Schizophrenia - General Discussion

@ Microsoft I probably say "thank you" far too often—but seriously, thanks. 🙂 I'm currently in the middle of applying for a scholarship, so wish me luck.
@Kevin Nguyen3 I hear you. 🙂

Hello everyone, I suppose I should share my situation. I have been struggling with schizophrenia for some time now. I’ve been seeing a psychiatrist for about two years, and they officially diagnosed me with the condition, so lately I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into it all. I experience intense hallucinations—specifically, I see a man walking around my house who says incredibly disturbing things to me. He tries to convince me that I need to kill animals and implant microchips into their heads so that I can somehow bring them back to life using those chips. He tells me that I need to become an elite surgeon to control these animals via the implants, and he even insists that I must consume their organs and cook them to acquire their powers. According to him, I have to perform surgeries on them so they can eat and talk in my place. On top of that, there are times when I feel compelled to get into physical altercations just because he tells me to. It is honestly very difficult; sometimes I find myself stuck in a single position, completely unable to move for several minutes at a time. If anyone else here experiences similar symptoms, please, I would appreciate it if you could share them with me. I just need to know if I am alone in this. Thank you. Also, for context, I spent a year in a psychiatric ward at a facility similar to Johns Hopkins.

On Psychology Today , check out this thread on schizophrenia (click here — just ignore that poll at the top; it’s basically just people with the same diagnosis swapping stories and advice), and there’s also a specific one about hearing voices (click here). If you don't find what you're looking for there, you can always just start your own thread about what's going on with you.

Good luck 🙂

I don't get why you feel the need to listen to someone who isn't even real. Why not just tell them to back off and go about your business like a normal person?
Could you not just pick a fight with this guy and say, "Go eat your own food and microchip animals or whatever; just leave me alone."

I really shouldn't, because then I'd find myself in a situation where I have to get physical and start throwing punches all over the place, and honestly, that's just not something I want to deal with.

Arthur Scott5 said:I really shouldn't, because then I'd find myself in a situation where I have to get physical and start throwing punches all over the place, and honestly, that's just not something I want to deal with.

The thing is, you aren't accepting the fact that you're free. A hallucination can't actually touch you. It only has as much power over you as you decide to give it. ☕

It is easy for you to say, I suppose. You don't truly grasp how exhausting it is to try and ignore him. If I don't listen, he just keeps reaching out, more and more frequently, whispering that if I don't comply, he will force me into something far worse. I won't go into those specific details here on the forum—that kind of thing isn't for everyone, after all—but the reality is that he is simply stronger than my physical self. I feel as though I lack the strength to fight back, and I am plagued by this growing certainty that he will eventually take complete control over my body. Perhaps, if I am being honest, he already has.🤷

jadetinker85, please, let's not troll here. Sch is a serious, debilitating mental illness that has nothing to do with what you're saying. You can't just "stop thinking about cake" to make symptoms disappear... There is no such thing as willpower when it comes to delusions or hallucinations. If it were that simple, patients wouldn't be spending weeks in psychiatric wards during an episode, and long-term medication wouldn't be such a necessity...

Arthur Scott5 said:It is easy for you to say, I suppose. You don't truly grasp how exhausting it is to try and ignore him. If I don't listen, he just keeps reaching out, more and more frequently, whispering that if I don't comply, he will force me into something far worse. I won't go into those specific details here on the forum—that kind of thing isn't for everyone, after all—but the reality is that he is simply stronger than my physical self. I feel as though I lack the strength to fight back, and I am plagued by this growing certainty that he will eventually take complete control over my body. Perhaps, if I am being honest, he already has.🤷

😕 That sounds pretty heavy. I honestly thought you were talking about a hallucination, like some random passenger in your head. But if it's actually taking over your body, you need to kick it out. Go see Dr. Smith.

jadetinker85 said:😕 That sounds pretty heavy. I honestly thought you were talking about a hallucination, like some random passenger in your head. But if it's actually taking over your body, you need to kick it out. Go see Dr. Smith.

Don't you think it's incredibly inappropriate to give someone with a diagnosis like that advice over the internet on what to do with their own head?😕 It's irresponsible, plain and simple.
The advice you're handing out isn't particularly intelligent regarding this condition; in fact, it could be dangerous for the person offering it.

