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A psychotic, bipolar or depressive episode will bring us exceedingly far out of our comfort zones, to the point where we wonder if we will ever be comfortable again. These acute episodes of mental illness create extreme levels of internally generated suffering, which other people may not be able to see. Or they may be able to perceive that we are in pain but may be unable to see the cause. When we emerge from such extremes, it is a huge relief to feel within a normal range of emotions.

When in treatment, a person with mental illness will almost always have low level residual symptoms, many of which create moderate, internally generated suffering. And it is natural for most people to crave comfort at least some of the time. This predicament for some mentally ill people makes them prone to addiction to illicit substances. Marijuana, nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, and hard drugs are all temptations. So is an eating disorder, in which people are hooked on sugary or fatty foods, or in which they avoid food entirely.

But to get back on track, I'm not so much talking today about addiction. I'm speaking of the clinging to that which is comfortable. When medicated, the central nervous system is stuck at low levels of energy. Therefore, we do not have as much "get up and go", and it is awfully hard to tolerate a challenging situation, since this entails pushing limits. 

This is what I'm getting at: Medicated mentally ill people have a greater desire for comfort, and probably a greater actual need for it, compared to a neuro-typical person. When we get stretched too far beyond what is comfortable, it could cause symptoms to come up. Comfort brings the ability to contemplate, to reflect, to have insight, and to think clearly. We need those things if we are to get well and remain well. And when things are too painful, the more primitive instincts assert themselves. It becomes harder to think and act in a non-pressured way, and we could become angry, anxious, or symptomatic. 

The primitive areas of the brain lie beneath the cerebral cortex and resemble the fully primitive brain of a crocodile. The cerebral cortex, which is the seat of higher thought in humans, can be superseded and removed from command at times when we have extreme emotions or extreme pain. A psychotic, bipolar, or depressive episode can put the primitive place in command, and the symptoms can guide an ill person toward harmful or misguided actions--or it can cause an ill person to simply be non-functional in the basics of life. Often, the level of discomfort is so high that suffering is fully dominant in the mind. 

Once in treatment and in recovery, as I said above, we will still have low level symptoms. And when we finally feel some level of comfort, it is more than welcome. And things can swing the other way, where we cling to comfort to the extent that we are hypersensitive. The comfort zone in a neuro-typical person is intended to be a baseline that we are in much of the time, but from which we periodically leave. If you cling to the comfort zone excessively and if you compulsively avoid departing from comfort, the zone of what is acceptable will begin to shrink. The comfort zone becomes like a shell, one that keeps getting smaller. 

Antipsychotics add an additional disability on top of psychosis. While they may get rid of severe psychosis, the amount of energy available is limited. When taking antipsychotics, it is much more difficult to leave the comfort zone. These drugs make a person less able to do energetic tasks. When taking antipsychotics, you can't do very much. This is preferable to being controlled by one's psychotic symptoms. However, it leaves a patient unable to handle anything challenging. 

The above is not a reason not to try anything. If you pass up on anything that has the potential to be uncomfortable, because you are "on antipsychotics" it means you will be totally deprived of the challenges of life and the good things that come with it. Instead of giving up, you should push against limits, even while such limits could be more restrictive because of the medication. 

Make no mistake about it: If you suffer from psychosis, you're going to need antipsychotics to be able to live in society. However, we must pay a price for this. And while we didn't decide one morning that we would become mentally ill, and didn't bring this disease on ourselves, it is there within our domain, and we are saddled with the responsibility of dealing with it. 

Take your pick: Get killed, jailed or homeless due to uncontrolled psychosis, or take the meds and focus on things that are within reach.