As a schizophrenic, are you able to go on vacation( travel abroad) while having symptoms?
Have any schizophrenic ever traveled abroad and how do you deal with symptoms such as paranoia?
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Yes. Of course. If medicated and in control you can do anything pretty much. Sure flying can be hard but I actually traveled and moved overseas after getting medicated. In a couple of weeks I’m flying down to an aunties birthday bash in Australia’s capital city. It’s perfectly doable.
Welcome to the community too! Lots of nice people around here. Glad you joined.
I’ve flown across the U.S. 3 or 4 times. Visited the White House and the Smithsonian museum. Went other places. Visited my step-sister who was about 38 or 39 at the time and she made the trip memorable by getting drunk one night and then when I was sleeping downstairs I woke up to find her laying full length on me. Nothing happened because I’m an idiotic gentleman but it’s a nice memory. I was too busy every day to really pay attention to symptoms and paranoia. Had a lot of fun.
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If by you mean a vacation resort, then no I cant. Too many people, loud music, drunk idiots etc etc.
If it’s like somewhere up north on a camping trip to fish/swim etc where its somewhere quiet, then yeah.
Do you travel while symptoms free or you still had symptoms while you traveled?
I still have breakthroughs but meds take care of most problems.
LS! So apart from being broke as a schizophrenic I have travelled. The Amsterdam Fountainhouse paid for me going abroad in 1999 to Canada a congress and to Austria and to Stockholm Sweden. I sometimes went alone on a city trip to London, Paris, Prague and Athens. When I was young , 17, I did an interrail tour of Europe and one time I hitchhiked through England when 16. When 15 I toured for three weeks backpacking the Mont Blanc mountain. I also travelled to Morocco and India. My symptoms sometimes bothered me but I have disorganised schizophrenia and am not paranoid.
I have been ill from Sz on holiday before. I am just glad I was keeping everything to myself at that point, so as not to get put in hospital in another country.
I used to have to go on holiday with family with no travel insurance, as if you have been hospitalised in the last 12 months it’s very expensive.
If you are taking benzo’s or any strong pain killers with you, you may need to declare them, depending on which country you travel to. Having said that, customs confuses me so I could be wrong there.
I lived abroad during my illness. But I flew back to UK when I believed there was a plot to murder me.
Since coming back 6 years ago I havnt desired to go abroad. I have been to Portugal but these days I’m just glad to be safe at home near family.
Ive never been abroad. The very thought of being in a strange place scares me, let alone a busy airport. I would get paranoid about security carrying guns. I like to know my surroundings. I keep meaning to travel west to cornwall, uk on a coach trip and stay in a bed and breakfast. That i think i could cope with. Its only 4-5 hours away by car.
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Before my DX, I smuggled a few grams of weed across the border a couple of times.
Recently, my brother came back from a trip to Cuba, and I was so scared of the PA speakers and the K9’s that I went back to the parking lot and waited for my family there.
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Smuggling weed? Wow you got some balls mate lol. My face would give it away if i tried that.
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I went twice with parents to Ireland for ten days
Exact time I experienced no paranoia or voice until we got the boat home
Since getting diagnosed and put on meds I haven’t been anywhere. Prior to that I lived and worked and visited all over Europe.
I’ve travelled all over the world. When I was unmedicated I used to just move from place to place as part of my delusion that if I stayed anywhere too long I would drain the life out of people. But being in unfamiliar places isn’t triggering to me.
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I went hiking for 10 days on my own this summer. I was a bit apprehensive at first because there is a lot of on the spot planning and lots of things that could go wrong, but it went as smoothly as could be hoped for.
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voices destroy my time but I Enjoy everything out of work and pressure
I am very uncomfortable in new places, or even old ones that I haven’t been to in a while. I’ve still traveled, though. I have been to Texas to visit family several times. I am nervous in the airports, more nervous on the plane, and a wreck when I have to drive in the big cities. However, I still manage, and thanks to meds, it doesn’t make hallucinations or paranoia worse- just anxiety.
Even without positive symptoms I just too afraid for my life to travel abroad due to the transportation issues I have