Mine involved a lot of stress and heavy cannabis use. Studying a degree whilst working full time and also taking cocaine that had spice mixed in with it.
Also living alone, relationship troubles with family and my partner. Conflict at work, and management stresses. And also caring for a demanding German Shepard.
I started off with depressive symptoms in my teens, and was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. However, around 25 years of age i started experiencing psychotic symptoms. I didn’t recognise them at all, they sort of just crept up on me. I had a lot of agitation, i used to talk to myself and i started believing strange things. Then the voices started. So i got diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
Mine was a period of stress and anxiety and then a sudden snap into psychosis after the cocaine with spice in it.
Second episode no drugs or drink at all … just stress and conflict at home and work.
I got sick at age 19. Laying on the couch watching too much TV was my main activity in the months leading up to my first hospitalization. “I’ll pick “isolating too much” for $200 Alex.” I had quit drugs already months before. Stopped seeing my friends. I remember I used to hang around in malls and buy candy and try to pick up women. Except I didn’t talk to any, I just looked at them when they weren’t looking.
I also went through about 16 jobs in the two years before my first break. I think my first episode was due partly with my obsession with losing my virginity and having all those jobs. I was really bad at socializing which made my jobs very stressful. When I went into the hospital and was subsequently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia I didn’t really lose much; because I had nothing to begin with.
There were a few other factors like I moved out of my parents home a month after I turned 18. I had a good time but that got stressful too and one day I took too much LSD and had a bad trip which looking back I can point to that bad trip as the main trigger to my schizophrenia.
Lots of stress and copious amounts of weed did me in the first time.
I’ve only had one psychotic break, but have had countless episodes of drifting in and out of reality for a few hours at a time.
I was also isolated and stopped socialising with friends.
Definitely weed and stress were a massive factor for me.
Have you ever tried coming off of medication as you’ve only had one episode?
Exactly the same as me with the dodgey cocaine. I was psychotic within the week.
I became prodromal at age 12, suffering from what seemed like depression. My mom had just died a year earlier when I was 11 from cancer. That prodromal crap continued for about another 1.5 years, and then came the psychotic break, and it was unrelenting. Upon my first break, I proceeded to spend 22 months locked up before I was released. The darkest time of my life. Along with my mom’s death, my father became an abusive assshole to me, so I’d say my illness was flushed out by environmental stress.
Yea, it seems we had pretty similar circumstances-- minus the german shepherd 
.
I went off meds for about a month and a half pretty recently. Wasn’t a good time, and now I’m struggling with the depressive aspect of schizoaffective.
I’ve only had one major break when I lost touch with reality for around 3 months or so, but have had numerous episodes while unmedicated.
Not sure what that means as far as the illness goes, but I think I might need meds for a while.
I first got depressed when i was about 12, paranoid about people wanting to hurt me at about 15, loss of interest and then schizophrenia hit me at age 19, i am 46 now and it has been a hard road to travel!
It sure has. 28 years of this crap and no end in sight. Still swallowing pills on the regular, still seeing doctors, still having blood drawn, still going to the pharmacy. Jeebus this gets old, and that’s not even considering the mental anguish.
Yeah, drugs are a common trigger.
Totally agree with you there. it is really tiresome!
2008 I lost my job and spiralled from there, drugs, alcohol, and focusing too much on negative news. It took a while to develop fully, but those were the triggers I think.
Drugs and stress definitely.
I was 16 and I had a reaction to codeine. I went completely psychotic. Came to in the hospital with my Mother sitting there looking all kinds of concerned which is not like my Mother.
That’s dreadful being a prescription medication. And so you have had psychosis ever since?
Amphetamines, no sleep, and a traumatic event.
Drugs again…. I also had a traumatic event. My mum was critically ill and my nephew stabbed someone and I thought he may stab me next.