STEP 1: Before creating your discussion post, click on the following link and read Mr. Hedrick’s posting on “Dating with Schizophrenia.” Take some notes as you read it. Here’s the link: https://psychcentral.com/blog/dating-with-schizophrenia#1.
Then, consider this quote from a similar piece he wrote for the New York Times where he described meeting a woman for a date:
“Finally she asked me what I did for a living, and I told her I write about mental illness. What came next were the inevitable questions: How did I get into that? Did I have personal experience? At that point, I had no choice but to disclose my diagnosis, and after a trip to the bathroom to collect herself, she came back with more questions. Was I dangerous? Had I ever killed anybody? Needless to say, the date was over shortly thereafter.” [Hedrick, M. (June 11, 2015). Dating with Schizophrenia. The New York Times. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/11/dating-with-schizophrenia/?emc=edit_tnt_20150615&nlid=59941902&tntemail0=y&_r=0 ]
STEP 2: Write a blog post of 300-350 words sharing your response to the following questions:
- How do social stigma and stereotypes regarding schizophrenia affect Mr. Hedrick’s ability and willingness to seek relationships? (give specific examples). What lessons did you learn from this?
- Imagine yourself on a date when someone admits to you that they were diagnosed with schizophrenia. What would your reaction be? Given what you have learned from the module and these readings, what might you do differently?
STEP 3: Respond to two classmates’ posts (using at least 75 words). Explicitly address their responses and try to constructively extend or respond to their points in a substantive way that demonstrates what you have learned from the text, readings, or videos.
