Hi everyone, looking for some help with negative symptoms.
Has anyone experienced the feeling of their soul being completely gone? I think I have severe negative symptoms but it feels as though my soul is gone. Over the last few months the negative symptoms just got worse and worse and I tried to come off my medication thinking that would help and it just made the negative symptoms worse so I went back on. It has just felt like gradually my soul has dissolved into nothing, like I have no psyche left.
So just wondering if this has happened to anyone where it feels like your soul and self is completely gone and have you recovered?
Welcome to the community @Kathy. Many here have ongoing struggles with negative symptoms and some deal with them more successfully than others. It’s definitely possible to get things sorted and have a fulfilling life.
I had horrible negative symptoms. On wellbutrin now and after a solid month of 300mg, I am digging out of that rut. Feel a lot like my old self is returning.
I can’t say the negatives ever go away but you can have periods of wellness.
Negative symptoms are pretty relentless but with a good plan and insight you can improve.
Yes this feeling that I had lost my soul was joined with a delirium I had that made me believe that the devil had stolen my soul. another delusion I had was one that I thought I had been abducted once I looked in the mirror and saw that there was no expression on my face and I thought I was an alien.
Yeah negatives is a big bad wolf. For me It took some research into what I used to like skateboarding and music and stuff, and measure my pleasure in my activity, if I score low like under the ratings of 3 or so in the gauge of 1-10, I will stop, if over 5 I continue and move forward.
Definitely medicine helps ALOT, like lions mane is a huge impact for me.
Abilify is a good med for negatives. It helps me.
Study what you have any REMOTE interest and keep doing it mechanically everyday start from 15-20minutes at first and build your self up weeks at a time. Live by each day, don’t rush anything.
Negatives get better each day, but take medicine and make sure everything is routine, until it becomes a habit and it wouldn’t matter if you have the negatives.
It’s gonna get better. I feel better at times than my old self now at times
Personally, me who thinks I have the worst negative symptoms, my negative symptoms improved with time since being diagnosed. I was catatonic at the beginning then started to sleep 24/7 only getting up to eat and go to the bathroom. Then I was put on Abilify and I was able to go to the gym 4x a week 1-2hrs session, driving and hanging out with friends daily, short term part time jobs, etc
I switched to Risperdal 6mg after being on Abilify 20mg for 8yrs due to side effects, my negative symptoms got worse but not as worse as before the Abilify. I can still have some fun playing video games, listening to music, sometimes hanging out with friends or family, etc
On 80mg Latuda I was able to keep a job for a year while on it then had to switch to Risperdal again due to side effects. Maybe you will have more luck than me with meds side effects. Good luck!
Don’t listen to @swordiebrom He’s probably just having a bad day. I am 77and my negative symptoms can go away with something as simple as splashing cold water on my face, drinking a glass of cold water or taking a refreshing shower. Like water is the cheapest and the greatest.
Amisulpride helped me with slowness. You might want to ask your doc about it. Antidepressants help some people. There are other APs cariprazine, aripiprazole.
Caplyta and SSRI medication has helped the most in terms of medical treatment. However, a healthy dose of exercise and fitness training helps wonders, too. I have found that only Caplyta has helped when speaking in regards to antipsychotics. @Kathy, welcome to the forum, hope you have a pleasant experience.
and music and stuff, and measure my pleasure in my activity, if I score low like under the ratings of 3 or so in the gauge of 1-10, I will stop, if over 5 I continue and move forward.