I was standing on the bus the other day, and there was this guy down the back of the bus somewhere, occasionally screaming what seemed like incoherent words either at himself or at someone next to him. When I moved closer to the back of the bus, I finally saw the screaming man. He had a small device pressed up against his left ear, perhaps a walkie-talkie or a small radio.
I didn't think much else of him, thinking that he must have some sort of mental disorder. A few minutes later, I looked over his way again, and noticed that he was covering his ears. I was now within earshot of him, so I could actually make out what he was screaming to himself: "SHUT THE F#@K UP!!", "JUST SHUT UP!!", "ARRRRRGHHHH!!".
He must have been a schizophrenic, trying to drown out the voices that follow him around wherever he goes. When I realised this, my heart just went out to him. Can you imagine living your life hearing voices day in day out, and not being able to switch them off?? Ever?? It would be enough to drive you bonkers even after a few days, let alone an entire lifetime.
I'm not a doctor (obviously), but I wonder just how much medicine can actually help schizophrenia nowadays. I wonder if these people can actually live a reasonably comfortable life these days with the aid of medicine, by way of medication and/or the assistance from mental health professionals....
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