I mean, just a general statement I think what people think would be completely recovered would be to be fully off medication and have no symptoms in any way shape or form of schizophrenia at all. And I mean for the rest of one’s life not I know people like to say it’ll be only for a certain period of time. I mean, do you think it’s impossible for somebody to be completely off meds and have no symptoms at all for the rest of their life?
Poll is not anonymous
Yes, if you really have schizophrenia. Many people are misdiagnosed, and then they stop taking their medications and stay normal people.
I’ve been told that once you become psychotic, then it’s for life.
I wish that my cracked brain would heal. It’s really annoying.
Possible but quite rare. I think misdiagnosis is more likely to happen , than a person who truly has schizophrenia will make a full and permanent recovery.
Early Intervention believe, that if they can catch psychosis in its opening year, there is a chance around 25% can make a full recovery and never experience it again. The majority however will manage well with medicine and have the odd relapse. And a small number will become chronic and struggle for the rest of their days.
Im treatment resistant paranoid schiz. I experience symptoms daily. The severity can vary. It gets very serious maybe 3 times per year. Is it possible to make a full 100% recovery? Its not impossible Id say, but Ive never seen it myself.
I think you have to recognise that the symptoms you get from having SZ are a result of your brain’s wiring. I can’t say I have a good understanding of neurology but the idea that you will one day wake up and be perfectly fine is not realistic IMO. Thats not to say things will never improve for you or that symptoms cant be managed but it is a condition of our brains rather than an “illness” that is fleeting.
But isn’t that psychosis rather than schizophrenia/bipolar?
Psychosis is a primary symptom of Schizophrenia. Tis not an illness to itself. They used to use the term in initial diagnosis before further evidence could be attained to decide what kind of psychosis was at hand.
Yes but that doesn’t change my point. EIIP are talking about 25% of people not experiencing psychosis again. They aren’t saying 25% of people will not experience SZ again like the thread is talking about.
Yes thats technically true. But EIIP will (or used to) slap First Episode Psychosis on most folk to avoid “official” diagnosis. Its a clever political use of the word, in my mind. Someone can be very clearly Bipolar or Schiz, but EIIP will keep them as “FEP” for that 5 year period. If you are in the 25% category, you then return to life without the big titles attached. Helps with their tick boxing and targets.
Yeah. That process really confused me. They never talked about SZ just psychosis. I was told at one point they do it because when people are unwell/recovering, learning they have a lifelong illness might cause them to try to end their lives.
I had to just ask my Pdoc about it one day of what my diagnosis actually was because I felt like I didn’t understand why some doctors talked to me about SZ when the MH team never had mentioned that word.
Ah ha. Same experience I had more or less. People around me in the team would mention Schizophrenia, but on paper it was all First Episode Psychosis. I think thats why the ICD-11 has done away with it now. Its now First Episode Schizophrenia or Bipolar .etc. and look how crafty the EIIP fishing net was/is. 18-35 year olds, 5 years of treatment under them… everyone (or most) will fall into that net when first coming into contact with services.
After 2 years of confusion in EIIP, I went private and got diagnosed that way, and insisted they (NHS) use it else Id detach from them and continue private for my care/treatment. After that I started to get really poor care in the community. Then I became seriously unwell and ended up in Medium Secure for 6 months 
as of now, Im under Community Recovery Team.
I think its possible to be mostly recovered with medication but not without
Schizophrenia doesn’t exist
No dude, I totally recovered except for minor voices. If I was one of the sz folks who didn’t hear voices I’d be symptom free.
Except for negatives. Those always nip at my heels and are a lot harder to treat.
It’s totally possible to treat some or all of your positives into submission though. It’s not a guarantee. The disorder follows the rule of quarters.
If someone is truly diagnosed with schizophrenia properly and was not misdiagnosed then full and complete recovery is not likely without medication.
I’m in remission
My voices are only there if I choose to speak to them.
Someday probably. Maybe in 500 years.
remission 15 years for me
I’m in partial remission. I dont have any voices delusions or other hallucinations. And I sometimes wonder if my negatives are actually conflated with the symptoms of ADHD.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with my new health clinic and I’m going to discuss whether I can reduce my meds or even if I can come off them altogether. Its been two years since I was unwell after all.