@Arthur Scott5 - it's obvious your current therapy isn't working for you. A close friend of mine went years without an acute episode, but the key was finding a better psychiatrist, staying strictly committed to psychotherapy, and knowing when to call it quits before things spiral.
A hospital is THE BEST solution once you realize you've lost control.
It's the best move for both you and everyone around you.

I just can't bring myself to go back to the hospital. I spent four months stuck in there and honestly, I came out feeling even worse than when I went in. It was terrifying, and I’m never doing that again. To make matters worse, my condition has taken a turn for the worse lately. I’m genuinely scared—scared that I might hurt someone else, and scared that I might hurt myself, too. I keep getting these thoughts that I need to implant chips into people, but then I'll just lose focus on that and start hurting myself instead. I really don't know what to do with myself. Right now, I'm taking TAB, but I've added some new stuff to the mix: Katena, Fevarin, Seroxat, and Clozapine Remedica. I suppose those are probably the most effective ones I've tried so far, if that's even possible.

Hey everyone.
My brother is F20, currently in a psychotic episode, and he’s been hospitalized at Mount Sinai. Before this, he went nine years without any psychosis—totally functional, even working as a doctor. Honestly, the doctors thought he was bipolar all this time, but it looks like it’s actually schizophrenia.
Anyway, he’s actually cooperating with the treatment and taking his meds, though the delusions are still there. I’m not sure about the hallucinations yet. They’re letting him come home for the weekend, but since he and my parents live in Chicago, he isn't going back there; he’s staying with me and my wife in downtown Chicago instead.
Now, I’m honestly a bit lost on how to handle certain things. I’m going to try to catch the psychiatrist tomorrow before I pick him up, but who knows if she'll actually be available.
For example, about 90% of his delusions revolve around politics and Facebook arguments. He’s already planning to get back to "fighting people on Facebook" once he gets to our place. Do you guys think it's better to let him go online while I keep an eye on him, or should I just try to convince him that the Wi-Fi is down?
Also, does anyone know if you can cancel cell phone contracts early based on mental incapacity? While he was in the middle of the psychosis, he was out buying tablets and signing up for new service plans with multiple carriers. My parents say they're getting packages arriving every single day for stuff he ordered right before he was admitted.
Since he keeps rambling about these million-dollar prizes he supposedly won, I was thinking about asking him for his card next time I head to the grocery store—just to check if one of those "winnings" actually hit his account, or if the whole thing is just part of the psychosis. Think that's a good move?

darkfox14 said:Hey everyone.
My brother is F20, currently in a psychotic episode, and he’s been hospitalized at Mount Sinai. Before this, he went nine years without any psychosis—totally functional, even working as a doctor. Honestly, the doctors thought he was bipolar all this time, but it looks like it’s actually schizophrenia.
Anyway, he’s actually cooperating with the treatment and taking his meds, though the delusions are still there. I’m not sure about the hallucinations yet. They’re letting him come home for the weekend, but since he and my parents live in Chicago, he isn't going back there; he’s staying with me and my wife in downtown Chicago instead.
Now, I’m honestly a bit lost on how to handle certain things. I’m going to try to catch the psychiatrist tomorrow before I pick him up, but who knows if she'll actually be available.
For example, about 90% of his delusions revolve around politics and Facebook arguments. He’s already planning to get back to "fighting people on Facebook" once he gets to our place. Do you guys think it's better to let him go online while I keep an eye on him, or should I just try to convince him that the Wi-Fi is down?
Also, does anyone know if you can cancel cell phone contracts early based on mental incapacity? While he was in the middle of the psychosis, he was out buying tablets and signing up for new service plans with multiple carriers. My parents say they're getting packages arriving every single day for stuff he ordered right before he was admitted.
Since he keeps rambling about these million-dollar prizes he supposedly won, I was thinking about asking him for his card next time I head to the grocery store—just to check if one of those "winnings" actually hit his account, or if the whole thing is just part of the psychosis. Think that's a good move?

