Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Hey everyone... I'm new here. I've been dealing with mental health issues since 2001. It started with these crazy, blurry thoughts—wondering if everyone else sees things the way I do, feeling isolated, like everything around me wasn't even real. Luckily, those thoughts subsided over the next few years, but then I spiraled into depression, and by May 2006, the anxiety kicked in. The real turning point was December 2006. I went to see this woman who does tarot readings; she told me I was cursed and said some stuff that really messed with my head. Ever since then, I've been in a heavy state of psychosis. My thoughts are totally disorganized. I'm constantly terrified, I can't accept people for who they actually are, and I have these delusions that someone has put a hex on me or that the gods are angry and punishing me. I'm also scared I might end up hurting myself or someone else. I did see a holistic healer who actually helped quite a bit with the panic attacks—really dialed them down—but unfortunately, the intrusive thoughts haven't changed. Can anyone recommend a decent antipsychotic? So far, I've been on Paxil and Xanax. Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC10hhrIk7w ☕

I find myself pondering whether individuals living with schizophrenia maintain a regular digestive rhythm—specifically, if they experience daily bowel movements... please, I implore you to approach this inquiry with the utmost gravity, regardless of the fact that the etiology of severe psychiatric conditions is invariably attributed to psychological factors rather than physical aspects such as (the) lack of regular bowel movements. 🙂 ... I am not claiming to be schizophrenic myself; rather, I am simply attempting to wrap my head around a concept.

steelskipper4 said:I find myself pondering whether individuals living with schizophrenia maintain a regular digestive rhythm—specifically, if they experience daily bowel movements... please, I implore you to approach this inquiry with the utmost gravity, regardless of the fact that the etiology of severe psychiatric conditions is invariably attributed to psychological factors rather than physical aspects such as (the) lack of regular bowel movements. 🙂 ... I am not claiming to be schizophrenic myself; rather, I am simply attempting to wrap my head around a concept.

-are you asking because of antipsychotic meds? since they mess with metabolism, secretion, and excretion? ... in the beginning, there are issues, but after about two months, the body usually adapts and adjusts itself. a lot of drugs cause nasty side effects. for example, Moditen and Haldol can cause that stiffness (like walking like a robot), so Akineton gets prescribed to try and loosen you up, but it's not quite the same thing.
Leponex—usually has the toughest side effects like drooling, drowsiness, feeling hungry constantly, etc...

Donna Sullivan7 said:-are you asking because of antipsychotic meds? since they mess with metabolism, secretion, and excretion? ... in the beginning, there are issues, but after about two months, the body usually adapts and adjusts itself. a lot of drugs cause nasty side effects. for example, Moditen and Haldol can cause that stiffness (like walking like a robot), so Akineton gets prescribed to try and loosen you up, but it's not quite the same thing.
Leponex—usually has the toughest side effects like drooling, drowsiness, feeling hungry constantly, etc...

Regardless of what medication is being used. I mean, whether we are talking about life with meds or life without them.

If I might suggest, if you could strictly focus your attention on bowel movements (stool frequency) in individuals living with schizophrenia, since you have already laid out such an extensive list of other secondary adverse effects.

I am genuinely curious: is their bowel regularity consistent, say over a six-month span? During such a period, would they be every single day having regular evacuations or visiting the restroom? If not, what is the maximum duration of a period without a bowel movement? ...Let’s set the condition that these individuals (those with schizophrenia) have already fully adapted to their medications, or alternatively, you could assume they aren't taking any medication at all. Whichever scenario is more convenient for your analysis.

What really matters to me is whether anyone can provide actual statistical data regarding stool regularity in the context of schizophrenia.

Man, I'm honestly a little stumped here... not sure if you're actually asking for real or just trolling me?
-hit me up in a private message if you're being serious, alright?
-and regarding schizophrenia, it’s all pretty relative... depends on the specific category of the illness (there are tons of them) and it varies wildly from patient to patient.
-after 6 months? ...I mean, from what I've noticed, there isn't really a strict rule for that.
if you need data for some kind of paper or stats or whatever... feel free to reach out...
-plus, it can't be the same whether someone is on medication or not, dummy... because a lot of those drugs mess with excretion and secretion.

