Hey there people!
Who else out there is battling deficit schizophrenia?
How do you cope with it?
Do you know any magic bullets?
What is deficit schizophrenia?
@Dreamscape thank you for providing a comprehensive definition.
@SoItGoes indeed deficit schizophrenia is a subtype defined by little or no positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions) and persistent negative symptoms (lack of motivation, blunted affect). It is a very disabling condition for which atypical antipsychotics don’t make any difference.
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Crazy… If there is no psychosis have you thought of treating it with stimulants? Or stimulating psychiatrics.
Bring the drug culture here in this statement but adderal if dosed properly will make you feel like a golden God.
The only legit reason for it is adhd or add.
Anyways that’s the first I’ve heard of deficit sz not many people here talk about it.
Perhaps supplements or grabbing the bull by the horns and getting in a routine would help.
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Back in the 90’s. The only official diagnosis I ever received was negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Wondering now if deficit schizophrenia would of covered it. I improved somewhat with just general counselling with a psychologist. Although was a battle to commit to it.
Man it’s so many different disorders. Things could be much better.
But I do see the fluctuation. You have the sz potential and you experience different aspects of it over time.
Wouldn’t it be ■■■■■■■stupid if they lumped in bp and depression and simply said they’re mentally ill.
That’s like equating the cold to cancer. He is physically sick. Wait he pulled out of it. Wait he’s sick again. Oh ■■■■he died. He was physically ill anyways.
Yeah man sz… The label is a scapegoat
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I think I have what they call deficit schizophrenia. After a year and a half with delusions and hallucinations, I now only struggle with enduring negative symptoms. I´ve just received Sarcosine and hope it will help me out. How do you cope with it? I mean, how are your days going? This condition is really hard, I almost don´t have the motivation or energy to do anything at all.
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Yes @sanna, the condition is extremely hard to cope with. I sleep up to twelve hours, have a hard time leaving bed in the morning (around noon actually) and lack the motivation to do even the most basic action, such as brushing my teeth or taking a shower. Before the onset of sz, I was a computer programmer and luckily today I can still find the willpower to work on some small programs which brings me some degree of satisfaction. I also listen to powerful music which sometimes makes me experience dopamine releases (aka music thrill) even though music often sounds flat. I also have cravings for sweet food even though I can’t feel hunger in general. I also smoke about half a pack per day which calms me down a wee bit and boosts my optimism. That’s about it… despite all this I usually feel down and lost, with no motivation to continue living but somehow I’m hanging on.
Let me know if sarcosine works for you.
It sounds very descriptive of my sickness. I’ve hallucinated, but not that much. I have the negative symptoms big time. The major difference with me is that atypical anti-psychotics help me a lot. I’ve been stable on Geodon and Seroquel for over ten years now.
It seems like we all have the same condition. I sleep up to 14 hours, have flat affect and no concentration, which does it difficult to work with what I used to. I can´t read or write, and I don´t know how to spend my days. Do you also have cognitive impairment? I hope it won´t last forever. I´ll let you know how the sarcosine works.
So far I’ve only tried Risperdal and Abilify. Both proved disappointing. Sarcosine didn’t work either.
I do have cognitive issues, I struggle with concentration, I can hardly read books which is why I prefer short news articles, facebook posts and tweets.
From what I’ve read on the web, longitudinal studies going up to twenty years have shown that this condition is very stable, with extremely few periods of remission and virtually no recovery. It’s the worst possible outcome to be honest, which is why I hope they’ll soon find a cure for it, or at least something to lessen the symptoms, make life enjoyable again…
In my case I have several negative simptoms, low motivation, avolition, etc.
Tolteca.
We have to keep the hope though, otherwise we don´t have anything. We have to believe in exceptions from the conclusions of these longitudinal studies. I need to believe in that at least. For it´s really not worth living as this. Have you tried to exercise? I keep telling myself that I shall do that, but until now I haven´t had the motivation. I walk a lot though. And I really have big hope for the Sarcosine. For how long did you try it before you gave it up?
I don’t exercise, which is a shame. Before this I used to run a lot and go to the swimming pool. I even did the marathon once, can you imagine? Now I feel like a bump on a log…
I gave sarcosine a full month to do its trick… Then I stopped. I felt dejected, there was no improvement at all. I really really hope it’ll work for you.
I used to run and swim as well. No motivation to do that now. I started on Sarcosine today, haven´t noticed anything yet. Will keep you updated! And good luck with everything to you, hope your condition will improve somehow, Keep the hope alive!(-:
Folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements also work for some. I might give it a try too…
The only thing I’m aware of that has some data behind it in terms of helping in these areas is CBT for psychosis (therapy) and these supplements. New drugs are coming down the pipe but not here yet, that target these symptoms:
Sarcosine (what dosage and what provider did you try? ( I think DMDR had no success with Smartpowders, but then had success with the Profrontal product - so you might try profrontal or brainvitaminz.com )
Sarcosine for Schizophrenia
D-Serine
N-Acetyl cysteine (NAC)
B-Vitamins
Yes, I tried sarcosine from smartpowders and was disappointed. Profrontal don’t ship abroad. NAC was doing too little too slowly so I stopped taking it for now. As for those new drugs, hopefully I won’t be a white-bearded geezer before they become available where I live, that is in the backass of nowhere Romania.
In the 1970s a few clinical trials were conducted using L-Dopa on patients with schizophrenia, and the results were promising for negative symptoms. Why they stopped testing it is beyone me though. I’ll maybe try to talk my pdoc into giving me a trial of that drug too…
So research after the 1970s.
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