Schizophrenia - General Discussion

ironbison23 said:I did a little digging online, and this seems to be what we're looking at: http://www.mentalhealth.com/icd/p22-pe03.html
Still—it’s not entirely clear to me. Is this officially classified as schizophrenia or not? And is it a lifelong diagnosis?
A member of my family was recently diagnosed and they've been prescribed Risperdal twice a day, along with Akineton and Ativan.
Is anyone else here on these specific medications? I'd be interested to hear about your experiences.

I'm on something pretty similar for psychosis... shoot me a DM if you want to chat about it!

First off, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to everyone here; as a new member, I wish you all nothing but the best.
I see there are many discussions regarding schizophrenia, a condition my older brother battles. Because of this, I am eager to learn as much as possible about the illness and how I might best support him. He lives on a knife's edge every single day, and we find ourselves constantly living in fear—wondering if he will make it through the day, if he might jump from a balcony, or even if he might turn violent toward his children and mother. I notice there are members here who are deeply familiar with these struggles, so I truly hope to gain some insight and perhaps find some sincere friends along the way.

Can people with epilepsy exhibit behaviors similar to those with schizophrenia?
A family member of mine is currently taking Tegretol 400, but there are moments when their behavior shifts so drastically it’s as if their entire personality has been swapped out. At times, they seem to present an image that is completely at odds with who they actually are or what they truly intend.
What could be causing this? Is it possible for epilepsy to overlap with symptoms of schizophrenia, or perhaps we are looking at a specific subtype of epilepsy?

Greetings to everyone—whether you're feeling healthy, dealing with illness, those who feel they might be both, and of course, the therapists too!
John Martin14

John Martin14 said:Can people with epilepsy exhibit behaviors similar to those with schizophrenia?
A family member of mine is currently taking Tegretol 400, but there are moments when their behavior shifts so drastically it’s as if their entire personality has been swapped out. At times, they seem to present an image that is completely at odds with who they actually are or what they truly intend.
What could be causing this? Is it possible for epilepsy to overlap with symptoms of schizophrenia, or perhaps we are looking at a specific subtype of epilepsy?

Greetings to everyone—whether you're feeling healthy, dealing with illness, those who feel they might be both, and of course, the therapists too!
John Martin14

Man, you are clueless.😠
Both epilepsy and the medication itself definitely impact someone's mental state. Try cutting the power to your brain for a bit and see if you can still think straight after that.
But epilepsy and schizophrenia aren't linked like that at all. Honestly, you should feel a little embarrassed for not doing even a tiny bit of research into what your own family member is dealing with.

Hi.👋
I guess I’d really like to invite some of our regulars here to take a look at my thread about auditory hallucinations. If you’ve ever dealt with anything similar, please, maybe share your thoughts or suggestions? It would honestly mean so much to me just to see how much my own experiences overlap with what people living with diagnosed schizophrenia go through. Thank you. 🙂
For me, the hardest diagnosis was acute psychosis—basically, psychosis of unknown origin.

My brother is currently on first-generation antipsychotics—he’s dealing with hyperphrenia, or what some call early-onset schizophrenia. He’s been admitted to Beverly Hills three times already, but I have this nagging fear that this isn't the end of it... and that I'll be stuck managing his financial and social needs for the rest of my life.
It seems to be a family trait passed down from my paternal grandfather—he experienced a complete mental breakdown right before he passed away.

HAHAHA, just kidding! I just wanted to see how good my storytelling skills were... ☕

I am honestly at my breaking point here. To make a long story short, my father reached out to me after we hadn't spoken or seen each other for a year and a half. He sent me this letter that makes it painfully obvious he’s completely lost his grip on reality. It sounds like full-blown schizophrenia; he’s convinced people are out to get him—the FBI, local cops, everyone is plotting against him. Now he’s talking about fleeing the country to escape to the USA and thinks he needs to "wake me up" to the truth. It’s all just nonsense, and frankly, the idea of actually facing him in person terrifies me.
How should I handle this? I want to try and talk him into getting professional help, but based on the absolute rambling in this letter, I have zero confidence that there’s even a shred of sanity left to work with. If things escalate, should I just call 911 and have him taken in for an involuntary psychiatric hold, or what? I feel way too young to be dealing with this kind of heavy, traumatic bullshit... honestly, it's exhausting. 😢

Go talk to your primary care doctor. Honestly, you need some professional support because it’s pretty obvious you aren't handling this well—and frankly, you shouldn't be trying to.

deimlerbenz said:I completely blanked on the fact that some people think you’re going to kill them, while others just think you’ve lost your mind—basically calling someone mentally incompetent.

😉 ☕

I have to wonder why you keep getting banned, 😕 😕

Is it because of the way you phrase things, or is it because you tend to be critical of Western medicine and the American medical establishment? 🤣

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this forum, along with everything else out there, plays a subtle role in stigmatizing people struggling with mental health issues; it seems like everyone is just trying to fit into the status quo and avoid sticking out from the crowd.