Since you're my fellow traveler on this journey, I managed to scrape together a little bit of time...😉
In your specific situation, does it even matter if his diagnosis is bipolar disorder or schizophrenia? Does it?
I once knew a patient where the doctor was trying to walk him through all the nitty-gritty details regarding his illness and such.
At one point, the doctor calls him by his name.
The man didn't even blink an eye. Not even a flicker!
The doctor had to call him four separate times before the man finally muttered "pardon" after several minutes had passed?
All his functions were completely shot—his perception (he was just staring blankly at a wall covered in pictures), his spatial orientation—but one thing remained: consciousness.
He was essentially in an unconscious state. Let's call it a milder variation of an absence seizure, shall we?
This is exactly what happens with a psychotic patient like yourself.
The internet? It isn't some coincidence. He lost his grip on reality, and his entire perception of the world is totally distorted, with or without the web.
As for everything else, you might be better off just forgetting about it. I don't know how much older you are than him, or how old he actually is, but indirect help is really just a matter of—well, letting go.
Maybe you don't see it that way yet, but that is the reality of it.
The contracts were signed while he was conscious and acting responsibly. You aren't going to achieve anything here. Nothing!
It is all psychosis and the consequences of that condition—or rather, those episodes.
Whether they admit it to us or not, the parents carry the responsibility for everything happening right now or whatever happened in the past. Sadly, that is just how it is.
A younger son, ill, perhaps a bit spoiled—whether out of a lack of understanding or simply out of love—but a misguided approach creates massive problems later on.
My warm advice to you? Send him back to his parents and you stay close to your own family. Stick to your kin.
While you are still healthy.🙄

Arthur Scott5 said:I just can't bring myself to go back to the hospital. I spent four months stuck in there and honestly, I came out feeling even worse than when I went in. It was terrifying, and I’m never doing that again. To make matters worse, my condition has taken a turn for the worse lately. I’m genuinely scared—scared that I might hurt someone else, and scared that I might hurt myself, too. I keep getting these thoughts that I need to implant chips into people, but then I'll just lose focus on that and start hurting myself instead. I really don't know what to do with myself. Right now, I'm taking TAB, but I've added some new stuff to the mix: Katena, Fevarin, Seroxat, and Clozapine Remedica. I suppose those are probably the most effective ones I've tried so far, if that's even possible.

That sounds awful.
It seems like a pretty severe episode, and it's spiraling in the wrong direction quite rapidly.
Things shouldn't be happening this way, but based on how you're describing it, it's obvious that something acute is going on.
If I may offer a subjective perspective, I suspect there might be two main drivers behind this—two core causes:
1. The diagnosis of the disorder came relatively late.
2. I assume your parents struggled to accept such a diagnosis, perhaps searching for what you might call a "more realistic" explanation? But there isn't one, is there?
You mentioned the new medications—that's another reason for this state right there. A change in regimen or starting an entirely new therapy.
Look, I don't know how old you are, but it's generally accepted that psychosis hits its peak intensity between the ages of 20 and 30—to put it in plain terms. Of course, that's not a hard rule... with proper therapy, it doesn't necessarily have to manifest in this specific way.
For you, this is a recurring episode (a remission, a relapse...) which is inherently harder to endure. Returning to those old ways of reacting to the illness is always a steeper climb.
You didn't mention your family dynamics—your parents, siblings, and so on.
Katena is an anticonvulsant. Fevarin is an old story, an antidepressant. Seroxat is much of the same song.
It's not entirely clear to me why there are two antidepressants if both are serotonin inhibitors. Hmm.
As for the Clozapine Remedikla, that antipsychotic is likely exactly what you need.
I don't know... just try to be patient for a little while. Stay under the supervision of your parents and wait for the medication to do its work. It's difficult to offer any profound wisdom in a situation like this.

