I think I'm developing schizophrenia

[Argamemnon]

Hi everyone. I fear I'm developing schizophrenia. I'm going to make an appointment with a psychiatrist. I don't know how to explain, but I fear other peoples' noises. I'm easily overstimulated and get extremely anxious when I hear noise; people coughing or talking and so on..

Let me give an example: when my neighbour coughs it feels as if something is drilling my brain. My brain literally hurts. And the pain I feel in my brain won't just go away.

Also, I can't concentrate on anything and make mistakes all the time. I can't even do simple things. It took a very long time to type all this for example. I'm afraid this can't be attributed to depression or social anxiety. This is something else?

 

[blue]

That sounds like anxiety to me.
They say if you worry about having schizophrenia then you dont have it.

 

[Argamemnon]

"People diagnosed with schizophrenia usually experience a combination of positive (i.e. hallucinations, delusions, racing thoughts), negative (i.e. apathy, lack of emotion, poor or nonexistant social functioning), and cognitive (disorganized thoughts, difficulty concentrating and/or following instructions, difficulty completing tasks, memory problems)."

http://www.schizophrenia.com/diag.php#common

This applies to me!

 

[Helyna]

"People diagnosed with schizophrenia usually experience a combination of positive (i.e. hallucinations, delusions, racing thoughts), negative (i.e. apathy, lack of emotion, poor or nonexistant social functioning), and cognitive (disorganized thoughts, difficulty concentrating and/or following instructions, difficulty completing tasks, memory problems)."

http://www.schizophrenia.com/diag.php#common

This applies to me!

And, um, people with anxiety and depression?
But if you're worried, you'd better find out for sure. Just keep in mind that you may easily be wrong...

 

[blue]

You should get checked out.,
I knew a lady whos daughter became schizophrenic when she was 23. She was a chef and had everything going for her then one day she went swimming and said she started hearing voices they scared her so much she had to leave the pool. She wasnt worried about becoming schizophrenic she just believed that voices were contacting her, she became increasingly paranoid and believed people she had known and loved all her life were conspiring against her.
It was her family that got her diagnosed and now they dont see her .
If it concerns you, then just go, it wont help you at all to ponder over it.

 

[Argamemnon]

It's not that I want to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.. but I fear it's a possibility. Also, I wonder whether it's possible to develop this after age 32.

 

[krs2snow]

Ah jeez.

 

[Argamemnon]

That's not entirely true - schizophrenia can even develop after 40. I have done some research.

 

[Eledee]

hi!

the worst thing u can do is read stuff and then try to make your symptoms fit with it.

it sounds to me that you have hypersensitivity of hearing, quite a common problem in a person who is depressed or anxious. this may also show tself if you are a bt 'jumpy' or easily startled, eg. if someone closes a door a bit loudly.

p.s. you sound coherent and your written word is very organised, suggesting organised thought.

 

[NightTimeForever]

That's not entirely true - schizophrenia can even develop after 40. I have done some research.

True, it can, but that is a rarity. They also say that family history plays a role in the disorder. Maybe you should look into that?

 

[VioletTears]

I'm worried about it, too. Negative symptoms tend to appear before possitive (psychotic) ones and it can be hard to destinguish from depression/anxiety in the early phases.... Which makes it easy to obsess about.

I have a brother with schizophrenia and feel like I have a lot of signs as well... Can't concentrate, no motivation, a lot of nervous tension, can't handle small stresses, sometimes seeing things out of the corner of my eye that aren't there, etc... I'm 27... My current therapist says that if I was going to get it all of my stress and such probably would have already triggered it. I don't know if I believe her or not, though!

I have mixed feelings about it, honestly. Ideally I would just like to get better but I feel so little hope of that ever happening that sometimes I think, maybe if I had schizophrenia at least I wouldn't have to push so hard to pretend everything was okay... Maybe people would expect less of me... But at the same time it really terrifies me.

 

[Helyna]

Remember that schizophrenia is a common misdiagnosis for SAD. So be careful, and let your doctor know that you have problems with anxiety. DO NOT let yourself try to fit the symptoms no matter how much you obsess over it.
Anxiety and depression are many times more common than schizophrenia, so chances are great that you're fine.

 

[Argamemnon]

Remember that schizophrenia is a common misdiagnosis for SAD. So be careful, and let your doctor know that you have problems with anxiety. DO NOT let yourself try to fit the symptoms no matter how much you obsess over it.
Anxiety and depression are many times more common than schizophrenia, so chances are great that you're fine.

That's good news, however, if anxiety and depression can make you suffer so much, I wonder how bad it must be to have schizophrenia. My God.

 

[A-UK-Lovelly]

well theres to types of schitzophrenia one which is acute and one that is chronic.

chronic happens so gradually you wouldnt notice the difference in change coz its that slow, until one day wam its fully there.

and acute is like clicking your fingers and you have it.

you would either have a family history, or you would have gotten it through EXTREME stress.

diagnoses? you dont have it mate. and be thankful.

 

[Rodox]

I have a brother with chronic schitzophrenia,last year I had a mental breakdown,it was all that I worried about,but would a person with schitzophrenia know that he has?

 

[VioletTears]

By the time that someone becomes psychotic the part of their brain that would recognize the illness is usually damaged, so no, people with schizophrenia don't usually realize what's wrong with them. I have read that people are more likely/willing to seek help in the pre-psychotic phase, though.

Obviously in most cases things like depression/anxiety don't progress to schizophrenia. It's still scary knowing that they CAN, though... And if the genetic risk is there plus the signs it's not that UNlikely. If I had to put a number on it I would say my risk of developing it is PROBABLY about 30% and that's sort of high for comfort

 

[terrified]

I was told by a psychiatrist that people with schizophrenia hear voices like someone is really talking to you. You can't tell if it's real or not. They have their own alternative reality. You fear that some army or special agency is out there to get you and you really believe that is reality.

I know this because I asked the psychiatrist if I have bipolar or schizophrenia or some sort. I was convinced that I was approaching some types of mental disorder at the time.

It sounds like anxiety where you worry about everything and you are very suggestible.

 

[Rodox]

I was told by a psychiatrist that people with schizophrenia hear voices like someone is really talking to you. You can't tell if it's real or not. They have their own alternative reality. You fear that some army or special agency is out there to get you and you really believe that is reality.

.

I have been around a couple,I have heard things like,people are controling them,my brother is so bad that sometimes he doesnt recognize himself,he says thing like:

(My name),me and a man called (then says his own name),then apologies for things he didnt really do,its really,really depressing,specially if you knew the person before.

 

[rado31]

noone in my family was diagnosed with it but i m not sure, i m checking myslef all the time (do you rado? I think you have just step in a piece of crap)

I have sometimes visions , which is characteristic for deleriums in bipolar , but than again about 50 percent of doctors dont know to tell you the difference b'tween mental disorders.

Sometimes i cant stop thinkin, and most of the time i m really messed.
I think i m a loser even if i dont have that disorder, if i have it i will consider it as a bonus.

 

[NightTimeForever]

There are also subtypes of schizophrenia, such as:

Paranoid Schizo
Disorganized Schizo
Catatonic Schizo
Undifferentiated Schizo
And Residual

Don't have the patience to post the differences between them.