My first official diagnosis of sza was in 1994.
i was prodromal in the mid nineties and became full blown in October of 97.
Do you think you had it earlier? Just curious
During my 1st admission in 1975 I ended up on the closed ward. There was a young man with severe intellectual disability who’d rock and make animal noises. A woman with post-natal psychosis, who’d take her clothes off. A late middle aged .woman who gurned a lot, and had an odd gait. There was a late middle aged man who started talking in a delusional, but fairly mild way, after a short while though it became the most sick and depraved stuff that I’ve ever heard. Then there was the ghostly looking ,thin, young girl I’d see periodically . She was zonked out for days at a time. Looking back I’m tempted to think they were using insulin therapy on her.
I had the worst akathisia I’ve ever had. It was like being a zombie with Saint Vitus’s dance. The result of heavy medication and nothing for the side effects. My parents arranged for me to be a day patient near home as soon as they could.
For years after the smell of soup,like the smell of the soup I’d had on that closed ward, would make feel intensely out of sorts.
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There is actually a documentary from the 1980s on YouTube about young teenagers with intellectual disabilities who severely self harm and their isn’t any provisions or care for them so they used to stick them on adult psychiatric wards. This documentary is pretty graphic but gives a good idea what it was like at least in the U.K. for disabled people in the 80s.
Which medications did you eventually settle on?
I had terrible experiences in the hospital too. A guy punched me twice for no reason. A guy used to look at me like he would kill me. When I read that people can smoke inside hospitals, play video games, etc, etc…I wonder what changed in the last 4-5 years.
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I’ve tried many meds over 47 years of being mentally ill. Currently I’m on the 3 monthly Invega trevicta.
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That is good. Times have changed with newer medications.
I think there will be a time when schizophrenia will be diagnosed with technology and medications prescribed would target each individual’s unique chemistry.
I also hope something for the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia comes out in the next few years.
In 20 years, there would be no need for hospitals for people with sz. This will be because of AI and the rapid advancement it will bring about.
That would be a major step forward.
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