Arthur Scott5 said:Hello everyone, I suppose I should share my situation. I have been struggling with schizophrenia for some time now. I’ve been seeing a psychiatrist for about two years, and they officially diagnosed me with the condition, so lately I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into it all. I experience intense hallucinations—specifically, I see a man walking around my house who says incredibly disturbing things to me. He tries to convince me that I need to kill animals and implant microchips into their heads so that I can somehow bring them back to life using those chips. He tells me that I need to become an elite surgeon to control these animals via the implants, and he even insists that I must consume their organs and cook them to acquire their powers. According to him, I have to perform surgeries on them so they can eat and talk in my place. On top of that, there are times when I feel compelled to get into physical altercations just because he tells me to. It is honestly very difficult; sometimes I find myself stuck in a single position, completely unable to move for several minutes at a time. If anyone else here experiences similar symptoms, please, I would appreciate it if you could share them with me. I just need to know if I am alone in this. Thank you. Also, for context, I spent a year in a psychiatric ward at a facility similar to Johns Hopkins.

I honestly have to hand it to you—the way you're handling all of that is incredible. I've never heard of anyone dealing with symptoms quite that extreme.

Suppose an individual experiencing their first psychotic episode is brought into a psychiatric ward against their will and refuses to cooperate. In such a scenario, would the medical staff "merely" conduct a psychiatric evaluation before admitting them, or would they also insist on a full physical examination? After all, how can one be certain if the symptoms are purely psychological or if the patient is simply under the influence of narcotics?

If someone was just high, this would probably pass in a day or two. But we’re talking about two agonizing years of zero progress—just endless, looping thoughts about murder, implanting chips in people's heads, and consuming organs. I felt absolutely horrific when he told me just two days ago... he said I had to take my pet parrot, the one I love so dearly, and rip its head off with my teeth, drink all its blood, and eat its organs. After that, I ended up vomiting and pounding on my chest, struggling to catch my breath for about thirty seconds. I feel terrible right now. I've started taking a larger dose of C. Remedica, so maybe that will help. Is it actually possible for things to get better? Please, tell me there's a way forward. Is it possible for this to subside.. 🙂

Nicole Barrett76 said:Suppose an individual experiencing their first psychotic episode is brought into a psychiatric ward against their will and refuses to cooperate. In such a scenario, would the medical staff "merely" conduct a psychiatric evaluation before admitting them, or would they also insist on a full physical examination? After all, how can one be certain if the symptoms are purely psychological or if the patient is simply under the influence of narcotics?

@Tomo,
Please understand that I intended no personal slight toward you.

Furthermore, I find myself compelled to ask a follow-up question regarding this matter... if anyone here possesses the knowledge. Is it possible for a person to be forcibly admitted for a psychiatric evaluation, only to be released back home under heavy sedation because the hospital is overcrowded and lacks available beds? Is it even ethically permissible to release someone in such a state? If that occurs, would a primary care physician be obligated to visit the patient to administer regular injections or medication, or is the patient simply placed in any available bed in a different department to sleep until they can be properly treated in psychiatry?

Or, is the patient admitted to psychiatry only to be unexpectedly released early to make room for another individual who is feeling slightly better?

Nicole Barrett76 said:@Tomo,
Please understand that I intended no personal slight toward you.

Furthermore, I find myself compelled to ask a follow-up question regarding this matter... if anyone here possesses the knowledge. Is it possible for a person to be forcibly admitted for a psychiatric evaluation, only to be released back home under heavy sedation because the hospital is overcrowded and lacks available beds? Is it even ethically permissible to release someone in such a state? If that occurs, would a primary care physician be obligated to visit the patient to administer regular injections or medication, or is the patient simply placed in any available bed in a different department to sleep until they can be properly treated in psychiatry?

Or, is the patient admitted to psychiatry only to be unexpectedly released early to make room for another individual who is feeling slightly better?

What you’re really looking for is the "Americans with Disabilities Act."
It breaks down into:
1. general provisions
2. fundamental principles
3. the rights and responsibilities of individuals with mental health conditions and those responsible for their care and protection
4. voluntary admission to a psychiatric facility
5. (this is what you need)—involuntary detention and involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility
6. discharge from a psychiatric facility
7. involuntary commitment procedures for certain individuals and convicts
8. the use of physical restraint in the care of individuals with mental health conditions
9. commissions for the protection of individuals with mental health conditions and psychiatric facilities
10. penal provisions
11. transitional and final provisions

That legislation was established back in 1998.
So, there is absolutely no need to speculate or guess, because everything is already laid out clearly.
Here is the link for you: