If so do you mind detailing what helped? My attention for movies is terrible and would like to improve it.
Are traditional treatments such as amphetamines absolutely contraindicated with a sz patient? If so are there any other meds that could help
In terms of non med treatments anyone got any tips.
I know it sounds petty complaining about not being able to follow movies but it really is disheartening losing what used to be my favourite pass time
I recomend some omega fish oil if you havent tried that, it has helped me focus at least a little in the past i cant watch movies anymore either after binge watching for 2 months it really sucks.
Thanks @anon19606225 come to think of it I used to take omega 3 and I did feel better for it
Amphetamine/Adderall likely worsen psychosis but they are the most effective and not everyone will experience psychosis on them for some reason idk. Ritalin has a lower risk but non-stimulant ADHD meds like Strattera have the lowest risk. Modafinil too I think. Personally I tried Wellbutrin which is a weak stimulant, increase dopamine a bit, and is marketed for ADHD in some countries. It helped but made my positive symptoms worse so I gave up on meds for negative and cognitive symptoms.
I’ve never had improved concentration.
No matter how much I tried.
Like you said, there are drugs for that, but they’re high risk.
What helped me through tasks was planned breaks.
That way I felt less like I had to give up on it.
I take a lot of little planned breaks throughout the day and it feels like I’m better, you know?
Caffeine pills help my negatives and cognition/concentration a bit. Did you try it?
I did actually try them but prefer to drink my caffeine.
Wellbutrin sounds real interesting though
Thats true they wont give me amphetamines even when i have adhd, because of my psychosis.
Same for me, I asked for Adderall or Ritalin, my Dr refused and said I will end up in mental hospital if I take stimulants. But I see some users here on them yet they have no psychotic symptoms.
oddly ap’s improve my concentration. i used to be on meds for adhd when i was a kid. during psychosis i could barely focus on anything due to thoughts racing and voices. when im on an ap thats working well i can do one thing for a pretty long time like watching shows and movies and retaining all the information and plots
I think thats because positive symptoms worsen cognition. My memory sucked when I was psychotic.
I honestly improved with time. After my psychotic break in 2019, I couldn’t watch a movie to save my life. But as I’ve gotten better, in some ways, I can now watch a movie. But I often take breaks. Buuuut, at least I can do it.
I can’t work, because of cognitive functioning, mood problems, and the stress making my mental health worse. So, I’m not really “better” in every way. But I’ve improved with being able to focus on TV, a bit. Just happened on it’s own, with time.
I hope your concentration improves for you. You could try focusing on puzzle books, like word searches or crosswords. That might help you train your brain to focus for longer.
Set a small goal of watching or reading so much. Keep working at it until you hit it consistently for a week. Then add a bit more and keep plugging away at it, building slowly. I have gone from struggling with a single paragraph to being able to ingest and comprehend hundreds of pages of insurance policy wordings over the years.
Start small. Keep adding to it. Don’t ever stop, especially when you are discouraged.
Yes I have but I had to change to a better med
I’m notorious for taking breaks while watching movies…or sitting in the other room when I know the parts real well and when it’s violent. I can’t take gore…so I watch scary movies I’ve seen and love a lot. like Halloween one. that movie is a suped up racecar of fear and suspense, no gore…nicely done…my favorite to watch on Halloween…as far as improving your attention levels to watch movies…do what I do watch for ten mins…hit pause…listen to an album…come back…hit play…that kind of thing…build your time while you watch in sessions.
I cant really watch movies anymore but then my concentration was always bad. I has improved slighlyy on Zyprexia abilify was the worst for that though. Never again. It had gotten noticeably bad when i started antipsychotics.
Coffee+L-theanine might do the trick.
But coffee makes my schizophrenic symptoms much worse, and I think it does the same to you.
Maybe you could try tea+L-theanine as there’s less caffeine in tea.
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