I decided to join this community because I’m a college student who’s really struggling to stay focused with studies right now. Most people don’t know that I’m schizophrenic because I tend to function quite normally and I don’t really have abrupt behavior, which is what I guess equals normal…?lol
So it’s even harder when I need teachers or classmates to get why I’m not coming to class or turning in assignments on time, because I show no signs of having a mental illness while I’m around them.
I would say I do pretty well in school. I can’t say that I have a very high grade point average but it’s enough to keep my scholarship and I always improve every semester.
I don’t have a problem with people or other students. I just get so in my head and it’s just gotten so bad that I kinda felt like I should post something to see if others are going through similar situations.
Do you guys know what I can do to maybe get through school? I really like being here and I actually want to study. It’s just that I make terrible delusions and have very frightening hallucinations on a regular basis. I know schizophrenia isn’t an on or off switch so I know I can’t just do something that’ll make everything go away…but how can I cope with it?
I know that I can make things anonymous on here, but to be honest I feel like the government will trace stuff that I do online, even if it’s me watching a funny YouTube of a cat or something or following both Camila Cabello and Fifth Harmony on Twitter at the same time… Yea…I don’t think the government would be too interested in what I do now that I’ve kinda typed out and explained what it is.
Hey, maybe I’m already getting over my worries & mind blockages already. Awesome. Oh, and thanks for being a very helpful community and also reading my first post!
It’s a hard thing to study and suffer symptoms. You need a good treatment team. If you have a good psychiatrist and you have a good relationship you can get the medications working better for you.
I tried uni and failed but that was pre meds. I’m too old these days but I admire you for hanging in there and trying to deal with it.
All’s I can probably add is do it at your own pace. If your struggling…no rule says you can’t have some time off and get back to it…except for the monetary costs. I know that can be high so back to point one…get the meds in order first!
Thanks for your advice. I forgot to mention that I’m on meds. (whoops, missed a big chunk of info there :p)
But yea still cuz of the side effects and just with my mental health in general I kinda get easily exhausted. But will continue to hang in there! Semester’s almost over! Woohoo
Yeah it’s tough to manage! Those meds can be so sedating and make you feel different for sure but keep in mind untreated schiz is just damaging in itself.
Get through this year and reassess. Your so young! I was 29 when diagnosed. Half my life was over before it had begun!
Keep on the meds and keep on keeping on…look forward to your input!
Will do!!^^ Thanks for your advice. I’m happy to find this community where I’m accepted and encouraged. Thanks for contributing on here to those who need help and want to engage in discussion!(^-^)
Hey! I was in a very similar situation to you. High functioning, able to pass as normal but still inwardly really struggling with a number of different things. My biggest piece of advice is to utilize your school’s disability services. Seriously. This helped me tremendously and I wish I had known about it earlier because I didn’t know it was available for people with mental disabilities as well until it was already my senior year of college.
For me what helped most was them providing notes for me for my classes. My concentration was extremely bad due to my symptoms and I just couldn’t keep up with lectures, so I’d have no good study material. Those notes really helped me. There are other services too which I didn’t need but may be helpful to you like extended time on tests, testing in a room alone, etc. I also used disability services to allow me to keep my pet rats as emotional support animals with me in my apartment. They were very therapeutic to me and helped me w my ptsd and psychosis at night by grounding me.
Other (more obvious) tips, always plan things so you get enough sleep, do everything you can to avoid overloading yourself with work (for example I took classes during breaks so I wouldn’t have to cram as many in the semester) and do other things like that to try to keep stress levels as low as possible (trust me I know in college that is not always easy ) It also really helps to find the right meds, right therapist, and have a supportive group of friends but that can be difficult and take some time to accomplish, unlike getting disability services which, for me at least, was a very speedy and simple process that was extremely helpful to me as a student.
Thx for the advice. I do try to use help from the school. I was in counseling for the past 2 years. I’m about to be a junior.
Yeah it’s really hard to focus in class. Maybe my teacher can help me with notes as well so I can get good study material.
One thing, I know that I shouldn’t really care about what people think, but I kinda feel uneasy about taking exams in a different room or something. My classmates question me a lot when I did things like that in the past, or come to school later than others because the teacher allowed me to once I explained my condition.
But that’s probably something I need to get over to be in the best condition lol I tend to come to quick conclusions
) It also really helps to find the right meds, right therapist, and have a supportive group of friends but that can be difficult and take some time to accomplish, unlike getting disability services which, for me at least, was a very speedy and simple process that was extremely helpful to me as a student.