Anyway, someone mentioned tactile hallucinations earlier... and I was wondering if that could manifest in a way that I might notice as an observer—for instance, if the person occasionally lets out a little ouch because they feel like something is hurting them.

To clarify, this person hasn't actually experienced any visual, auditory, or olfactory hallucinations before, though maybe they’ve had the faint impression of hearing something—but honestly, they seem to have the hearing of a bat, 🤣 meaning their sense of hearing is incredibly sharp and accurate.

However, they do have these intense physical reactions to changes in the weather... nosebleeds, headaches, mood swings, insomnia, and this restless agitation, though I suspect—just a hunch—that they might have stopped taking their medication.

🙄😢😕 😵

Just checking in to let you know I'm here, looking for answers alongside all of you.
My brother is sick. We don't have a formal diagnosis yet, but it looks like it might be SCH.
Your posts are helping me learn. I haven't read everything yet, but I'll have questions soon.
The unknown is intimidating, but I'm open to learning and offering support.
I don't have any prejudices, just a lack of knowledge.
I hope to gain a lot of insight here.
Thanks to everyone for being so kind and helpful.
A worried sister.😕

Jerry Lee2 said:Just checking in to let you know I'm here, looking for answers alongside all of you.
My brother is sick. We don't have a formal diagnosis yet, but it looks like it might be SCH.
Your posts are helping me learn. I haven't read everything yet, but I'll have questions soon.
The unknown is intimidating, but I'm open to learning and offering support.
I don't have any prejudices, just a lack of knowledge.
I hope to gain a lot of insight here.
Thanks to everyone for being so kind and helpful.
A worried sister.😕

I bet you've got images in your head of some schizophrenic killer who took out five people.🙄
People experiencing psychosis are just as non-violent as anyone else.
If he takes his medication, things will stabilize—it just takes about three or four months for the meds to really kick in. Staying social is key; isolation is the enemy. He needs to stay busy with work or hobbies. Regardless of the specific type of schizophrenia, you'll likely need to constantly reassure him that no one is following him, no one is trying to kill him, no one is bugging his phone, and nobody has put a curse on him.

You want to know what the biggest hurdle actually is? Patients often feel like the medication is poisoning them.
Modern medicine has come such a long way that side effects are either nonexistent or negligible.
The real tragedy is the societal stigma that labels someone as "crazy." It’s a medical condition just like any other; one person deals with diabetes, while another deals with a dopamine imbalance in the brain.

And if we’re being honest, the biggest misconception laypeople have regarding mental illness is this:

A PATIENT ISN'T TO BLAME FOR SUFFERING FROM PSYCHOSIS.

Once you actually internalize that, treatment becomes a much smoother process.
Because, let's face it, most people jump straight to judging: "Well, you hang out with losers and do nothing with your life, so what do you expect?" WRONG!!!!

briskgull27 said:This condition is honestly so overwhelming that even doctors hesitate to officially write down an F20 diagnosis on your medical records.
I personally can't wrap my head around what exactly makes my experience so "abnormal," and truthfully, I don't even want to find out since it's a lifelong journey.
I've been dealing with this for ten years now.
People often compare managing it to living with diabetes.
It’s such a heavy burden that you'll occasionally run into someone offering "alternative" cures just to get their foot in the door.
A doctor friend of mine once explained that it's sometimes referred to as "cancer of the soul."
As for me, I don't really have any desire to fully embrace that "reality."
That's all for now! 👏
Would you actually want to have a close friend or a family member living with schizophrenia?

He is my family, and I love him exactly as he is. 😉
Life is a constant battle, and he fights it every day. 😳

Jerry Lee2 said:Just checking in to let you know I'm here, looking for answers alongside all of you.
My brother is sick. We don't have a formal diagnosis yet, but it looks like it might be SCH.
Your posts are helping me learn. I haven't read everything yet, but I'll have questions soon.
The unknown is intimidating, but I'm open to learning and offering support.
I don't have any prejudices, just a lack of knowledge.
I hope to gain a lot of insight here.
Thanks to everyone for being so kind and helpful.
A worried sister.😕

I've posted about my brother's struggles before—back then, I was deeply depressed and certain things would end badly.
However, today he is... well... normal? We can talk about anything; there aren't any wild delusions, he helps out around the house, and he stays consistent with his medication.
My only concern now is how lonely he is—he's bored because he's unemployed, even though he wants to work. I'm hoping we can help him find some stability and a way to improve his social standing; maybe that will make him feel better.
By the way, the diagnosis is F23. I miswrote it as F21 earlier—it's F23. He doesn't care much for clinical codes, though; he simply tells himself he has schizophrenia and is willing to follow whatever his psychiatrist prescribes to prevent those terrifying hallucinations from returning. And they were truly horrific. When he describes them, I get chills.

Just stay by your brother's side—that's really all I can tell you.

briskgull27 said:I am. I finally realized I was being carried into the ER on a stretcher back in 1997. Just three months until the big 19!

