Posts by Larry Cooper89

Dr. Diego and Azalea, thanks for the input! Yeah, the wait times to see Dr. Kocijan are brutal—it’s about a month and a half before you can actually get an appointment here in the States.

Dr. Diego, my mom has been fighting her own battle with depression for years... based on what I've seen, if I were in your shoes right now with enrollment season kicking off, I’d honestly suggest looking into switching schools entirely. Maybe even pivot to a vocational program or community college just to change your career path and open up some job prospects? Spending a whole year stuck in the grind of an incredibly grueling university program is just dragging out the misery, isn't it? Beyond that, why not shake up your entire environment? Find a hobby that actually gives you a spark—maybe joining a local choir if you’ve got the pipes, hitting the hiking trails with a solid group of people, or volunteering for a local nonprofit... anything that puts you around new faces and might lead to some genuine friendships. It’s essentially a total life reset. In my experience, having a sense of purpose every single day is the absolute best weapon against depression.

Good luck! 🙂

First off, hello to everyone on this forum!

I’ve spent quite a while combing through every single page of this thread, hoping to find some answers that might actually make sense of what we're facing....

I have so much respect for all of you fighting schizophrenia; seeing how you hold your ground and manage to claim victories year after year is truly something else.

The reality is, I've recently begun to suspect that a family member is dealing with similar struggles, and it feels like we're staring down the barrel of the same battles.....but there's no turning back now. She was actually the one who sought out a psychiatrist because she could feel that "something wasn't right" with her own mind. She has this persistent sensation of being watched, coupled with the feeling that some man she vaguely recognizes is constantly sitting nearby, whispering horrific things to her... things like, "you'll never succeed," "you're ugly," or "everything you do is worthless." It’s happening as intrusive thoughts rather than actual audible voices.

This started about eighteen months ago, and while it's still present, the intensity has dialed back slightly. She claims she’s just gotten used to him and chooses to ignore him! On top of that, she’s been struggling with depression, a total lack of focus and willpower, impulsivity, irritability, hypersensitivity, and ultimately, suicidal ideation.

After her consultation with the psychiatrist, they mentioned an adolescent crisis, an F23 diagnosis, and perhaps some borderline traits?

They've started her on a low dose of Olanzapine, 2.5mg at night, as a starting point, specifically aiming to silence that presence she knows isn't real but can't seem to escape....all because we're terrified of more severe symptoms developing.

Processing the start of this treatment and finally accepting the reality of the situation has been incredibly heavy for us; we're still trying to wrap our heads around it all. The plan is to seek a second opinion in Washington, D.C., and they were thinking of seeing John Doe privately, since she’s a specialist in pediatric and adolescent care, which is necessary given that my family member is only 16.

I'm wondering:

1. Is it even possible for this to be transient, even if it has been dragging on for a year and a half? (It seems painfully obvious to me that this looks like a prodromal phase of schizophrenia.)

2. Does anyone here have any firsthand experience with John Doe—was it positive or negative?

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