I recently realize I’ve ruined friendships due to my schizophrenia

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Sometimes I’ve walked away from friendships because I was paranoid or negative, thinking someone didn’t like me or was against me - or I let something irritating someone did make me end the friendship, when it wasn’t necessary. I think this is my mental illness, schizophrenia. I have been doing this since I was a teenager. I regret it. I’d have a lot more friends if I didn’t walk away or end friendships. I didn’t hear voices until I was 37, so there were no other obvious symptoms that I was schizophrenic. Then it took me six years to get diagnosed.

Knowing I was schizophrenic and getting medicated may have helped me not sabotage friendships. I’m not paranoid like I used to be and I don’t have negative thoughts about people when I don’t see them.

By the way, it was the one voice I still hear that pointed this out for me. Medication won’t get rid of it.

Making and keeping friends is hard for me. It doesn’t help that I don’t smile or laugh much due to my antipsychotic. I only have a handful of friends. Thankfully my husband doesn’t care how many friends I have or we have together. Just wondering if I’m the only one.

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I lost lots of friends because of sz including my gf.

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@HollyHobby

Your not alone there ive dismissed a lot of potential friends over the years and ive also moved around quite a bit. Ive messed up the few friendships i had.
Ive also parted ways with a couple of so called friends that were just users

But hubby and i have stayed together throughout thank god i don’t know what id do without him. Probably be alone in hospital who knows i couldn’t live completely alone thats for sure

I was dx sz aged 32 so late. I can relate to what you’ve wrote somewhat as i get paranoid and write people off. But in my defence people do this to me too over the years. Bottom line is im mentally ill and have personality disorder too which means im very insecure and lacking a sense of self awareness. Add to that social anxiety and im basically ■■■■■■. I don’t stand a chance in real life. Irl

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i lost all my friends from school cause of my sz

i only have 1 friend irl now he lives a few states away and i dont drive or talk on the phone

better not to have friends cause it only causes paranoia

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I see your new here
Just wanted to say welcome
And dont worry your anonymous here nobody knows you
So relax be yourself and enjoy your time here

:relaxed:

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Spaceoptic thank you! It’s nice being able to anonymously talk schizophrenia to others. I don’t get to talk schizophrenia much in real life.

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I have severed the majority of friendships and keep only family members as contacts. This is all due to schizophrenia.

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Thanks for sharing everyone. It helps to know I’m not alone.

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I didn’t have many friendships before schizophrenia, but now I have none. A few months before I was diagnosed, I had reconnected with a childhood friend and then I started behaving strangely and she stopped talking to me. The strange thing was, when I asked her why she stopped talking to me she said it was because I was boring. I have a really hard time talking to people.

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I lost friends due to mental health but also lost a bunch of friends when I was a Muslim.

I am not a Muslim anymore but they didn’t like Islam and one was atheist so they wanted nothing to do with me not even now I’m nolonger a Muslim.

I have a bestie who is a Muslim.
He was my boyfriend but we are friends now.
Amazing since I’m a bad girl in his eyes because I’m not a Muslim etc
Our friendship has endured.

I don’t have many friends.

I have maybe three and their all x boyfriends and we don’t hang out or chat and don’t have much contact.

Would be nice to have some forever friends n May nothing do us part.

I may have some friends on this forum too but we don’t chat or have contact outside the forum.

My brother n sister are busy every weekend with friends going to weddings, dinner parties, conserts etc
They are socialites with lots of friends.

I am alone most of the time.

I don’t know if I could socialise.

I adore Romel and he is a socialite and I wonder if we could be friends n lovi dovi but i don’t think I would be up for nightclub since I’m pretty sober n don’t do drugs now.

I’m not a intellectual.ha ha ha ha
No fancy conversation at dinner.
Keep it simple!
With me anyway.:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I would love to br social on my terms n conditions n with who I choose.

It would be great to have few more friends.

N female too.
No comparing n jealousy etc just love n chill n love love love each other.

I don’t agree with societies hierarchy so that makes me avoid people who are for it etc supress me etc not ok.

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i only got a couple of friends right now. like 2 lol… the rest i all lost over time.

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I’m mainly family focused. I have many family members I speak daily with via sms, phone or IRL.

I have a couple of friends that I’ve known since my teenage years and we meet up a couple of times a year. I like them but prefer family.

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The ability to make new friends comes back over time as we become more stable.

Welcome to the community.

:blush:

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I have struggled to create new friends

It has been 9 years of no friends and I still have not worked it out yet

:pensive:

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