I became ill at 16. Barely graduated from high school. I am 21 right now. Been symptom free for last 2-3 years. But still couldn’t manage to go back to school. I am looking for people who became ill in high school. Who recovered and graduated and went on to complete college studies. Anyone?
I was crumbling when I was 14… I had tutors and after school help.
At 17 was the swansong that landed me in long term care… When I was stable my Mom helped me study for my GED. I was in and out a few times during my 17 -18th year… I do remember my Mom working with me to try and keep up my reading and my basic math. (Both my parents are teachers. Mom teaches high school math and science. Dad teaches Middle school history and sometimes English)
I got my GED somehow… and it took a while… but at 28 I was med compliant long enough… been through enough therapy to get my memory back in order… got enough skills back… to start college again. I’m in college now… this is my second year.
I’ve been taking on-line classes and that sure has helped me get more credits completed. I can only handle 1 on campus class for now… I do work a nearly full time job.
If you want to go to school… but aren’t feeling up to the social pressure… look in to on-line classes.
Defiantly take advantage of the students with disabilities office. The have to keep stuff confidential… but you get extra study notes… tutors… and other tools that will help. I couldn’t have made it if a member from this forum didn’t let me in on that piece of advice.
Good luck…
I became ill my senior year of high school after being accepted to a bunch of colleges and getting a big scholarship at one, which is where I am today, a senior with a 3.9 GPA.
I never quit academically functioning, I just made a couple of Cs my last semester of high school.
I’m not the typical person with schizophrenia, so don’t expect to do what I just said. I have a plethora of comorbid disorders, one of which actually helps me function, and is also the most stigmatized disorder.
Ask me whatever you want.
Moved to the School and Work area.
Pixel.
(Wearing moderator hat)
I got ill in High School, after completing High School had a breakdown and so never went to varsity. Years later I did two courses (dressmaking and Islamic studies), just manage to complete them, almost gave up but didn’t.
How did you manage stress of classes, work, living alone? It must be really exhausting.
I was living with my parents. I am rather cold blooded at times. I mean I have been officially pegged by shrinks with strong psychopathic tendencies. I get reactive when I am truly threatened.
I started having symptoms when I was 14. I barely graduated high school, but my test scores were unbelievably high, so I got into college. It took me five years to graduate college with a 3.2. I never got diagnosed or treated until a few years after that. I think I only passed because my teachers all felt sorry for me. It was a small college and everyone knew about my incredibly tragic backstory. Basically, my dad died, and my mom went crazy, so I was raising my little siblings and working three jobs in addition to college.
I should say that I don’t have straight schizophrenia. I have psychosis NOS. so I only got negative symptoms when I was going through puberty. I’m sure if I had negative symptoms, it would be a lot harder to get through everything, but all I had to deal with were hallucinations and delusional thinking. It sucked, but I at least had the motivation to keep going forward.
I became ill when I was about 16 continued 2 C’s at A-level somehow left school and couldn’t do much for a few years then I left home and studied a lot of first years, I’m talking quite a few… Over many years, sometimes becoming ill sometimes just getting bored or not being too brilliant at that subject.
The last thing I studued was so far beyond me that I think my IQ is 30 points to Low for that course and I became very seriously ill again
Meds are the only thing keeping me well and a life where I don’t stress out too much by being in college
Whatever education I have had has helped me to be a writer now though … And living on disability is not that bad if you have something to aim for in some way… Be that running or yoga or whatever …
I’m big into achievement and academic achievement, but it’s all a load of bollocks really … Unless you’re enjoying it and staying well …
I’ve written a few short plays published or commissioned and a full length play for theatre which I’m being paid for, Works out about 20 - 30 times less than a living wage over the last 2 1/2 years but will get a holiday out of it !
@cj9556 That’s really inspiring you know.
Oh. Well, thanks.
I became ill a year ago at seventeen. Still completing online high school bc i had to drop out.
@dbranch Which online high school? I mean is it accredited and well recognized? I am interested in online high schools.
I was ill before high school. Didnt finish. Got kicked out of school in year 11/form 5
It’s an accredited program, its Mizzou Online HS through University of Missouri.
I started out taking one class and got an A very easily without even trying. I think the whole thing is aimed at people that have academic problems and need something a little easier.
took me a long time to be well enough to be able to even attempt college,
i was a bad student form 13-16yrs was up infront of a panel about my behaviour and truancy bc i had not been attending school,
i think sin has a lot to do with schizophrenia, like the guilt gets too much, over powering and we just crack under the weight of it somehow,
sorry if i seem to be overly religious in some of my posts but i just keep trying to figure things out and it does make sense for me.
after been diagnosed at 21 i went back to college at 30 and i completed 2 years studying social care and 1 year studying counselling, i now start another years of social care in august
i found a med that worked really well for me and i am able to function on a low dose, (keeps the demons at bay) meds are essential
These days when some college grads are trapped at Starbucks, With loans they can never repay, can’t say enough about the importance of job experience.
Work towards your dream job. Ask people what classes are helpful for your dream job.
Do you like the company you work for? Are people leaving for other jobs? Where ? Are people staying and having long careers? Are they jumping ship because the industry is in trouble? OR are they having trouble finding the right people? Become their dream employee.
Learn what you need to learn. Before you start taking out loans.
Not preachy at all. in fact i believe i have schizophrenia due to my sin. I wont go into what i did, but i do believe in a god that is lovingly punishing. If i had gotten off free for the terrible things i did, what would i learn? how would i grow? schizophrenia for me is like school for life. it teaches me perseverence and humility.
not that i have everything figured out… very very far from it.
I was psychotic when I was 16. Finished high school a year later and hated school since. The public education system didn’t really understand me and didn’t really want me, and I didn’t want them. I got an A in all my math courses in college but failed the rest. I quit college recently. Don’t think I’ll make it.
I was severely depressed as a teen, and had my first psychotic break around the time I was 16.
I got institutionalized for a little while and then packed off to live with Grandma.
I completed high school through a customized correspondence course from my school. I emailed my assignments back to my teachers. These days, they’d just sign you up for an online school, I suppose.
Schoolwork wasn’t difficult but this is probably due to the fact that I didn’t have to deal with the school environment or the other students. I had plenty of time to complete my work and no real distractions, except nature.
Came back home briefly for graduation. Didn’t have the drive or the money to get into college, so I went right into the workforce.
I did attempt community college a few years ago, but I was homeless at the time, and other life stressors made it impossible for me to complete classwork. At this point in my life I could not imagine myself capable of completing college-level courses. I don’t have the support.