I never see anyone talk about it here so I hope its allowed. I had prodromal sz from age 15 until diagnosis at 20-21. During prodromal the first symptoms I experienced were cognitive followed by negative followed by positive symptoms. Studies say 73% experience it that way excluding those without negative symptoms. I wonder why cognitive and negative symptoms appear first and if its brain abnormality or damage/irreversible or if its only a dopamine deficiency like my pdoc told me.
“Negative symptoms commonly appear during the prodromal phase of schizophrenia and before the first acute psychotic episode (Figure 2). Among patients with negative symptoms , 73% had them before the onset of positive symptoms and 20% experienced them within the same month as positive symptoms ”
“About 75% of people with schizophrenia go through a prodrome phase. It may last a few weeks, but for some people, these signs slowly worsen over several years.”
Also I found out by trying weed before my diagnosis that it made all 3 sets of symptoms worse, though maybe only temporary, cognitive, negative and positive.
I still have one more question. I wonder if prognosis would be better if I was medicated right at the start of my prodromal sz. I read that earlier treatment vs symptoms means better prognosis but I am not sure.
Started at sixteen, slowly deteriorated, and had my 21st birthday during my hospitalization. I think if I got treated earlier I might not have had some of my symptoms progress as far.
I had paranoia and racing thoughts for years in hindsight. Had a depressive break at 23 but walked away smoking weed for years till that became too much…went into insidious onset and psychosis.
I am not sure how you’d know. With hindsight there were some major flags with how I thought and processed things and I had major depression and racing thoughts anyways…I think that prodromal is different for everyone and things like weed will advance that considerably. That is my take on it.
I experienced increasing fatigue and my focus kept worsening for at least a year prior to my first episode. My lifestyle was good, however: no smoking, no drinking, no drugs; healthy eating and regular exercise. So the root cause of my tiredness had to be found elsewhere, but none of the doctors I saw during that period mentioned mental illness. Heart checkup revealed nothing, in fact I even ran a maraton back then. Eye doctor found normal sight. And the last doctor tried to convince me to follow a homeopathic treatment, which I respectfully declined.
Most doctors are clueless, if yours said “dopamine deficiency” it’s because that’s some sort of catchphrase being tossed among them, but they don’t really know what’s going on, why the brain goes haywire.
I’ve read about an AI-based software that would be capable of predicting schizophrenia based on speech patterns, and it has good accuracy. Try googling that if you’re curious.
I don’t have schizophrenia but I always struggled with severe anxiety. Lack of energy. Distrust of people. I was that naive-arrogant kid. Socially inept/rigid. Still am same person.
I started having difficulty in 7th grade. I notice cognitive problems here. First psychotic episode in 11th grade. Treatment was started within a month.
My uncle had once asked me while in 7th grade if I wanted to see psychologist. I don’t know if agreeing to it would have helped me or not.
I see mental breakdown as inevitable thing. It was going to happen one day or other. With similar intensity and aftereffects.
A few months before I was 14-severe social anxiety. From just turned 15 mild depression at first but it got worse and worse. Just before I was 17 till 1st psych admission in May 1975 - severe anxiety/skipping meals/waking early in the school dorm but staying in bed as long as possible/decline in schoolwork/napping in free study periods/
My pre-sza / pre-breakdown phase started with panic attacks at 13, psychosis symptoms started at 15 and depression and hypomanias at 16. It was only at 18 though that I had my breakdown and first hospitalisation
mine was social anxiety at 16 with feeling a million miles away. i think it was cannabis induced anxiety disorder. i also suffered from depression. then 21 i was diagnosed sza. but no new symptoms. then 23 some weirdness happened. mostly mood stuff thpugh until my late 20s.