Actually, with multiple personalities the others take over and you're not aware of anything they do. There is very little (if any) communication between the personalities. Schizophrenia is the one that makes you have auditory hallucinations where you hear voices.

40- Not all schizophrenics have auditory hallucinations. Some have visual or tactile hallucinations and some don't have any hallucinations at all. There are loads of different symptoms for schizophrenia

I know not all schizophrenics have the same symptoms; my girlfriend gets auditory hallucinations, but has never had a visual hallucination. I just focused on that particular one it was most relevant to the comment; if you're hearing voices, you'll never be alone because you're being 'talked to'. A visual or tactile hallucination with no auditory component doesn't seem like it would be very good company.

What if you visualize a kitty? Then it's good company :3

Just so long as it was paired with a tactile hallucination. I don't know about you, but personally if there was a cat wandering around my house that I could see but not feel it would be the exact opposite of comforting.

Well done to your girlfriend for managing through it! :) "it's really not so bad as it's made out on TV" isn't strictly true though because schizophrenia can differ massively between people. For some people it's extremely severe and really stops them from living their life properly

What I mean when I say that is just because you're schizophrenic doesn't mean you're going to start seeing big black dogs ordering you to kill people. A lot of people I've talked to has this impression of schizophrenia as a violent, dangerous illness that turns people into psychopaths, and TV really doesn't help matters since most of the time I've seen a schizophrenic on TV they've been some sort of spree killer. I know my girlfriend has it relatively easy; even medicated she's pretty sharp, and is currently trying to start a business. Meanwhile the other person I know well who has schizophrenia, just by talking with him you can tell he is VERY highly medicated. His mind is very foggy, we constantly talk about the same subjects because I think he forgets that he's already said it. He went to Uni for chemistry, but because of how his meds slow him down and the mundane things he talks about it takes a few conversations with him before you realize that he's actually quite intelligent. I wasn't trying to imply that it's not as difficult as it is; that man is proof of it, he is not living to the full potential he could be because his brain chemistry is preventing him from doing so.

Oh yeah, I agree with you there. Schizophrenia has a very negative stigma attached to it.

Simple case of a misconception that not enough people have been educated on to eliminate the misconception. Though it does confuse me a bit too; the word comes from Greek skhizein ("to split") and phrēn ("mind"), therefore 'split mind' and the reason people associate it with 'split personalities'. What I don't get though, is if these people are educated enough to know schizophrenia translates to 'split mind', how could they NOT know it doesn't refer to dissociative personalities?

And just remembered one of the less intelligent conversations I've had: Trying to explain to someone that schizophrenia was NOT a pre-symptom of DID. They were under the impression that having multiple personalities was the result of a schizophrenic's auditory hallucinations of voices 'taking over' and becoming actual personalities. They were absolutely convinced that you got Dissociative Identity Disorder from having schizophrenia, and nothing I or anyone else said would prove it to them.

I know, it drives me crazy that so many people think schizophrenia is having multiple personalities. They're not the same thing!

I understood that, I was referring to some of the other peoples' comments.

Lol my bad

Lol yeah there's that! just wonder how the conversation will go with the next employer. ("so why did you leave the military?" ""oh you know just diagnosed with schizophrenia and they didn't trust me with my security clearance anymore"")