When I was 14 and developing schizophrenia, I recognized the negative and cognitive symptoms as problems and suspected prodromal schizophrenia, only because my uncle is schizophrenic and went through the same thing. But when the hallucinations and delusions came, I just lost all that insight and basically lost contact with reality. Thought I was in an alternate universe, could talk to spirits, that my friends were impostors, et cetera. I didn’t receive treatment for six months, until I became catatonic for 12 hours and was taken to the ER.
If I didn’t know the details of my uncle’s prodrome, I probably never would have guessed. Anything like that happen to you?
I believe I developed sz around 14 years old as well. Although I was in denial about my sz until I was about 22 years old. No one diagnosed me until I was 20 for that matter either. But I lost all insight, entered a fantasy world, had delusions, grandiosity and……….well im SZA not SZ and that sounds more like SZA than SZ. So it probably was. But U know what I did think??? I thought that “Everyone must have done drugs such as weed, alcohol and LSD” because those 3 drugs were helping me become more “normal”. So I felt by doing drugs and drinking I was “catching up” to everybody else in society, mental-wise. So I knew something was wrong with me I was just very offbase.
I had a theory that everyone in high school drank and did drugs and that’s what kept them in connection with reality. Because drinking and doing drugs, helped give me more insight into reality. You see what im saying?? So the 4 years of HS I didn’t drink or take drugs, it caused set backs.
Really, I probably wasn’t far off base. It was drugs that I needed. Just ones like naltrexone and Zoloft and abilify and klonopin the most.
Not really, except for a vague sense that there was something wrong with my, um, worldview during psychosis. However, that unease made me willing to seek treatment and take APs.
No i had zip insight in the end. Mine was a gradual decline - from tinfoiling all the ceilings to running half a mile to the cemetary “to claim sanctuary” . Made perfect sense at the time. To this day - im still angry i wasnt picked up upon sooner. I reckon i would still be with the wife and my daughter had i not lost complete touch with reality. Bstards.
I completely lost all insight first two times of relapse. I truly believed there was a guy talking to me telepathically and he had the power to send me to hell or heaven. And the rest.
Wen my friend noticed me cussing strangers that were walking behind me lol, she told me I’m ill… I actually couldn’t believe it at that point until I landed in hospital
I completely lost insight immediately. I went completely psychotic within a day after abusing stimulants at a halloween party. The psychosis stayed for 2 years until I start to refuse to eat and my parents finally took me to the emergency room
I lost complete insight and thought my parents were trying to ruin my life by getting me baker acted. They sensed something was wrong I was just lost in a fantasy world and had no insight and became delusional. It starts very slowly until eventually you lose your mind. The second time it happened the same way. I went off my meds cold turkey and relapsed by losing my mind slowly that I didn’t even realize what was going on. Thankfully the new meds I’m taking have cleared away all of the delusions and I’m very stable right now and functioning.
I went from sane to eccentric to no insight to major depression to regaining insight to becoming less depressed. Now I just deal with voices and the occasional image in my mind, no delusions or paranoia anymore. It’s been 5 and a half years since the illness started for me. Very fast progression through the stages I listed.
When I came down with positive symptoms, I suspected schizophrenia but I didn’t go to a psychiatrist because I didn’t want to get diagnosed with sz because that would have meant my getting ousted from nursing school. So, I hid my symptoms for eight years until I couldn’t hide them anymore. So, yes, I did have insight.
I was 13 when I started hallucinating demons, etc. and having religion-based delusions. I was fully immersed and able to function on some level because I was involved in one extreme church after another. I underwent an exorcism because I believed I was demon possessed, and the church elders believed it too. So I thought it was all real until my son was eighteen and began telling me about his hallucinations… it made me realize that my experiences might not be real. I sought help and was diagnosed only six or so years ago. I have insight, and I’ve come to understand what’s actually going on, but it’s difficult to let go of some parts because they’re very real to me.
I knew there was something wrong with me but I didn’t know what. I had seen a couple doctors prior but couldn’t get a diagnoses. I was having delusions and visual hallucinations. In retrospect I started having symptoms when I was 17. It was a slow progression. First delusions then visual hallucinations then psychosis and paranoia. I quit leaving the house because I thought everyone was out to get me. Then one day when I was about 20 it was like a switch went off in my head and I started hearing voices. My mom took me to the hospital and thats when I was diagnosed. I had some insight that something wasn’t right but I didn’t know what. After spending a month in the hospital I understood I have schizophrenia. I got better and thought I didn’t need medication anymore so I had a relapse. It took 30 days after stopping my medication to have another psychosis. Again it was like a switch went off in my head. After the second time I knew there was no stopping the meds. Currently I have a lot of insight into my illness although I don’t always recognize the symptoms. Sometimes people point things out or I will realize why I’m doing what I’m doing is because of my schiz. I walk a thin line between sanity and insanity. My mind plays tricks on me a lot. I don’t always trust my own perception of things around me.
