permit you to be an instructor? - No, I have not. - [Interviewer] Have you tried? - I don't understand
what you mean by that. - [Interviewer] Have you
tried to get the instruction. - Not cool. You know, he just snapped at
him and he was just saying, I don't understand what
you're trying to ask. And I think I'm a little
bit like triggered by this line of questioning
because it often feels that, that power imbalance obviously favors the
doctors over the patient and it kind of makes the patient feel like they're being patronized or
they're being seen as inferior or that kind of thing. And I just don't feel that that's very conducive
to proper treatment. - Yes, I have tried. - [Interviewer] What's happened? - I have not had the correct environment for the instruction, nor the correct financial
help for the instruction, nor the correct instruction. - [Interviewer] Have you been
accepted for such instruction? - By some teachers, yes. - And by others, no. - Yes, again, it has been about health and (indistinct). - [Interviewer] Have you
started any such instruction with those who did approve of it? - Yes. - [Interviewer] And how has it gone? - With some, it has gone well, with some it has not gone well. - Okay, so, there wasn't a lot to that
interview in my opinion. I don't feel that it's enough to really be able to say, oh yeah, this person was
experiencing catatonia or even schizophrenia really. But there were some clues
that he was experiencing delusional thinking or
difficulties with processing or thought or whatnot. It specifically mentions that
he is experiencing catatonia. And I just wanna draw your attention to the diagnostic criteria
for diagnosing catatonia. You need to have any three
of the following signs, so not responding to other
people or their environment. I think he was. Not speaking, he was speaking. Holding their body in an unusual way. It wasn't really that
unusual, he was very still, but he was sitting normally. Resisting people who tried
to adjust their body. So we didn't see that. So maybe that was part of it. Agitation. He seemed a little bit agitated but really was pretty composed. Repetitive, seemingly
meaningless movement. Again, no. Mimicking someone else's speech. No. Or mimicking someone else's movements. Again, no. So I'm not really sure why
it's labeled as catatonia. I think maybe this has
to do with how catatonia, or catatonic schizophrenia
used to be its own diagnosis but the medical community
has kind of moved away from describing a certain type
of schizophrenia as catatonic or catatonia because now
it's more seen as catatonia being something that can be a result of a multitude of
reasons, not just schizophrenia. Doctors now understand
that other mental illnesses that can cause imbalances
in your metabolism can also cause catatonia. And it's estimated that
about one in 10 people with severe mental illness
will experience catatonia. So I think it's important to
note that times have changed since this video was originally filmed. You know, in the 1960s, I'm
sure there was a lot more stigma around mental illness in general and especially mental
illnesses like schizophrenia. And I think nowadays we're seeing, at least the beginning of a
push toward more acceptance of what it means to be neuro divergent. And so watching this
video, it's very clear that he has some degree or some
element of neuro divergence. And now I think maybe
we would see that more as just a difference that is okay, because for all intensive
purposes, he didn't seem to be at risk of being a harm to
himself or to anyone else, he just wanted to play the
piano and teach the piano. And that should have been okay. There was really no
reason that I could see based on that video for him
to have been in the hospital for three months and to
still be in the hospital. And so again, going back to
this idea of neuro divergence. I think that back in the 60s, people noticed this degree of
neuro divergence that he had but they maybe didn't have the language or the understanding of
what neuro divergence means. And so this perception of him as different
than your typical person kind of led people to
be a little bit fearful or scared of him and deeming him crazy or a catatonic schizophrenic. And this is largely unhelpful. So it worries me that this video is still as hugely popular as it
is right now in 2022, because you know mental illness, we have such a better understanding of what it means to have schizophrenia, what it means to live a life with it. And I hope that people
don't see this video and assume that the image or the story they're
kind of trying to tell with this very stigmatizing video, hoping that people understand
that living with schizophrenia is a lot more than this. And it's not just the
kind of sideshow element that was trying to be
at play in this video. If you watch the original
video that we just reacted to, trying to have a better
understanding of schizophrenia, I hope you didn't leave it feeling like you knew
what schizophrenia was, but instead make sure
to check out this video where we go over what exactly
schizophrenia really entails. Thanks so much for watching this video. I hope you found it insightful in some way if you would like to
see more videos from us, make sure to subscribe. And also just a quick reminder that if you would like to help support us in creating these videos to please check out the
link to our Patreon page. Thank you so much for
watching and as always, wishing you and your
loved one's good health. We'll see you in the next video. Bye.
