I’ve lost my ability to perform small talk with people. My social skills have declined since becoming sick. Has this happened to anyone else? I wasn’t the most social person before my psychosis, but now it’s almost depleted.
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I do have a hard time depending how distracted I am and how noisy my head is. It’s like I can’t concentrate on both at the same time.
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Same here. I used to do ok one on one but since getting ill I’m just stuck in my own head most of the time trying not to say or do the wrong things. Since a kid I’ve always been a people pleaser but when I got depressed I had a hard time keeping myself happy let alone pleasing others.
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I do much better with small talk with people who know I’m ill. My parents, pdoc, and case manager namely. Not sure why that is…
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I can relate. Small talk is a b!tch.
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My social skills are also much worse. I used to be able to have nice conversations with strangers, but I can’t anymore.
I think that’s caused by meds not sz.
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For me the problem is initiating conversations. If someone talks to me small talk fashion I’ll reply as best I can , but it’s not something I find easy or particularly like.
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Yes I lost a lot of my social skills since becoming ill. I have so much anxiety and I’m too much in my head. And I have nothing to say anymore, which makes things very hard. I wish I could go back to how I was before.
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Yeah I have a hard time initiating a conversation with strangers.
Yeah i know what you mean, sometimes tho I just feel like its not so much that I cant more that I just really dont want to engage people and that feeling is as strong as not wanting to dip your hand in really hot water.
I mean I could talk to you but I would much rather sit on a tac… if that makes sense
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I have days where I feel like a “real” person, and when I don’t. When I do, I get dressed, put on makeup, do things like go to the store or clean up around the house, that sort of thing. And on those days, I find I can do “regular” things like communicate. I can laugh and flirt and talk with the best of them. On other days… not so much. I’m introverted and can’t leave the house or sometimes my bedroom. I don’t know why there is this difference. Sometimes, I feel like two different people.
Not being able to make small talk is normal with sz.
You will recover and get it back , it took me over two years to get my personality back after my first psychosis, so it is possible.
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I’m not talkative to people I don’t know well but to my dad and wife I talk non stop to them about thee most randomist stuff that pop up in my head. I don’t encounter small talk very often. And when I do i keep it small usually as it annoys my wife when I just go on and on and on and so on lol. When I was really messed up I barely talked so it will take you some time to get your personality back once your stable but it’s possible! 
please give me two words Zeke. and you my have started back!
Try BIG TALK.
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You’re not alone in this.
At work, if I am doing something I have something specific to talk about I am fine.
If I try small talk I always seem to say the wrong things and people don’t like me.
That’s why I just don’t really bother. My social skills are pretty bad. It’s a shame as in the crowd I am silent.
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Yes when I had my first major depressive episode I completely lost my ability to make small talk. It was weird because I had never had to put any effort into making conversation before, and suddenly my mind would just go blank and I’d have absolutely nothing to say ever. I didn’t regain normal conversational skills until like 5-7 years later. Even so, they still falter whenever I have another depressive episode.
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I guess if you’ve lost your ability to small talk, it would be good if you also lost your desire to want to small talk. Unfortunately, I still want to be able to small talk, so it can be frustrating at times. Remember though, it is NEVER too late to improve 
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