affraid of becoming schizophrenic

[VioletTears]

I have been obsessively worrying for the past couple of months that I might be on the path to developing schizophrenia.

My brother has it so I know I'm at high risk, plus I have always been extremely introverted.

I have been extremely anxious and depressed for months now and I'm paranoid that this could be a "prodome" for schizophrenia.

I don't know why I'm even posting this, maybe nobody can relate, it's just really freaking me out.

from
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1636122#B78

Comparisons of individually matched samples have demonstrated prodromal symptoms common to schizophrenia and moderate to severe depression. It is not until positive symptoms emerge that psychosis and mood disorders become distinguishable from each other. The onset of both disorders is marked by depressive mood. In a risk period of 3 to 5 years, an increase in depression and anxiety as prodromal symptoms is associated with a higher, their decrease with a lower risk for psychosis. Depression can be seen as an integral part of the disease process leading to psychosis. In both disorders the prodromal stage early produces functional impairment and related social consequences.


The ten most frequent earliest signs of schizophrenia (independent of the course) reported by the patients
Restlessness
Depression
Anxiety
Trouble with thinking and concentration
Worrying
Lack of self-confidence
Lack of energy, slowness
Poor work performance
Social withdrawal, distrust
Social withdrawal, communication

 

[Edith]

Yes.

I know what you are going through. Schizophrenia runs in my family (both sides!) and I am very worried that I will get it... for a time I was so worried about it that I thought I was becoming paranoid. Then I freaked out even more when I realised that my grandmother was a paranoid schizophrenic... I thought, "Oh shit! I'm paranoid about becoming a paranoid schizo! This is bad...!"

How old are you though (if you don't mind me asking)? because I've read that if its not present by the time you reach your mid 20's that the chances of it ever developing are very slim.

I'm almost 24 now, so the worry and "paranoia" have dissipated slightly for me. Also, I realised that I was so worried about getting it or having it that every minor thing would be projected as a symptom by my brain.

You probably don't have it... people who have it typically don't worry that they do... not in my family's experience at least.

I can understand how you're feeling though. It's very scary to think that there may be something so seriously wrong with you. I'm rather intorverted and have all the same symptoms, but I don't have it and I doubt ever will. However, I believe you can get checked if it really worries you.

 

[Rodox]

I don't know why I'm even posting this, maybe nobody can relate, it's just really freaking me out.

from
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1636122#B78

Comparisons of individually matched samples have demonstrated prodromal symptoms common to schizophrenia and moderate to severe depression. It is not until positive symptoms emerge that psychosis and mood disorders become distinguishable from each other. The onset of both disorders is marked by depressive mood. In a risk period of 3 to 5 years, an increase in depression and anxiety as prodromal symptoms is associated with a higher, their decrease with a lower risk for psychosis. Depression can be seen as an integral part of the disease process leading to psychosis. In both disorders the prodromal stage early produces functional impairment and related social consequences.


The ten most frequent earliest signs of schizophrenia (independent of the course) reported by the patients
Restlessness
Depression
Anxiety
Trouble with thinking and concentration
Worrying
Lack of self-confidence
Lack of energy, slowness
Poor work performance
Social withdrawal, distrust
Social withdrawal, communication

Last year I had a mental breakdown,and becoming schizophrenic or crazy was all that was in my mind most of the times..

 

[recluse]

I also am afraid of becoming schizophrenic, i actually feel myself getting more mad by the day.

 

[Argamemnon]

Me too.. I'm so relieved to hear that I'm not the only one.

 

[VioletTears]

Wow, I'm surprised that there are so many others who are worried about this, too! I thought it was probably just me.

I had the same exact thought that I'm paranoid about being paranoid, and my brother is also the paranoid type. I did read somewhere that strong preoccupations with topics (they mentioned health) can also be a bad sign... But I know it can be a sign of other things, too. And YES, I also keep trying to make sure I'm not psychotic. If I think I see a bug or a flash of light out of the corner of my eye and then look and don't see anything I get all worried about it. Or the other day I thought I heard faint music coming out of the air conditioner and thought that was a sure sign, but I looked it up and I guess it's normal to hear music/mumbling/etc in white noise. Of course, I'm a bit worried all the same, because that never used to happen to me.

