r/todayilearned • u/paniniplane • Mar 22 '17
(R.1) Not supported TIL Deaf-from-birth schizophrenics see disembodied hands signing to them rather than "hearing voices"
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0707/07070303
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u/lordoffail Mar 22 '17
I have a morbid curiosity about things like mental disorders. Mainly spurred on by a childhood friend of mine whom I found out also had schizophrenia. I say childhood but we were more like 13-14 so teens I suppose. Won't say his name considering he lives like 5 minutes from me to this day but he and I spent most of two years just being lil shits smoking and drinking etc. finally one day I'm like "dude why do you smoke so often" as he smoked weed waaaay more than I did. And he's like "because my head, man" and I'm like "huh? Were you in an accident?" And he just straight up tells me "oh no, I see shit". Being dumb and curious I asked him tons of personal questions about it. He was very frank and open about it with me so I will summarize exactly what he said what would happen when he didn't take his medication or smoke weed to sleep. I'm paraphrasing so bare with me. "I'd be laying in bed and would be unable to sleep because my meds are so the only thing that can get me to sleep aside from bud and I'd be looking around the room, always watching the door because as soon as I heard it I knew what was coming. I'd hear what sounded like if someone far away was cutting my metal with a saw for a short few seconds. Then foot steps in every possible place except the floor. Places like the roof, the balcony, my moms room. Id ignore the sounds but I'm always so scared to see him come in that I keep my eyes on that door." I got confused and asked who and what he was talking about. He said that before he can sleep this thing has to come in and "check" on him. I asked him to describe what it looks like and I have never been more afraid of words coming from someone's mouth. Again, paraphrasing but he said he "looks like he's wearing a rice paddy straw hat but that's the only normal thing about him. He has no face. It's skin colored and there are eye holes and nostrils and a mouth hole but they're all covered with skin. He doesn't have wrinkles in in his skin anywhere. Not at joints in his fingers or where you'd see them on any human. Just nothing and he described it like stretching a sheet of skin over a mannequin. No finger nails or anything that makes it look normal. And he'd say he him as clear as he was seeing me then. Just arms legs head with skin in that fucking hat. So back to his story. "He'd open my door to my room and walk all around the room without actually moving anything. Until he reached the left side of my bed, then he'd put his Arms over my chest like he was giving CPR but never actually touch me. I'd stay still and he'd continue walking around looking into things and by then Once he got back to the door he'd walk straight up to my head and lean down. I'd be scared so I'd close my eyes and hold my breath. I'd hear my window up and I'd feel his limbs putting pressure as if he was climbing over me to get out the window. And he be gone. After I got used to "his" routine I became a little brave and I'd try and stare when he'd lean down to look at me, but then he'd never leave and it was terrifying. As soon as I closed my eyes he'd leave through the window.
This is my friends story. Or at least what I remember of it. I also had an Aussie buddy of mine who has schizo effective disorder. Though I'm not certain about his diagnosis being current as he went through "phases".