I consider myself to be in the process of recovery not to be living in recovery yet but I was wondering, what do you guys determine as living in recovery when you have schizophrenia? Do you have to be fully symptom free or is it more of just living a productive life?
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Living while accepting treatment, being social with others, and working towards getting back to the level of functioning you had before onset, even if it takes ten years and only gets you back to eighty percent. For me that would be enough. I think that’s what living in recovery means.
Not living in recovery would be suffering with your illness without any goal to regain some functioning in the real world, I suppose. Some people seem to get lost, for lack of a better word. It’s vital to stay connected to the real world and have hope.
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I live a different life but that is because I don’t work and avoid all that stress. I still get breakthroughs but I function pretty good. I don’t think most of us avoid symptoms even on the meds. It boils down to how you handle the meds, side effects and symptoms.
Many juggle that quite successfully but we are all different.
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Being able to manage any symptoms and getting as much out of your life as you can and gradually improving in your symptoms so that you are more able
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I personally don’t see recovery as returning to my previous level of functioning before I had sz.
I am on disability but I feel recovered. I think it’s when you aren’t suffering terribly with symptoms and can live with happiness. I have relapses often, but don’t go to hospital. I can look after myself and live a life. I am not constantly delusional and I can have good and enjoyable relationships.
I can’t work, I am always dealing with my disability, but I am not acutely ill. I’m happy and can give to the world in my own unique ways. That to me is recovered.
Other people may have different definitions, this is just mine.
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Happily taking my meds, getting out of the house at least once a day. Making attempts to socialise
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Don’t tell anyone I’m starting to hear voices after dropping meds, especially family. They slightly notice more each day - laugh louder because I got away with it. Hospital trip 3rd time this year. Funny until they get bad.
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recovery to me means learning to live life with schizoaffective.
there’s no current cure.
but one can only dream.
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Living in recovery with schizophrenia is to maintain the life in all respects and there is no cure at all.
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We are all dealt a hand in life. Some are dealt a better hand than others. But what is important is that you do the very best you can with your hand.
So living in recovery for me means doing the very best I can with sz. For me personally that is trying my best to live independently cook and clean shop pay my bills and take care of my dog. Also keep going to a couple of groups. But I still struggle. It’s a battle with my hand.
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The group I go to defines recovery as living outside your illness rather than in it. People hardly use the word “illness” or “schizophrenia” and hardly anyone talks about their symptoms. It’s more focused on ways to cope, and positive thinking.
Tbh it’s why I love this forum so much. It doesn’t feel as upright. If that makes sense.
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Being able to earn enough money to pay taxes is my definition of recovery.
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Taking meds and having alot of your symptoms under control. But with sz and sza i heard recovering can be a life long process. To be recovered is pretty broad. Like u can be off meds but still have symtoms there just easier to deal with then before. I think fully recovered would mean ur not necessarily back to how u were before sz but more or less how ur coping with life at the present moment the good the bad whatever. Sz/sza can change a person ways and outlook on life so it really depends on the persons definiton of recovery. Like i feel im recovered for the most part but some would say im still in recovery bcus of this that and the third. For example i dont hear anything but i got negatives. Idk if its from the meds or just apart of the illness or maybe just apart of the new me now. But either way i got to shake it some how cus working is mandatory in life at least for me it is. But recovering recovered its all good. But it simply depends on the person state of mind on which of the catagories they fall into. Yo i tried to make as much sence as i could sorry if i got off topic😂
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I think I’ve recovered a lot in terms of functioning. Still have memory and cognitive issues but they seem to be getting less. I work full time so that means I can talk and think good enough to where no one would think I have this horrible mental disorder. I still read, work in languages, listen to podcasts, watch tv shows and try to stay up to date with the world around me.
However, I still feel that doing new things and going after things has become difficult because my creativity and the ability to solve problems has become limited. It’s still very tough and I haven’t given up hope but things have gotten a lot better with time.
I think if you stick through it and keep busy and try to stay active it makes things a little easier and keeps you distracted. I’ve maintained stability for almost a year now and so far I’m doing pretty good. I still have paranoid thoughts and racing thoughts but that’s something I’m coping with.
The only thing I’m hoping for right now is that this disease goes into remission but recovery means different things for different people.
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Getting my kids on the best path for them. Live long enough to see them succeed. Actually enjoy things that I did in the past like shopping and going out for coffee. Hang around with my very cool family more than i currently am. That would be success
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I just accepted I have it and moved on now, yes there are some life changes, but nothing I can do about it
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For me it’s more of living a productive life. There are a few things I’m working on with my counselor. Stuff I want to get back. Like driving. As long as I feel like I’m working on myself I feel like I’m living in recovery.
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I went to see my psychiatrist today, he said that I’m fully recovered. There’s not much to say, you just become the same person you was before your illness, but much more mature
My pdoc reckons he can get me in a much better place.
I was on Lurisadone for about 18 months, but in the end it gave me really bad Akathisia and I had to come off it, as he didn’t want me to be put on beta-blockers as a counter to the effects.
He has been changing things for over a year now, and he’s still trying to sort me out.
I did so well in my last period of recovery. I am not sure what it was about Lurisadone, it just worked really well for me.
I just have my fingers crossed that this Amisulpride works out, as I am not sure I can cope with another med change. This is number 6 since Dx 
That’s really not possible for a huge percentage
Really disagree