I told my therapist that I was affraid of it and she just asked me why I thought that I needed to be worried... When I told her she just kind of went off asking more questions, like about my brother and stuff, and sort of pulled away from the topic. Then later when I was about to leave she said, "And you know, just because your brother has schizophrenia, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll get it... or that you have it." I was just like, "Oh, yeah, I know I don't have it, I just know I have a lot of risk factors. She was just like, "mmm hmmm" and didn't seem to know what else to say...

Oh, and I'm 27, but I read that women tend to develop it later than men and that late 20s or even early 30s is actually average for women... Something to do with estrogen being a protective factor, I guess. Anyways, I would be right on time, really...

And here I am... anxious and depressed and suicidal and self injuring and having panic attacks and I can't even tell you why. I have a near perfect life, seriously, it's just ME. There is something so wrong with me and I just seem to be going downhill.

Why do the early symptoms all have to overlap with anxiety and depression? It's so frustrating!

 

[LostViking]

I'm also somewhat worried that I could have schizophrenia floating around, as I'm sort of in the risky zone when it comes to both the DNA bit, and the environment bit as well. My mother has pretty much been bricked by it, she was fine as long as she had medication, but quit taking her pills while she was pregnant and never started again (she figured she was fine), from there it went downhill. I've told my shrink about this, and his opinion was that he didn't see me as someone with early symptoms of schizophrenia, but rather symptoms of having had to deal with a schizo mother during childhood. At least there's some comfort in knowing that 30 years or so ago, they managed to detect that my mother had it and get her on medication that kept her functioning for a long time. Without having read too much about the treatment options and such they have now, I can at least assume that from the point where you experience fairly extreme symptoms (hallucinations, etc), you've probably not reached a point of no return.

If you fear you have it though, then keep pushing your doctor or shrink for some sort of information about what they can do to find out. A hospital here ran some experiment a while ago where they wanted to scan the brain and figure out if they could spot schizophrenia early this way. I'm unsure if they have finished yet though, or what they found out (heard about it through my sister who was on the volunteer list, she wasn't actually tested though).

 

[Lexmark]

Noone in my family has it but the more i become a hermet the more my mind is going crazy and taking over

 

[xSleepy]

yeah, I feel the same way. I think about it all the time. My brother also has it. Seeing him go through is was really difficult and really scary. It doesnt help that once in awhile my mom will tell me she has to watch out for me to make sure I dont start acting "weird". She thinks i'll become violent or something... or more violent then I already am, haha.

And I often find myself re-thinking my thoughts... if that makes sence. I like, try to think about what im thinking to make sure they're normal things to think :? . sdkjfsdkljfklsdjflk... drives me crazy. And reading about schizophrenia and hearing about it scares the crap out of me.

I really hope I dont get it

 

[Lexmark]

Does anyone know if sociol phobia can lead to things like schitozfrenia ?

 

[LostViking]

I can't say I know, but here's what I think at least. I doubt social phobia can 'lead' to schizophrenia. I'm fairly certain that for something like that to happen you need the biologic component of it (many feel they are in the dangerous zone because relatives have this diagnosis). I think it's more a case of a plethora of phobias/illnesses having similar symptoms though, so it's very hard to tell exactly what someone suffers from, even for professionals. You can also probably find cases of people wandering around entirely healthy and normal for years before suddenly having schizophrenia getting active, social phobics meeting the same fate, and social phobics never ending up with schizophrenia.

What I'm trying to get to is that while both social phobia and schizophrenia are fairly 'rare' illnesses, schizophrenia is even less common than SP. It's a nasty thing though, and if you -think- there's a chance you may have it then contact your doctor and find out what can be done to find out for sure. If there's no trace of it in your family, you'd have to be somewhat unlucky to end up with it though.

I'd like to advice you to not worry about it at all, and avoid thinking about it (because that gets tiresome), but I know that's hard and I do it myself from time to time. However, while part of me does worry, another part of me is aware that while my phobia is a liability to me, I still retain far more control over myself and a better understanding of the world around me than what my mother (suffers from schizo) does.

