Am I developing Schizophrenia? I don't know what to do!

Hi,
This seems like a supportive forum with knowledgeable users. I would appreciate any advice, suggestions or just thoughts about my current situation.

I am a 31 year old male and in the last month have become very worried that I may be developing schizophrenia. I never considered this possibility until very recently however looking back over the years with hindsight it is possible that this may have been developing very slowly. Then suddenly everything got much worse since February.

Based on my research this seems to be the worst possible scenario: gradual onset, negative symptoms and cognitive impairment. Is there any hope in this scenario?

I don’t know what to do. I am overwhelmed and paralysed with fear. I am afraid of talking to my Doctor and afraid of not talking to my Doctor.

Any ideas please let me know. Thanks.

Symptoms since mid-February include:

For a couple of weeks, some odd behaviour and panic about ongoing health problems.

Sleep:
In bed about 12 hours per day.
Not sleeping very deeply, vivid dreams, waking up a few times during the night.
Few nightmares, but during one night dreamt that I lost my mind briefly. Another night it felt like something jumped on my bed.

Feel a certain level of cognitive impairment:
Not feeling very alert.
Finding it hard to concentrate.
Poor memory.
Some silly mistakes while speaking or typing.
Feeling generally dull and not very responsive.

Emotional bluntness, yet at times overly emotional for short periods.

Increased sensitivity to background noise.
On two occasions I had a subtle impression of hearing music when the radio was off.
Developed mild tinnitus in left ear. Not too bad but noticeable at night when falling asleep.

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take a help from well-known pdoc…as soon as possible…
take care…

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if you “didn’t have your typical childhood experience” it’s probably something else.

I agree with @far_cry0. We can’t diagnose you, we aren’t doctors and therapists here. Some of these things sound like mild problems. Schizophrenia is a major problem and starts with a loss of reality in the sufferer.

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Well it sounds like you are definitely having some anxiety problems, so either way good idea to talk to a professional before it spirals out of control.

It does sound like schizophrenia. Do you have health insurance? As far as being afraid, it is really understandable and at the same time it’s not that bad. One doctor said schizophrenia is the truest form of human nature and many people do sympathize/don’t judge. I relate it to going to jail for a crime you did not commit as it can be explained by many people that are schizo. People have a good response to it. I would say 90% or more od my friends are supportive and bin jusgemental. I have only had 2 that didn’t want to be friends anymore.

I’m no phd or whatever - but I would recommend you stop looking in your past for symptoms, its only going to reinforce / conditioned you to want to talk about it - and it, isn’t a person, or so, i think. What i mean is that if you’re looking for problems with yourself, you’ll find some for sure. That being said, you probably need to talk - so don’t mute yourself, use this forum, use professional care. Best wishes.

P-S: i could draw you a list of the « first time » this or that happen to me, and the list would go on and on forever. I think it was a mistake of mine to try to organise everything in an order and interpretation that was fit FOR ME (not necessarily the rest of the universe, nor the persons that surrounded me when those events happened.) Further, if you feel unfit to do the exercise (the ordering / interpretation of your past, of the ways you’ve been constructing your identity so far, which made you yourself, today), I think it is not a good moment to undertake such exercise. One thing I feel sure to tell you, don’t go at some place where your former-friends weren’t your friends after-all, and stuff like that: your life isn’t a big lie.

We’re not doctors here we can’t diagnose you. It can be schizophrenia it can be a bunch of other psychotic disorders. Seek a medical appointment with a psychiatrist to be sure.

Good luck!

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(shrug) i could be the first time something happened to you. you sound tense.

You need at least one positive and one negative symptom to be considered to have schizophrenia. You have not discussed any positive symptoms, which would include hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, etc.

You honestly just sound sleep deprived. How much sleep do you get on average per night? I know you said you get 12 a day but how much per night?

Nope : I’ll tell you about my way of seeing things at another time, but already seen that…

what have you already seen?

Hum some other time, I’ll share the experience I’ve in mind. Now, its not a good time, me doing a couple of things at the same time.

i like the sound of that. stay in touch.

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You really need to speak to a doctor about this. It could be anything and a doctor can rule other things out, they need to rule other things out.

I think you are really amazing for noticing signs in yourself; not everybody does. When you mention that to the doctor it will help them in ruling or ruling against a diagnosis.

Thank you all for the support and wise advice. I have an appointment with my Doctor this afternoon.

@Anna It depends on the night. Generally I am not sleeping very deeply and and keep waking up.

@L.ogan I live in a country with free healthcare. I am very happy for you that your friends stood by you. That kind of situation is a true test of friendship if there ever was one.

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A lot of my neurotypical friends say they sometimes hear faint music when nothing is playing. This is generally due to conditioning the brain to expect stimuli at certain times. It’s the same reason people sometimes feel their phone vibrate when it didn’t actually go off. It’s a product of our society. That’s not to say it isn’t unsettling, but it might not be as big a deal as you think.

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It could be stress. It could be anxiety. Or a combination. I’m no doctor either. How did your appointment go today?

My schizophrenia started out slowly. It took me 6 years to “come back” to a somewhat functioning person. On meds. I still have cognitive dysfuntion. I hear voices. I suffer from anhedonia. Those are the things I notice in me. There is propably more.

My Doctor thinks that it is a combination of stress and anxiety due to other health problems and ongoing investigations. However many things are abnormal right now including my poor sleep and it is the possibility of schizophrenia that is stressing me the most.

How old were you when the diagnosis was made? And was there anything you would have done differently if you knew what was on the way?

Kudos to you for reaching a point where you are functioning again after what must have been six very hard and long years. How was your support network during this time?