I’m currently a PhD student and was wondering if anyone else out there is in graduate school and what your experiences are. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but I’ve managed to function quite well on medication to the point where people who know me well say they can’t tell. I’ve been able to get all As during my qualifying classes, but my qualifying exam is coming up and sometimes I wonder if I have it in me. I worry because sometimes some of the deeper conceptual thinking is a little difficult for me. I work hard and put in around 50 to sometimes 70 hours a week to try to compensate, but it is hard. As long as I get enough sleep and take my medication, usually things are fine. Since I’ve had problems getting laid off before after letting it slip that I have schizophrenia, I am afraid to let anyone in the department know. I keep telling myself Elyn Saks was able to go to higher education. Right now she is sort of my role model.
I go by not doubting myself,
That’s really good to know you.
Yes, it amazing once you get into the rhythm.
I was into postgraduate but fell ill and was not able to pick up.
Now I am planning to give it another shot.
So I hear you focus around 50 to 70 hours a week ,
how long do you go at a stretch ?
And Never let anyone know you have schizophrenia. IMO.
No one understand it not even doc, not even myself, let alone others.
Welcome to the Forum !!!
And a statutory warning : Don’t lose hope, If you think you can, YOU CAN !!
Thanks for the input. You are right about not doubting yourself. It is really key to doing the best you can. If you think it might be the right thing for you to go back to school, it can be a really rewarding experience, both intellectually and personally. I sometime do 70 hours but that is only if I have a major project or exam and much of that time includes reading and writing at home where I’m comfortable. I think for my department and school most people work 45-60 hours a week. I appreciate hearing from someone else. Thanks again.
You’re doing well. I say keep going with what works and try not to change anything drastically. Work on self confidence. Im not in grad school. But im doing an integrated masters (3 year bsc and then 1 year masters), im at stage 1, i havr no where near the same grades as you
Thanks for the support. Wow. Good for you about the integrated masters! Those can be tough because they are condensed. Just try to focus on things in your life that keep you healthy. Setting up a schedule about what needs to be done and focusing on the end goal really helps. Working hard is part of the good grades, but I think I’ve been really lucky because I can function on medication. Schizophrenia seems to be different for everyone.
Thank you, I wish you all the best as well. You can do this, and you serve as an inspiration to me personally and I’m sure others too. Well done getting this far, keep it going.
That’s pretty good. Keep going. Don’t close the book before it is done. There is an energy within us that can make us cross the line. Just need to keep the fire lit.
I’m so grateful for the kind comments and encouragement. I’ve had some of the good advice that you wrote in the back of my mind this week. You don’t know how much I appreciated it. I don’t know why I posted my first post. I think I was just in a low place. It was right after the golden child in my department ripped one of my pieces of writing apart, and it made me doubt myself. I mean this guy can find nothing I do good. It starts to get to you after a while. Anyway, things are getting busy already, so I’m sorry if I cannot respond to everyone, but I hope to post at some point in the future as well as read your posts.
I did half of Master’s from Columbia University in Statistics. During my bachelor’s, and Master’s, I was severely ill (paranoid/depressed) but went through without knowing I have the illness.
Then, I got diagnosed, and have not accomplished much on the academic side ever since. What complicates the issue for me is that very likely I also have ADD, and it is really hard to do a Master’s/PHD without ADD medications if you have it.
However, I trade stocks now. I use some of my academic background in that endeavor. But, my thinking, processing, memory, etc is nowhere near where it used to be before.
I appreciate the fact that you are doing so well in life and wish you the best. What are you doing a PHD in?
Hey @edouard_castro, is that your real name? If so, we ask that you change your username to a pseudonym to protect your anonymity. Please let me know what username you would prefer instead and I will change it for you.