I’ve been scrolling through these comments and experiences—not all of them, obviously, since there’s a massive amount here. This condition actually runs pretty deep in my family; my aunt on my dad's side has it, and my grandpa on my mom's side too. He’s been in a psych ward (if you catch my drift) since 1965, and she ends up back there constantly. I know it was even more common in older generations, but people just didn't talk about it back then, so nobody really knows the full scope. From what I've read, that gene is basically dominant in my family—and I mean that "weakness" gene, because both my aunt and grandpa went through stuff they just couldn't process, and well, they lost it. I'm wondering, what are the actual odds of this hitting me? Like, how much of this is truly hereditary?
And seriously, props to outoftheblue, I've been reading some of your posts. You're a powerhouse, especially since some medical studies claim this illness is just a result of human weakness. My aunt is like a vegetable 🤷 because she’s popping tons of meds every single day just to stay functional. Honestly, I don't think medicine even realizes how little it actually knows about this disease. Every single person deals with it differently, regardless of who they were before. I really hope they figure this out soon. 👍

As far as I know, it’s hereditary, though I suppose it all depends on how closely you're related to the affected family member. I don't know the exact specifics, but logically, the closer the relation, the higher the risk. I actually have an aunt who has been struggling with this for quite a while now; if I recall correctly, she was first diagnosed in her early twenties. Regarding the genetics in my own family, she seems to be the first case—at least as far as anyone knows. Now, whether that's just a coincidence or not, I can't say for sure, but her symptoms surfaced right after she started getting into those spiritualist gatherings with her college friends. I've seen her experience a few episodes when I was younger, and honestly, I have no desire to end up like her. That thought crosses my mind almost every single day... Since I already deal with depression and anxiety, I can't help but think, "Great, just what I need." But then again, I try to comfort myself with the idea that maybe my own temperament might protect me; she was always such a social butterfly and full of life, whereas I am the complete opposite. Perhaps genetics will pass me by in that regard...

-So I was reading up on this, and apparently it's a mix... you've got the part that's purely down to genetics and predisposition, then there's the other side of things—basically environmental triggers like stress, tension, fear, and all that stuff. And that second part usually kicks in around puberty, or maybe just a little bit after...

-loreto-hey, how's it going? hi there👍

My aunt had a miscarriage when she was 16... honestly, I don't know if finding out she was pregnant and then losing it—on top of all that insane pressure from her boyfriend and family back then—was the breaking point, but she totally lost it after that... I also remember my grandpa telling me stories about how he killed someone when he was just a kid, and then soldiers snatched him away from his mom for like two months... that was easily the worst thing that ever happened to him, and it didn't even really hit him until he was 20.
I went through something recently that really tests your grit... so I went to see a psychologist, just to talk through it and see how much I could actually handle. Since we hit it off so well, the session turned out to be pretty subjective, but we basically concluded that I’ll just have to wait 2 or 3 years to see how things settle. Even though I’ve changed since it happened—like, I’m not as social anymore, I've pulled way back into myself, and I'm feeling super insecure—I used to be so outgoing and always down to go out and have fun. I swear, this is just a temporary shock.
I really hope it’s just a shock... 😕

I’ve been chewing on a particular thought for quite some time now, and I’m hoping I’ve landed in the right corner of this forum to bring it up..

How would you all approach the idea of having children if you were dealing with a mental health condition—whether we're talking about something severe like schizophrenia or just something relatively "mild"? I realize it isn't as simple as a binary yes or no question, and I know this could spark an entire debate, but I'm looking for some general perspectives..

Furthermore, how does one actually determine the hereditary component of these conditions? To what extent is a disorder passed down? For instance, with schizophrenia, I understand there is a significant probability that if one parent is affected, the child will be too, largely because genetics play such a decisive role in its onset. Does that logic hold true for most other conditions as well? Where might one go to find reliable information on this?

That’s a fair question. Take manic depression or bipolar disorder, for example. If a mother struggles with it, her daughter will almost certainly inherit some level of genetic predisposition. Whether that manifests as a mild tendency or something more severe? Honestly, it's tough to say ahead of time.
When it comes to schizophrenia, genetics definitely play a major role, but you can't ignore the environment either. How someone is raised—their upbringing and surroundings—matters quite a bit. It's a significant factor.

I know a woman whose mother and grandmother both struggled with bipolar disorder. Her grandmother ended up taking her own life, while her mother managed to live a pretty decent life—as much as one can given the diagnosis. She kept things steady: held down a job, cooked, kept a clean house, and most importantly, she never missed a single dose of her prescribed medication. She was fully functional. She had a family, people respected her, she put in the work with her kids, and everyone could see how hard she was trying.
Now, looking at this girl I know... she started out with just minor issues, nothing that stopped her from being a perfectly normal part of society. She worked, hung out with friends, lived a totally standard life.
But then, she traded that stability for a crowd of toxic people, heavy drinking, and experimenting with drugs. It didn't take long before she spiraled into a full-blown illness that manifested way more aggressively than anything her mother ever dealt with. Today, unfortunately, she’s a very severe psychiatric case.
My point is, I think there’s a level of personal responsibility involved here. Regardless of the diagnosis, you have to try. At the end of the day, your lifestyle choices might actually play the biggest role in how everything unfolds.

