“Believes” is the key word here. (Sigh.) Beliefs are not facts. And the facts are:
If…
pts get on the best and most functional meds for them as particular individuals,
the dosage is appropriate for them as particular individuals, and
they take their meds as prescribed,
…the statistics derived from numerous individual research projects are way in favor of no further worsening until very late in life, when nature (genetics) and nurture (environment) will have a say in how demented those pts may or may not become.
That said, many pts will get a lot better if they not only do what I described above, but avail themselves of the increasingly more effective psychotherapies now available.
Hard to know , I know that is a view , some people believe its a progressive illness. I think experience in avoiding relapse does grow if you can develop skills to avoid delusional thinking.
There are a couple types of schizotypical disorders. One is schizophrenia which is probably the most severe of all mental illnesses, the other is schizoaffective disorder which is probably around the same spectrum level as bipolar just a grade above, schizophrenia occurs in about %1 of the population while schizoaffective is even rarer at about point 0.6% or half a percent. Although schizoaffective is less severe but also includes mental illnesses such as depression and biploar disorder.
In some cultures or continents schizophrenia is considered a “Gift” and it is said that they have been touched in the head. **There is a ton of information if you do a google or youtube search for “shamanism and schizophrenia” they are alot alike and correspond with each other in many levels with living life outside the norm.
My experience is that dealing with sz gets easier as life goes on. I was diagnosed when I was 22 and now I’m 57. That’s a 35 year span. At first I didn’t even recognize that I had a problem. I started taking an antipsychotic called Haldol and at the time that was the going drug of treatment. It contained the symptoms but I slept a lot and put on a lot of weight. Then I went through a stage of getting back in shape but isolating in my apartment. But later in life mostly in my 50s I had a good support system in place, I had a good med, a part time job, a cool girlfriend and a mostly independent life style including my own apartment. Like the research shows, life does get easier later in life. Good luck to you in your journey of life and remember that sz is only a small part of who you are. For the longest time I thought sz was the defining dominant part of my life but in reality it’s just a small part of who I am. Don’t let mental patient or person with a disability dominate your self identity. The stigma can overwhelm you and I think it’s important to realize that recovery in a real way is definitely possible. What is recovery? Discovering your full potential and making it happen.
It’s getting easier for me - 27 years sz - now early 50’s. I’ve stopped being scared of sz and what it can put me through - I’ve stood up to my fear of fear. I still get caught out sometimes and feel unwell for a couple of days but that’s becoming less and less frequent as years are passing. For me it’s getting easier although I’m less outgoing - more because I can’t be bothered rather than just can’t get out there.