17 and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia

[Silent Rob]

Hey everyone. This is a pretty rough thing for me to post, but I honestly need all the support I can get.

I guess I should start with some back story. Over the years I've had trouble with hearing voices that tell me to do things. Pretty appalling things. They used to be fairly easy to control and it was easy for me to identify that they were coming from inside my head. More recently they got real bad. Louder, constant whispering and, the bit that scares me the most, is that it's getting harder for me to decide where they are coming from.

Obviously I went to the doctors about this as along with the voices came other symptoms. I feel like I'm always being watched, that people can see my thoughts and sometimes I see things too.

When I went to a GP about this a couple of years back he said it was just my teenage way of dealing with things, however recent visits to doctors and psychiatrists have proven different. They at first put me on meds that, if they worked, would mean that it is all anxiety related along with some relaxation techniques. Neither worked. Of course this led the doctors to diagnose me with paranoid schizophrenia.

So now to the actual part where I need advice. Is there anyway I can resist these voices and block out the hallucinations, other than anti-psychotics which I will be recieveing soon? Please people of the internet, I find it hard (obviously) to trust most people with this stuff, so who better to ask than people I will likely never meet?

 

[Craorach]

Mental health issues are unique to the individual, that is probably the most important thing to remember. Some people need to be heavily medicated their entire life.. my mother is one of them.. while others can undertake counselling and may never need medication.

Paranoia is probably the worst part of it, since it stops you trusting people who are genuinely trying to help. I was there once myself, but fortunately I had first had knowledge of it from my mother which helped me see how absurd some of the things in my head actually were.

The medication may well help, and hopefully will help you find people you trust to discuss the issues with. Finding a good counsellor is definitely a must, if you don't want to end up medicated all your life.

 

[Acier]

I second the guy above me, that's the most helpful long term advice. Though is a terribly temporary fix, a friend of mine would drown out the voices with music. So he would listen to music all the time.

 

[Erana]

Well, you know its a health problem, and not really you. Know who you are, and believe in yourself.

That being said, what helps me (Not with schizophrenia, but with anxiety from the PMS from Hell) is to change things up. If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, call someone who cares about you and have them just tell you about something funny that's happened to them today. Go in the back yard and blow bubbles. Anything like that. A change of scenery or things can give you a new perspective if its pleasant and safe.

(Seriously, bubble blowing is awesome. Try it next time you're feeling upset)

 

[JesterRaiin]

So now to the actual part where I need advice. Is there anyway I can resist these voices and block out the hallucinations, other than anti-psychotics which I will be recieveing soon?

1. Whatever you're pulling here - it's VERY irresponsible.
2. No. And no.
- Self control is impossible in such cases.
- At the end, it's only you and your choices. No one else to blame.

 

[renegade7]

I did struggle with paranoia myself as well. I don't know what to do about hearing voices, but at least for dealing with paranoia was to just force myself to relax and just think about what it is I was fearing. I didn't have a very severe case so I don't know how much that will help...

But just don't do anything rash...if you feel tempted to do something bad, just use your common sense...also I would advise staying home until you start your medication.

Now, psychotic mental disorders (not saying you're a 'psycho' just referring to a certain group of conditions) can be exacerbated my life stress...so if there's something bothering you then you might want to think about talking to a therapist/counselor. That might help a little.

As for a long term cure, medication is really your only option.

One thing you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT DO though is use drugs...true, pot might help you relax a little, but it stays in your system a long time and reacts adversely (really adversely) with psychotropic medications. It could also make your hallucinations worse.

1. Whatever you're pulling here - it's VERY irresponsible.

And what exactly are you suggesting he's pulling? Seems rather genuine to me...

 

[JesterRaiin]

1. Whatever you're pulling here - it's VERY irresponsible.

And what exactly are you suggesting he's pulling? Seems rather genuine to me...

Quick reality check :

- Over the years I've had trouble with hearing voices that tell me to do things. Pretty appalling things.
- So now to the actual part where I need advice.
- Please people of the internet

Heavy mental problem and advice from teh Internet ? Asking about such things on gaming forum populated mostly by younger people that start "omg i'm so excited about ME3" threads ? What answer could you expect regarding such case ? Seriously ?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O-vtmU0KQ6A/Ts7cW-vT0bI/AAAAAAAAAJk/0Ts-XdwzoiM/s1600/nope-its-just-ckuck-testa.jpg

 

[BrassButtons]

You may want to look into Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. I don't know that it's possible to completely control Paranoid Schizophrenia without medication, but CBT may help somewhat. You know that you have a disorder which messes with your thoughts and feeling, so if you learn to question your those then you may become better at identifying which ones are "good" and which ones are the result of the Schizophrenia.

If you find yourself distrusting someone, for example, ask yourself what evidence you have to support that distrust, and what evidence you have that your distrust is mistaken. If you distrust them because "I just feel like they aren't trustworthy," but on the other side you have evidence of them keeping promises and being there when you've needed to rely on them, then it's a safe bet that your feeling of mistrust are wrong (and probably need to be discussed with your therapist). Simply realizing that your mistrust is wrong won't make the feeling go away, but it's a step in the right direction. If nothing else you will have identified a specific problem that you can work on with your therapist.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

I only know people who know people with schizophrenia. It generally goes in waves and never really goes away. Yes, you can fight it to a point, but you might need someone whose willing to help you and pull you back to reality when you have an episode. I wouldn't go off pills, working in the news as well as my own life I've heard too many stories of people going of their pills and ending up in jail or dead.

Right now you need a companion who is willing to help you.

 

[Angie7F]

From what I know, it is usually better for schizophrenics to stay on medication.
But when you are in the midst of things, you have second thoughts and sometimes decide against them, but seriously, keep taking them.
Its good to have someone who you can trust to keep an eye on you and warn you when they see you spiraling out of control.

Apart from that, try to identify what stresses you out and makes you feel unstable.
Try to form your life around things that keep you feeling ok.

 

[bluepilot]

Sorry to hear about it. It really sucks.

I have a family member who was diagnosed with this illness back in the 50s. With the lack of support and general misunderstanding about mental health this individual turned to alcohol to solve their problems. Never ever a good idea.

Nowadays there is a lot more support for people will mental health disorders. This means that your life is going to change into taking daily medications, visiting doctors and other health carers weekly (several times a week if you get bad).

There was nothing you could do to prevent this, it cannot be cured but it can be managed. It sounds harsh but I think acceptance of a disorder is the first step to living a fairly normal life.

 

[requisitename]

I was diagnosed young with schizoaffective disorder (schizophrenia + bipolar disorder).

Be aware of two things: Anti-psychotics can take a while (a few weeks) to reach peak effectiveness. Also, there's a decent chance that even if you're on the right anti-psychotic, your symptoms won't be 100% controlled. Also, (so, I guess three things), dosing psychiatric meds isn't an exact science. There are quite a few different anti-psychotics on the market and the first one might not work, the second one might not work either. Don't give up. When you finally find the right one, you will feel so, so much better. For me, it was the fourth one (an atypical) that finally worked.. and I'd say I have about 80% symptom control. It isn't perfect, but it's worlds better than it was before.

The single best thing I can recommend from my own experience is to choose a friend you can trust and who wants to listen and tell them everything. You need someone who will listen to your "crazy" "bullshit" without judging you for it. I'm not saying they need to AGREE with you, I'm just saying that they have to accept the fact that your reality is very, very different than theirs. This person can act as a sounding board and a voice of reason.. and can hug you and kick you in the ass when you need it, too.

Also, understand that no matter how much you know intellectually that it's "all in your head", that doesn't make it any less real when it's happening. That isn't your fault, it's your brain's fault. It's bad chemicals, bad wiring, whatever.. but it doesn't have to be the sum of who you are. The nature of the beast is that you will probably never defeat it for good, but you can fight the good fight and some days you'll win.

Be prepared for side-effects from the anti-psychotic and anything else they put you on to complement it. Psych drugs are known for having nasty side-effects. It can be fucking brutal. I'm talking nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, constant fatigue, dehydration (both feeling dehydrated and actual "holy crap this is bad" dehydration), muscle tremors and twitches, feeling "fuzzy", etc. I'm not trying to scare you and I will tell you that it's worst at first while you're adjusting, but then it (usually) gets better. Read up on your particular anti-psychotic and understand what you're to look out for. Some side-effects can be indicative of some really bad stuff going on inside you and you need to know which ones are acceptable (and to what degree) and which aren't. Ask your shrink this: "When should I call you in regards to side-effects?" And don't be afraid to call! There seriously are no stupid questions if you're worried about a side-effect. They've heard it all and they won't judge and they know whether something is worth changing meds for and what you should be worried about.

