My First Assignment For Life-On-Line.TV

My Boss (and buddy) Steve has given me my first assignment in my new position as Associate Producer for Life On Line TV and it's a great one too!!

I will be researching, reporting on and doing an online interview about an fascinating place in SL called "Virtual Hallucinations"

Designed by University of California, Virtual Hallucinations is a place meant to educate professionals, and enlighten others about what people suffering from schizophrenia experience and what it is like to be schizophrenic.

One walks through the facility, wearing a "badge" which activates the effects. There are informative notecards available which I highly reccomend you consult before entering.

As you enter into what appears to be an admissions area at a psychiatric treatment facility, you will begin to experience quite disturbing audio and visual hallucinations over which you have no control (i.e. seeing things and hearing voices).

Virtual Hallucinations is very well made. Caution is advised if you decide to explore Virtual Hallucinations for yourself as many people may find it to be quite disturbing. There are various places all throughout the facility which will allow you to STOP all hallucination effects at anytime should it become too uncomfortable.

The thing to remember is that an individual suffering from schizophrenia doesn't have a button they can push to turn their illness off, they have to try to function in the world and live their lives while these very real symptoms are occurring in their minds.

Medications can help minimize many symptoms, however, extreme side-effects from the meds are so unpleasant that often people with go off their meds in an attempt to get relief from these awful side effects.

In RL I work as a nurse and I have had ocassions to work with patients suffering from schizophrenia. These gifted and cursed individuals are often brilliant individuals whose lives have been thrown into uncontrollable and overwhelming chaos. I've had a bit of education on illnesses such as schizophrenia during nursing school, but a walk through Virtual Hallucinations as tremendously expanded my understanding of what it's like to experience first hand, the horrors of this illness.

I said earlier this is my first assignment for Life On Line. I believe this is a very important matter and plan to do my very best on the piece. I'll admit to being a bit nervous and a bit intimidated as I haven't honed my interviewing skills yet and I am only slightly familiar with Frapps, my Inworld video recording system. I can only try my best to create an informative, interesting and enlightening interview and I guess we will all see what happens...fortunately I have Steve Cropper, my boss (and mentor) to provide me with a bit of guidance and a little editing to fix any boo-boos I might make :)

Visit Virtual Hallucinations here http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sedig/26/45/22 Sphere: Related Content