I was 43. I had been hearing voices for six years or starting at 37. I believed the voices I was hearing that they were part of a psychic attack via demonic witchcraft - so I didn’t seek help for six years. That and I was too paranoid to see a psychiatrist. I know 43 is late to be diagnosed, but hearing voices was the only telltale sign (to me) of schizophrenia. However, I knew I was mentally ill in my early twenties.
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I was 20-21y.o. I was in university.
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41 or 42 when first diagnosed.
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My symptoms started since 14-15y.o.
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- Depressive break at 23. Prodromal symtoms through teens in hindsight and paranoid/racing thoughts as long as can remember.
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It’s not common. I was 39 when I got the big D but it started at 38. It seems there are a lot of us late bloomers here.
Most men get in in college. A little later for women I think.
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I was 28 when i was finally diagnosed. Had symptoms prior to this though.
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I was 40 before seeing a Dr. But it all started slowly at 38.
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I was diagnosed and had my first psychotic break a couple days after my 22nd birthday
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I was 18.
I thought a psychic was reading my thoughts and watching me on a crystal ball.
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Mid thirties for me. But I have been treated for mental illness since I was 16
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The typical age for a male, 19 years old.
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I think 24. Stuff started going sideways when I was towards the end of 22 or had just turned 23.
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I really don’t remember ever being told. I found out, when the lawyer sent my file to Social Security that I was SZA-bipolar type
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Now that you mention it my first doc that diagnosed me was not very forthcoming about diagnosis at the time either, but she put me on Haldol. I later saw it on various paperwork. Why they keep it secret, I have no idea.
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I was first diagnosed with psychosis NOS until years later when I stopped my meds and relapsed. Then they changed it to sz.
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I wonder if I would be better now if I never stopped my meds. Drs say the more relapses you have the worse is the prognosis.
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Hard to say @Aziz . Try not to let it bother you though. It’s in the past and can’t be changed.
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I had schizophrenia from childhood, but had my first serious hospitalization and diagnosis at twenty. I had auditory and visual hallucinations from youngest memory but never knew what they were until an adult. I coped as best I could for so many years. I never talked about what I heard and saw because I thought my family could see them too, and accepted it as normal. They say childhood schizophrenia is rare, and even if my parents knew, I would not have gotten the right medical help since we lived in the middle of nowhere. I guess I should be grateful everything happened when it did, but I’m pretty sure I could have had an easier childhood away from all the trauma I dealt with if I had said something.
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