Hi Everyone my names Melissa and I have been diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder. I am 22 years old and ever since I was 16 I’ve been in and out of hospitals. I wasn’t fully diagnosed with schizoaffective until I was hospitalized in January of this year. I live in a small town and my therapist has been trying to find me a support group to go to but hasn’t had any luck yet but he did find this website and told me to try it out so here I am. It would just be nice to know I’m not alone in this since that’s how I am always feeling. My parents are very supportive but me and my bf are starting to have problems because of it. I was able to work until last year whenever I lost my job due to me missing so much because of this and then another job this year the same reason and being hospitalized. So now I am on disability. It would be great to talk to people who have the same things that I do. To just know I’m not alone with the voices…
hi melissa, i was diagnosed para/sz 11 yrs ago and i have been stable almost 4 years, i am 31 i go to college and i am studying social care. welcome to this new forum 
Thank you! and wow that is great that you have been stable for almost 4 years! That sounds so amazing I hope I can say that one day.
Hello and welcome to the forum. I also went on disability recently. I had to because of cognitive problems, paranoia, and anxiety…plus a bad back. I have schizoaffective disorder.
Thank you drewleo34 for the welcome. I have other disorders as well but the one that mainly takes over my life is the schizo-affective.
thought i would say hi.
take care
Thank you darksith =] u take care as well
Hi and welcome here. I’m pretty new myself. Realized my dx schizophreniform that my pdoc told me I have 3 years ago is actually sz now because the symptoms come and go all the time.
Hello,
Just wanted to give you a welcome and a I hope you find the answers your looking for. Hope you feel better soon.
Thank you both. Im just happy I found a site with people I can relate to. Idk anyone here where I live that has sz so its nice to know im not alone 
Hi there, I’m really new here too. I’ve been diagnosed as schizo-affective disorder just last week, after 10 years of mental health problems. I was working up until two months ago when I became psychotic and had to go off on sick leave.
You’re definitely not alone. I’ve found the forum to be very welcoming. It’s so hard not being able to talk with people going through similar stuff IRL.
Hello Aaron,
Nice to meet you. Welcome.
What job are you taking a break from?
Nice to meet you too! I’m actually a newly qualified doctor. I graduated in 2011, and have been in and out of work since then. My employers have been very understanding. So far, all my employment since qualifying has been in the public sector, so I have better rights and representation. 
Congratulations on finishing that long path. Very cool. Do you specialize or are you general practice?
I was diagnosed undifferentiated SZ when I was 17. I’m 28 now. I was having lots of problems as far back as 5. I was thinking from your posting… (if you don’t mind me saying so) that you seem to be doing very well with this. (I know it’s hell anyway.) It took a myself and a lot of people I know much much longer to start communicating and knowledge seeking.
Good for you for getting out and talking right off the bat. I hope you get to where you want to be very soon.
It’s been a horrible struggle, and I’ve had many alternate diagnoses over the year. I’ve suffered mental health problems since I was a child. Then I had depression for years. Then the voices, paranoia and delusions started. I was in and out of university, and had to complete an extra year, as I got hooked on weed (marijuana) during my first year. That seems to have triggered my psychotic symptoms.
It’s been very difficult to work in a job for more than a couple of months at a time without problems. I think I’m finally getting a grip on what is wrong with me.
I was told I had depression, psychotic depression, psychosis NOS and personality disorder.
I still have hope that I can get better. I was on a low dose of Risperidone (1mg) for years which did nothing to dampen my paranoid delusions. They are still ongoing. I just want to be stable. I cycle through periods where I can function and when I’m completely helpless.
I too was very first diagnosed as ADD, ADHD, Bipolar, PTSD, on and on until my hard core grand episode melt down when I was 17. My parents were always proactive and supportive and took a very sooner then later view for getting me help, therapy, treatment… But I was crumbling faster then they could build me up.
I too was hooked on weed, amphetamines (stupid I know) and I had a love of XTC that wouldn’t quit. (even dumber I know) But all that is over. Clean, sober, med compliant, employed, not homeless anymore, and no lapses in memory or waking up half a state away from where I thought I went to sleep.
Ahhhh.
That’s amazing, you truly are an inspiration how you were able to turn things around and get on the straight and narrow. 
I too long to be stable. I’m still hypomanic, but thankfully I’ve regained some of my function. I want to continue to comply with my meds, but I’ve been on so many over the years that have had horrible side effects. Sometimes the medicine seems worse than the illness. I know I’m not alone in thinking that though.
Venlafaxine (Effexor) was definitely the worst, it caused a long list of medical ailments which disappeared within 4 days of stopping. So far with Seroquel, so good. Dose will be going up to 200MG on Thursday. 
Welcome, Melissa. I think you’ll find this place helpful. I do not have Schizophrenia, but I have psychotic depression, and I find this website very helpful. I hope to see you gettign better.
Thank you all. I hope one day I can find stabilization for more than 2 days in a row. It’d be nice. =]
Hi Melissa, I hope you find comfort here, everyone is great, helpful caring and understanding, my thoughts are with you to find some peace *hugs.