Schizophrenia and Poker

[Kurtis]

I wonder how Schizophrenia, or really any major mental illness, affects a poker player?

[mackthefork]

They always think you are bluffing, and insist the dealer is wrapped in tinfoil if they are in the 10 seat. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Mack

<font color="white"> Sorry for my flippant response </font>

[PairTheBoard]

Successful poker requires a great deal of mental and emotional stability. It's not a game for schizophrenics or those subject to mania, depression, or other psychotic disorders. It's a cruel thought to even consider.

PairTheBoard

[Kurtis]

No, I am asking for personal reasons. I am not talking when you are in pyschotic state, but when the synotoms die down. I forget the term, sorta like a relapse, but it never goes away.

It has seemed to help me, well maybe not help, but quiets the mind and I am able to focus.

[PairTheBoard]

Kurtis,

I have a dear friend who suffers some form of bi-polar schizophrenia. She takes Respiridol. Yes she can get stable under the medication. But when she gets emotionally disturbed or begins obsessing about something she can quickly destabalize and end up in the hospital. If you can keep your poker playing very very recreational and it helps you maybe it's a good thing. But poker, and gambling in general can be very emotionaly disturbing and easily obsessed over. I'd sure advise against it myself.

PairTheBoard

[mackthefork]

[ QUOTE ]
Successful poker requires a great deal of mental and emotional stability. It's not a game for schizophrenics or those subject to mania, depression, or other psychotic disorders. It's a cruel thought to even consider.

PairTheBoard

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Pairtheboard

I think this applys even on a very minor basis, for example, when I feel like I won't win, I invariably lose, confidence as well as mental stability is very important, depression affects confidence in a serious way.

Mack

[bkholdem]

When your stable (if you are high functioning) just show up at the casino with a nice fat roll, dressed and acting like you do when you are decompensated. Sit at the no limit table and go to town.

[kiddj]

[ QUOTE ]
When your stable (if you are high functioning) just show up at the casino with a nice fat roll, dressed and acting like you do when you are decompensated. Sit at the no limit table and go to town.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is actually quite clever. Nothing makes you more money than being underestimated. (Actually, nothing makes you more money than being skilled and underestimated.)

[stigmata]

Other issues aside, one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia is "thought disorder". It is generally observed that schizophrenics have lower IQ than the general population, even though they may have scored highly before the onset of symptoms. The generally disorganised mental capacaties of a schizophrenic patient would not usually lend itself well to an intellectual activity such as Poker, but might be an asset in e.g. the arts. However, schizophrenia is an extremely heterogenous disease, and it is therefore not out of the question that there are diagnosed schizophrenics playing poker at a high level.


Although I have to say this is rather silly question. I should imagine that quite a few world-class poker players have suffered from depression at some point, it is a very common situation....

[poker-penguin]

I would put the over under for the % of poker players who suffered depression (depending on how we define it) at 20.

Yep, apparantly 1 in 5 people can be clinicly diagnosed (DSM IV) as having depression at some point in their life. At present I see no reason to assume poker players are any more or less prone to it.

I'd love to say it makes me good at poker, but it doesn't. Similarly, it doesn't really make me bad at poker.