Amanda Stewart7 said:I know a woman whose mother and grandmother both struggled with bipolar disorder. Her grandmother ended up taking her own life, while her mother managed to live a pretty decent life—as much as one can given the diagnosis. She kept things steady: held down a job, cooked, kept a clean house, and most importantly, she never missed a single dose of her prescribed medication. She was fully functional. She had a family, people respected her, she put in the work with her kids, and everyone could see how hard she was trying.
Now, looking at this girl I know... she started out with just minor issues, nothing that stopped her from being a perfectly normal part of society. She worked, hung out with friends, lived a totally standard life.
But then, she traded that stability for a crowd of toxic people, heavy drinking, and experimenting with drugs. It didn't take long before she spiraled into a full-blown illness that manifested way more aggressively than anything her mother ever dealt with. Today, unfortunately, she’s a very severe psychiatric case.
My point is, I think there’s a level of personal responsibility involved here. Regardless of the diagnosis, you have to try. At the end of the day, your lifestyle choices might actually play the biggest role in how everything unfolds.

That’s true, but look at it from this angle: if I know there is a 99% chance my child will inherit something like SCH, isn't it selfish of me to bring them into this world? No matter how advanced the medication becomes, or how great the psychotherapy and support systems are, a person still feels the weight of their condition. I can't shield my child from the reality of their own illness. In that light, wouldn't it be more fair to simply not have them at all?

Roger Morgan4 said:That’s true, but look at it from this angle: if I know there is a 99% chance my child will inherit something like SCH, isn't it selfish of me to bring them into this world? No matter how advanced the medication becomes, or how great the psychotherapy and support systems are, a person still feels the weight of their condition. I can't shield my child from the reality of their own illness. In that light, wouldn't it be more fair to simply not have them at all?

It's the truth, unfortunately. If the odds are 99%... then yeah, you're right.
And I agree—in a situation like that, bringing a child into the world would be a selfish move.

It’s hard to say exactly how much genetics play into psychosis, but you just have to learn how to navigate it. Honestly, though, managing things when you're actually in the middle of a psychotic episode is incredibly tough. It's the same deal with hallucinations—even the psychiatrists aren't 100% sure what's happening. They mostly just listen for specific keywords from a patient to identify the psychosis. I can't help but wonder how much we can truly understand about the actual causes inside the brain, or what's even possible to achieve in reality. It's like watching a master illusionist perform miracles on stage; you wonder where the trick ends and reality begins. How much is physical matter tied to the brain? What kind of mysteries can the human mind create during psychosis, and how do we solve those puzzles to move forward with our own evolution? There are so many connections between everything we see and everything we don't... it really brings you back to Jesus Christ. There is some seriously fascinating stuff out there.

For a while there, I actually convinced myself I was dealing with schizophrenia. I had this persistent feeling that there were multiple personalities living inside me. Looking back, though, it was likely just an adolescent identity crisis... I certainly hope so.

Alright, I’m finally stepping into the ring. It took me a hell of a long time to scrape together enough courage and positive energy just to join this conversation. Honestly, I have no idea how the rest of you lunatics on this forum manage to talk about this stuff so openly and extensively; for me, communicating with the outside world is a massive, uphill struggle in my day-to-day life. I was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia three years ago. I spent some time checked into a psychiatric ward in Seattle, and I see my specialists regularly—my psychiatrist, Vlasta Rudan (may she rest in peace), and my psychopharmacologist. I’m currently on five different medications, with Haldol serving as my primary antipsychotic. When I was younger, my hallucinations were much more vivid and, frankly, more creative. Now that I’m under strict therapy, it’s mostly auditory hallucinations, conspiracy theories, and "signs" from the other side. I truly believe it's true that we possess more acute senses—that we feel everything, from love and hate to happiness and sorrow, with much greater intensity. Actually, I'm starting to feel a bit of panic rising, so I’m signing off for now. I might post again down the road, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Yeah, and I’ve even gone through several suicide attempts myself—slitting my wrists, mixing pills with alcohol, jumping in front of a subway train, stuff like that.

Bog Dassder, I actually started a thread a while back about auditory hallucinations because, unfortunately, they're something I struggle with. Maybe you saw it when it was up, but you never really got a chance to reply. I tried to explain what it feels like, which medications I've used to try and manage it, and even some of the goals I've managed to hit despite everything. I’d honestly love it if you could share a post about your own experiences with hallucinations, maybe so we can compare notes—either here or on "my" thread.
If it's too much to talk about, please don't worry, I totally get it and won't hold it against you. 🙂
I reached out to Dasder since his post was the last one, but it would mean so much if anyone else diagnosed with schizophrenia would reach out.

Thanks so much in advance. 🙂