I am a Schizophrenic ask me anything AMA

I have a question if you don't mind (even though this is an AMA)

One of my close friends is schizoprenic and suffers halluncination (e.g him killing close people) from time to time. He won't tell me how I can help with this since he always says "I help enough at the moment" but do you know what I could I do to help him get him out of these hallucinations when they occur?

Do you feel you have schizophrenia? And more generally mental health problems in general?

Do you ever feel like you're just having an over active imagination?

(asking as someone with a sz diagnosis these are the things that I worry about, curious to see if it's just me)

How much are you affected by negative symptoms? Do you have any advice on dealing with them?

I have negative symptoms like right now I feel like I'm being punched in the face. Honestly my ear feels red and warm I don't know whether it is actually red I'm to paranoid to look in the mirror.

Self awareness helps me the most being aware that something is wrong. Knowing when you're suffering from delusion is a big help in overcoming that delusion. The thing that works for me is reading about mental issues. I've read a lot of Freud and Adler and read generally abbot schizophrenia. The best cure is talking to someone about it, anyone that'll listen. Though I don't talk much to friends and family as I don't want to lay the burden of responsibility on them for my illness. I'm getting counselling soon hopefully I can see how that works.

By negative symptoms I meant stuff like very low motivation, difficulty concentrating, and a really bad memory. You said you are studying so I'm just wondering how you cope? I'm currently at university and finding it extremely difficult to deal with studying while having negative symptoms. (although, recently, the positive symptoms are starting to rear their heads too).

By negative symptoms I meant stuff like very low motivation, difficulty concentrating, and a really bad memory. You said you are studying so I'm just wondering how you cope? I'm currently at university and finding it extremely difficult to deal with studying while having negative symptoms. (although, recently, the positive symptoms are starting to rear their heads too).

from a 'medical' perspective, negative symptoms means things like withdrawal and disengagement, whereas positive symptoms means things like hallucinations, and affective disorders (emotional).

Withdrawal and disengagement are both part of negative symptoms, but so are the things I mentioned. Negative means things that should be present yet aren't (compare to "positive symptoms" such as hallucinations which shouldn't be present yet are). Motivation, concentration, and memory all should be there yet often aren't - my psychiatrist refers to them as negative symptoms.

okay sounds about right.

Oh sorry I forgot the medical definition before I read john's post. I suffer from both all the time. TBH ?I just looked at my history on my computer and its all TSR and no university stuff so I'm not coping really.

That sucks, sorry to hear you're not really coping with the university stuff. Me neither. I have 3 exams this week and no matter how many times I force myself into reading over the stuff, I just cannot get anything to stick.

I'll let you in on a secret....I ended up crying in the library this morning because of a mixture of frustration at my inability to revise along with the voices laughing. It's like nothing I do works. Got 30% on a quiz this morning - thankfully not worth much overall but enough to make me feel like a stupid ****.

?Oh man I know how you feel I've got like three days to get an essay in I haven't started yet so that's two days to get it in, I might ask for an extension. I'm to paranoid to ask though. It never sticks with me but I do find it all comes out when I start writing hopegfullky I'll get my essay done tomorrow.

Hey there! I'm curious, were you always Schizophrenic from a very young age or did you come to develop it?

Also, how do you feel about the treatment side of Schizophrenia? Does it help or is it solely a temporary provision?

Have you had any negative responses from others once aware of your Schizophrenia?

I hope my questions haven't already been asked!

Do you have schizophrenia too?

I'd be interested in how you deal with those symptoms if you're in work/uni, hell even if neither I'd be interested in any tips you might have? My psychiatrist prescribed me a drug used for mild ADHD but it's not really helping much/at all.