It was during that second phase—once I finally realized that I actually had to keep going, and if I’m going to live, I might as well live well—that things really started to click. That's exactly where the help came in.
Jealousy toward friends can be such a heavy thing to carry, can't it? I’ve been trying my absolute best to pull myself together and navigate through those feelings, doing everything in my power to stay balanced.
I mean, isn't it a bit much when they aren't even taking two, three, or four different types of medication?

Personally, I’m inclined to believe we're looking at a neurological issue, even if the sensation feels like it's coming from somewhere deeper, like the soul.

I'm lying to myself. I knew this all along, but I just keep pushing it down. Why is it so incredibly hard to finally face the truth?
In the end, I ended up heading over to some terrible psychiatrist at the psychiatric clinic in downtown Chicago all on my own. Maybe it was just karma catching up with me, or maybe deep down, I actually wanted this to happen? Who knows.

I was reading up on some stuff the other day—turns out schizophrenia is actually just a chemical imbalance in the brain. It’s essentially a brain disease, and apparently, there are even clinics out there where they can handle it with surgery. I guess that's one way to look at it.

Hey everyone! I’ve got a situation here and honestly, I can't tell if I should be freaking out or not—but we've had this one schizophrenic !!!!! living in my neighborhood for a while now. He hasn't actually hurt anyone yet, but lately, his behavior has been getting seriously weird... So, my best friend works at the local grocery store where he shops, and she told me something totally creepy today. Out of nowhere, he looks her dead in the eye and goes: "You don't look anything like my Julia; you don't have long nails or sharp, big teeth like hers." This happens when he's there for the early morning shift to grab groceries, but specifically, he waits until she's alone after I've already left. It gave me the chills. She's terrified, and frankly, I am too—for her and for myself, though mostly for her since I can't be standing right over her shoulder every time he walks in... Then, get this—after she tries to move away, he tells her that Julia is the one telling her to avoid him, saying it "from the other side"... Please, tell me how dangerous is this? I'm worried he won't see that "passionate Julia" in her and might snap—God forbid—and if he ever lays a finger on her, I'll personally kill him! Should she or I be panicking right now?

You don't need to go into a full-blown panic, but you can never be too careful. If he perceives her as a threat, there's a real possibility he could lash out against her...

I’m looking for some insight from anyone who has actually walked this path... A family member of mine went through a psychotic episode about five months ago. After a three-week stay at the hospital, he was discharged with a diagnosis of first-episode psychosis. For a while, his recovery seemed incredibly solid. But over the last ten days, things have taken a bizarre turn. He’s become extremely hyperactive and strangely indifferent toward his future. Then, out of nowhere, he flips into deep depression or flashes into anger for absolutely no reason. Is it possible the illness is resurfacing in a different guise, or am I looking at some kind of crisis? Honestly, I’m at a total loss—I don't even know how to react anymore. To make matters worse, he isn't sleeping at all during the night. My nerves are completely fried, and I’m reaching my breaking point. I feel like I'm on the verge of just giving up entirely. I can't get him to open up to me or let me help, but the thought of sending him back to the hospital is terrifying because the trauma from his last stay was so intense.

mistyranger18 said:You don't need to go into a full-blown panic, but you can never be too careful. If he perceives her as a threat, there's a real possibility he could lash out against her...

hmmm, but the guy is definitely losing his grip—I even heard from his own relatives (they let him stay with them, and they have three little kids!) that he isn't even taking his meds. Every time he passes me, I get the chills... the dude just talks to himself constantly.😲

Thomas Rodriguez14 said:hmmm, but the guy is definitely losing his grip—I even heard from his own relatives (they let him stay with them, and they have three little kids!) that he isn't even taking his meds. Every time he passes me, I get the chills... the dude just talks to himself constantly.😲

Look, we dealt with a guy like this once, and I don't mean "dealing" as in a minor inconvenience—I mean we had serious problems. This individual would stalk me and several of my friends all over town, constantly threatening us, provoking us, attacking us, and even getting physical. Every single time, we’d just call the cops, and they’d pick him up for questioning... until the day he actually attacked someone with an axe. After that, every time he gets too close, we call 911. They haul him off to the psych ward, but then a week later, he’s out on the street and the whole cycle starts all over again. He can't be thrown in jail because he's deemed mentally ill, yet the hospital staff keeps discharging him. About six months ago, the police finally put their foot down and hauled him in, so he’s staying away for now. For now. The system is fundamentally broken. That said, cases like this are incredibly rare; most schizophrenic !!!!! are completely non-violent. The real danger arises when they stop taking their medication and start perceiving someone as a threat. At that point, they might lash out at whatever object or person they feel is endangering them. If they were actually adhering to their medication regimen, everything would be under control. If anyone ever threatens you, do not hesitate: report them to the police immediately. They will take him into custody and transport him to a facility where he'll be medicated and stabilized for at least a little while. That is truly the only move you have. And honestly? Carry some pepper spray for self-defense.