So after about 6+ years of exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia today is the day I received an official diagnosis. I am apparently “high-functioning” for a schizophrenic but Im not really a fan of that term. It’s just that by some miracle I’ve been able to cope with symptoms and take care of myself for quite a while without it having a huge affect on my life, visibly at least. Anyway, I haven’t talked to anyone about the diagnosis, I don’t really have any close friends who live nearby and there’s no privacy in the apartment I live in (with people Im not all that close with either) so I don’t feel comfortable calling and talking with anyone. So I came across this website and read through a lot of posts and everyone seems super kind and understanding so I just wanted to say hi. So, hi everybody. 
Welcome to the site. I think you’ll find most people are very friendly and can relate to you. Are you getting any therapy and / or medications that you find helpful?
Welcome. 
Pixel.
Therapy yes, we haven’t really talked about medications or anything yet. Really nervous about that
That’s good but remember most of the times the label is just a label. I’ve been diagnosed and re-diagnosed time and time again since the doctors can’t make up their minds but my latest one is schizoaffective disorder with ptsd. I’m sorry you have no one to talk to. The only person I have to talk to is my partner and occasionally my dad since he has the same illness as me.
Yeah I don’t think the diagnosis changes anything really, but in a way it gives me something to say to explain what’s going on, like when my mom calls and asks “so why do you need to go to therapy again?” That kind of thing.
the thing to remember about meds is they are given to you to help you and if you feel they aren’t helping, making symptoms worse or the side effects become too much tell your psychiatrist.
How long does it usually to take to know whether or not a med is helping or hurting?
Hi there, welcome. Yeah, this is a cool place, I’ve been coming here since 2009. Yes, people are very kind and understanding here and very helpful. Have a good night.
Hi and welcome
Meds change neural pathways at several levels. Some things will happen quickly’ others more slowly. In the mean time, here’s some propaganda to consider:
- Get a copy of this book and read it and have your family read it, as well. (Torrey can be a bit totalistic and unwilling to see exceptions to his “rules” at times, but most of the book is really worth the effort to plough through.)
http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Schizophrenia-6th-Edition-Family/dp/0062268856
. - Get properly diagnosed by a board-certified psychopharmacologist who specializes in the psychotic disorders. One can find them at…
http://doctor.webmd.com/find-a-doctor/specialty/psychiatry and https://psychiatrists.psychologytoday.com/rms/
. - Work with that “psychiatrist” (or “p-doc”) to develop a medication formula that stabilizes their symptoms sufficiently so that they can tackle the psychotherapy that will disentangle their thinking.
. - The best of the psychotherapies for that currently include…
DBT – http://behavioraltech.org/resources/whatisdbt.cfm
MBSR – http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php
MBCT - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22340145
ACT – https://contextualscience.org/act
10 StEP – http://pairadocks.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-10-steps-of-emotion-processing.html
. - the even newer somatic psychotherapies like…
MBBT – https://www.newharbinger.com/blog/introduction-mind-body-bridging-i-system
SEPT – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatic_Experiencing
SMPT – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensorimotor_psychotherapy
. - or standard CBTs, like…
REBT – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_emotive_behavior_therapy
Schematherapy – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schema_Therapy
Learned Optimism – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_optimism
Standard CBT – https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/Psychotherapy & scroll down
. - If you/she/he needs a professional intervention to get through treatment resistance, tell me where you live, and I will get back to you with leads to those services.
. - Look into the RAISE Project at https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=raise%20program%20schizophrenia.
. - Look for mental illness clubhouses in your area (which can be hugely helpful… but may also pose risks). Dig through the many articles at https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=mental%20illness%20clubhouse%20model to locate and investigate them.
what symptoms u have?
My psychiatrist is not big on labels, she likes to treat symptoms as they appear.
I honestly am not certain of which diagnosis she gave me, but she did tell me that I have both bipolar and schizoaffective symptoms.
Welcome!
Welcome aboard!
Herro! Welcome!
some people can tell right away others it takes a while. Usually a pdoc gives you 2 to 4 weeks to find out if its working. If you starting having suicidal thoughts tell your pdoc right away.
As already Said, meds can take time to see all the effects. for me I was one three meds for my symptoms, but those stopped working, now I am on another set of meds, and soon I will be on yet another as the ones I am on have started to have a very not pleasant effect of making me high. Always alert your Pdoc if you start to have issues while on your meds, especially if you experience hallucinations that are worse than usual (that’s what has started to happen to me,) also if you start to get head aches an nausea when you meds start to wear off, which means your body is becoming dependent on the meds.
Next appointment is Tuesday so we will probably start discussing meds then. Symptoms like hallucinations, issues with self care and hygiene, delusions and paranoia. I’ve actually felt pretty good recently aside from some depression, which is why I think I was able to coherently seek help and explain what’s been going on. I’m grateful for that and I am happy that I can plan and prepare for if/when things get really bad again. Thanks for the support everyone!
I hope the appointment goes well for you. Don’t forget to ask questions about the meds they put you on so you understand why you are taking them.
Hi and welcome! 