 

[79_89_99IneIneIne]

I think most people on this website have those symptoms. Just because you have them doesn't mean you will develop schizophrenia. Unless you start hearing shit and feeling really paranoid I don't think there is anything to worry about.

 

[Avoidance]

Each year I find my self gettimg more paranoid. I don't know if it's the isolation or what?

 

[Argamemnon]

Each year I find my self gettimg more paranoid. I don't know if it's the isolation or what?

Yes, I believe it's the isolation.

 

[Lexmark]

Each year I find my self gettimg more paranoid. I don't know if it's the isolation or what?

Yeah thats the same as me
And when i came off a xanax overdose I heard and sore stuff for a month or so but i wasent schitzo i was aware of eat was going on and sometimes enjoyed it

 

[pandamonium77]

Im terrrrriiiiiifffffffffiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeddddd of becoming a schizophrenic
I have OCD so its on my mind all day, every day and its literally exhausting
My psych has assured be that I'm not schizo, I believe him but the fear just wont go away which leads to more worrying because I'm worried that i didn't believe him and am becoming delusional!
It's completely idiotic.. but thats how my mind works unfortunately

 

[anomicdeer]

I'm not afraid...

 

[mndigi]

Holy crap! You people are telling my life's story! When I was 15, I became very afraid that I had schizophrenia. There was no reason. Just that I had read about it in the papers and started thinking what if I had it. The more I thought, the more I felt I had it. This anxiety caused me so, so much agony for 2 years. I used to suffer every minute. But after 2 years, with help from a great psychologist, I stopped giving a darn. Now I don't care whether I have it or not (I have a schizophrenia like problem possibly, not schizophrenia exactly).

You people should understand that it's pointless to worry about it. I will instead tell you what my psychologist had told me. She had told me to keep myself busy in work all day. It was a very simple advice and it was effective.

P.S.- Of course, when I went to my psychologist, even the slightest hint that I had even a schizo like disorder, was enough to drive me crazy with anxiety, depression and mourning. So my psych told me again and again that I didn't have schizo at all. Only maybe some symptoms were similar. Maybe she was being diplomatic. But it worked so well that now it doesn't matter whether I have schizo or something like it. I just stopped caring. So her treatment worked. Of course, unfortunately for me, the most crippling ever social anxiety took hold of me thereafter, and wiped years and years off my life altogether.

 

[mndigi]

And frankly, I thought it was weird that I had a self-referencing schizo paranoia thing. But what's even weirder is so many of you have it too. So it seems like a classic clinical case. In which case, don't worry. Listen to your docs The docs probably have experience in treating it.

 

[meatcake]

I had similar experiences when I was 19 or so - I'd gone through some really weird mental experiences, like abandoning my body and personality cause I hated them so much - I just refused to identify with them, and had this really euphoric experience that went on and on for weeks, except for when I was around people, in which case I was just paralyzed. I might have been headed for a psychotic break, I dunno, but as fate would have it, some girl in my art class actually asked me out, and I put all my attention on trying to get along with people, cause I really liked her, and wanted to be able to have a girlfriend. Yeah, right - she held out for a week or two and then gave up on me cause I had so much anxiety around her, I could barely talk. I was pretty socially phobic by that point, and turning that off in a week or two is kind of hard to do.

One of my roommates said he became really talkative when he was in love, so I tried to fall in love with everybody I met, and it actually worked - people seemed to really like me, which was a weird experience.

Anyway, after all this shit, a rollercoaster of intense emotions for 6 months, I was looking through the psychology books in the library and read some really ultra-clinical description of schizophrenia, and that the highest risk of onset was 18-20 yo, and the prognosis was very bleak. It was an older book, I don't think I knew that there were good drugs available for it. Anyway it completely freaked me out, and my brain just completely blew a fuse, like a lightbulb blowing out. I became a total zombie, with constant anxiety 24/7, even in my sleep.

Sorry, I didn't mean to write so much. ::

Anyway, our psych prof said that early treatment is important, cause the drugs prevent the progressive brain damage that schizophrenia causes. So it's not as big a worry nowadays as it used to be - the drugs can do amazing things. I'm not trying to minimize the amount of problems it causes, just that prognosis is a lot better than what it used to be.