I’m no doctor or anything, but my understanding is that only people with a genetic predisposition can develop actual schizophrenia. Schizophrenia usually first manifests in a person’s twenties, if it’s going to manifest, but it’s not a sure thing – there are certain precautions you can take to make it less likely that it will develop. For example, I have a friend whose mom is schizophrenic, and he’s really careful to avoid hard drugs and other intensely mind-altering practices. So if you have anyone in your family with a history of schizophrenia, I’d be extra careful with tulpamancy.
On the other hand, there are lots of mental illnesses that don’t seem to require a family history – again, this is way outside of my realm of knowledge, but anecdotally, it seems like just about anyone can develop severe depression, hypomania, or a destructive drug habit, given the right circumstances. So if nothing else, I’d advise you to proceed with a whole lot of caution.
As for the point about getting swept under the rug: I have no familiarity with the discussion that goes on in circles that are interested in tulpamancy, but if it’s primarily self-reports, well, people who are imprisoned, dead, or severely mentally compromised wouldn’t be able to report on their status. I think I might sound like I’m trying to scare you – I guess maybe I am? It just seems really important to me to tread carefully around tulpas.
I’m no doctor or anything, but my understanding is that only people with a genetic predisposition can develop actual schizophrenia. Schizophrenia usually first manifests in a person’s twenties, if it’s going to manifest, but it’s not a sure thing – there are certain precautions you can take to make it less likely that it will develop. For example, I have a friend whose mom is schizophrenic, and he’s really careful to avoid hard drugs and other intensely mind-altering practices. So if you have anyone in your family with a history of schizophrenia, I’d be extra careful with tulpamancy.
On the other hand, there are lots of mental illnesses that don’t seem to require a family history – again, this is way outside of my realm of knowledge, but anecdotally, it seems like just about anyone can develop severe depression, hypomania, or a destructive drug habit, given the right circumstances. So if nothing else, I’d advise you to proceed with a whole lot of caution.
As for the point about getting swept under the rug: I have no familiarity with the discussion that goes on in circles that are interested in tulpamancy, but if it’s primarily self-reports, well, people who are imprisoned, dead, or severely mentally compromised wouldn’t be able to report on their status. I think I might sound like I’m trying to scare you – I guess maybe I am? It just seems really important to me to tread carefully around tulpas.