Finally, do not, under any circumstances, stop taking your medication without talking it over with the shrink. You'll take it, you'll feel better, you may convince yourself that you don't need it. It's not true. That is the medication talking. You only feel better because you're taking it. I really can't stress this enough. If you're on something that works and you go on and off and back on (wash, rinse, repeat) again.. you run the risk of making it not work anymore. I've never met a psychiatrist who could tell me why that happens, but it does. Take your meds.

TL;DR: For most of us, it gets at least a little better. As G.I. Joe said, "Knowing is half the battle." This can be damned scary, but you're getting help and that's what's important. Also, take your meds as prescribed!

If you want to talk, PM me.

 

[Silent Rob]

1. Whatever you're pulling here - it's VERY irresponsible.

And what exactly are you suggesting he's pulling? Seems rather genuine to me...

Quick reality check :

- Over the years I've had trouble with hearing voices that tell me to do things. Pretty appalling things.
- So now to the actual part where I need advice.
- Please people of the internet

Heavy mental problem and advice from teh Internet ? Asking about such things on gaming forum populated mostly by younger people that start "omg i'm so excited about ME3" threads ? What answer could you expect regarding such case ? Seriously ?

I'm slightly offended. Just because I wanted to speak to people anonymously about my problem means that I must be lying? I also chose this forum because from some of the forum topics I have checked, there are some really responsible and rather intelligent people on here. I do however see your point about the majority being young people who can't correctly spell or punctuate.

But thank you everyone for the advice. They've put me on a 10 mil dose of Olanzopine (spelling may be off) every day and that is working wonders more than anything. And as one of you suggested, they have tried CBT with me and it didn't help all that much. I do have to deal with people checking up on me almost every other day, but I know that ultimately they are here to help.

Thanks again everybody.

 

[JesterRaiin]

I'm slightly offended. Just because I wanted to speak to people anonymously about my problem means that I must be lying? I also chose this forum because from some of the forum topics I have checked, there are some really responsible and rather intelligent people on here. I do however see your point about the majority being young people who can't correctly spell or punctuate.

I don't care about you being offended or not.
What you're doing here is highly irresponsible. Voices, appalling orders, paranoia ? "The True Darkness" ? The Avatar ? C'mon buddy, nobody without proper medical knowledge and experience in treating such cases should interfere EVEN if he/she wants to help.

 

[Silent Rob]

I don't care about you being offended or not.
What you're doing here is highly irresponsible. Voices, appalling orders, paranoia ? "The True Darkness" ? The Avatar ? C'mon buddy, nobody without proper medical knowledge and experience in treating such cases should interfere EVEN if he/she wants to help.

Then I agree that coming here for advice was a bad move. If people are going to question if I am suffering from a horrible condition or if I'm lying. Also I don't understand what my DP that a friend drew for me has to do with anything? Also if you're suggesting that I'm trying to mimic The Darkness comic. Did it not occur to you that perhaps I got into the comic because it was the first comic character that in some ways I could relate to?

 

[JesterRaiin]

I don't care about you being offended or not.
What you're doing here is highly irresponsible. Voices, appalling orders, paranoia ? "The True Darkness" ? The Avatar ? C'mon buddy, nobody without proper medical knowledge and experience in treating such cases should interfere EVEN if he/she wants to help.

Then I agree that coming here for advice was a bad move. If people are going to question if I am suffering from a horrible condition or if I'm lying. Also I don't understand what my DP that a friend drew for me has to do with anything? Also if you're suggesting that I'm trying to mimic The Darkness comic. Did it not occur to you that perhaps I got into the comic because it was the first comic character that in some ways I could relate to?

Look buddy, you're not exactly the most active member of our little flock so i think i can assume that you're not here because there's trust/friendship/love between you and the rest of Escapists.

Anonymity ? That's no excuse.
There are far more better, more competent places that deal with such sickness. Actually, i'm pretty sure i saw some forums that are exclusively schizophrenia-oriented. They offer support and real advisory. And no, you don't need to give your credit card number and your address when you register there.

Yet, you chose more or less random gaming forum to ask about things that belong to "serious business" department. Your approach to your (alleged) sickness is not serious, and considering what you said about "voices" and the rest of your persona - i find it disturbing. Or this is some kind of sick joke. Either way - irresponsibility.

I'm done with you.