PDA

View Full Version : Help - I'm scared of being schizophrenic once again



GeraltRiva
09-03-17, 06:01
Hello,

For everyone who doesn't know me: I've been suffering from GAD and depression for 1,5 years now, and I think I've pure O since my childhood (which is not diagnosed). I had compulsive thoughts about hurting/killing loved ones or doing sexual things to them. I tried to ignore them at first but they got so weird, that I thought I must be a psychopath. As an example: when I saw a pregnant woman, I pictured myself punching her in the stomach, I was so terrified by my own thoughts and felt guilty as hell. I'm also suffering from HOCD, I was often ruminating till 7 a.m. figuring out, which sex I'm attracted to. But all those problems were fading when the anxiety and panic started. I had severe panic attacks for a few weeks, followed by constant anxiety and servere depression. I was in hell for like three months. This was when the first existential obsession started. In that three months I freaked out about everything. And then there was this thought: "What if I went crazy without noticing and my parrents are just part of my lunatic imagination?" This thought was so terrifying, that I thought about ending my life for the first time. But I made it through the days somehow and my anxiety and depression eased off and so did the thoughts. I was doing pretty good for about one year. I had a panic attack once in a while, but everything was fine, I could go out with friends, study and do sports; No suicidal thoughts. Only the thoughts about my parents sometimes triggerred fear in me, but I got it under control with distraction and a healthy lifestyle.
But everything changed last christmas. I was sitting at the dinner table with my family and had a severe panic attack. It eased off and everything was okay. I somehow knew I would have problems arround chrsitmas, because I feared all the stress. But I didn't expect it to be so bad. I had another panic attack a few days later (alcohol induced), and fell into the downward spiral of anxiety again. I thought it would never stop and had a muscle pain all over my body. Everyday was exhausting and I felt miserable because of the anxiety and muscle pain/agition. I coped with this symptoms after a few days, but my anxiety levels were still very high. And there was that one night, where I asked myself: "Will I overreact to those obsessive thoughts again?" and I imagined everything being unreal, and a major panic attack followed. That thought about living in a dream freaked me out and made me suicidal again. I knew it was just my imagination, but the impossibility of disproval terrified me. I imagined people being soulless or mindless and I panicked a lot. It was so bad, that I went to the mental hospital, but they didn't want to take me. The doctor just prescribed me a new medication and said I should continue my ongoing therapy, which I did. I distracted myself and tried to live my life as normal as possible and the thoughts vanished away. I also read alot about solipsism and after a few days obsessing about it, it started to bore me. But after a few weeks I developed a constant and high level of anxiety. I couldn't stop walking arround to ease my anxiety. I woke up with anxiety in my stomach everyday and then the thoughts came back arround. I again imagined nothing arround me being real and it caused a severe panic attack. Since then the anxiety attached to those thoughts again. I think about solipsism all day and the odds of being real or not. It made me severe depressed, and everyday is a battle right now, everything feels unreal and pointless, people seem far away. I'm so scared that it might be psychosis, I mean I always read about depersonalized people, who have these kind of thoughts, but I had never severe depersonalization. I felt unreal often and my environment seemed strange, like I was in a foreign land, while being in my hometown, but I always recognized others and myself in the mirror. And all the depersonalized people know, that they just feel unreal and don't really question reality. I do, because my imaginations seem so real. I mean how could these thoughts freak me out and make me suicidal, when I don't believe them? I also ruminate about things in the past, where I had crazy thoughts, which strengthen my fear of being schizophrenic. I have some examples. When I was a kid, I went to the hospital for several examinations, because I had muscle twitches. My anxiety levels were very high back then, because I thought I had a rare motorneuro desease. The first day they tested my heart in many ways, and the first night I asked myself, why they would test my heart, when I have nervous/muscle problems. And then there was that idea, that they would maybe want to steal my heart. This idea made me panick, but I instantly dropped it and never thought about it again, because I recognized it delusional. But wasn't it completely crazy and delusional to just come up with this thought?
Another thing occured, when I was a young teenager. It were holidays, my parrents were away and I was home alone for two weeks. I watched this paranormal activity movie and it freaked me out so much, that I couldn't stop thinking about it for a week. I was so scared there could be a deamon inside our house and I watched out for smallest sound or hint. But my fear vanished after some days. But wasn't this delusional? I know it's normal to be scared after watching a scary movie, but I was obsessed about it for a whole week!
All these things make feel like I must be schizophrenic. How can I not be, when I'm neither really depersonalized, nor seeing my thoughts just as a result of obsessive thinking/anxiety. I panic everytime I think about solipsism, and it's like a compulsion to think about it all day.
I really don't know how to move on, I was on such a good way, but now I hit rock bottom, every new day freaks the hell out of me. The only thing keeping me alive is distracting myself with computergames. :weep:
My current medication is Mirtazapine (30mg), Quetiapine (25mg), Escitalopram (10mg).

Sorry for the long text, but I really needed to share my whole story!

I'm really not sure how much longer I can take this.

best regards

conceptember
09-03-17, 09:24
hey man

i've been where you were at. don't worry. i had a bad bout of insomnia once and i was scared that i would develop schizophrenia due to sleep deprivation.

truth is, if you had schizophrenia, you would be too sick to notice. also, you wouldn't be having these thoughts. trust me on this.

Bigboyuk
09-03-17, 12:34
Hi mate can I ask what Therapy are you currently receiving for your problems? Have you had a proper diagnosis off a dr or specialist? If you haven't then you are clutching at straw here. Once you have had a assement then you can begin to move forward in your recovery :) Cheers

Mav
09-03-17, 12:39
I was there once and something that really helped me come straight out of the fear is "people that are schizophrenic are not aware they are schizophrenic"

GeraltRiva
09-03-17, 15:40
Thank you for your answers. I'm in theraphy with a psychiatrist, who diagnosed me with general anxiety disorder and depression. She is doing a depth analysis with me.

Bigboyuk
09-03-17, 16:34
I was there once and something that really helped me come straight out of the fear is "people that are schizophrenic are not aware they are schizophrenic" Not sure that is true, but have a good friend who has a injection every 2 weeks and you woudnt know he had that condition never seen him in a state or anything. would reckon it would be totally different if he didn't have his medication. Cheers

---------- Post added at 16:34 ---------- Previous post was at 16:33 ----------


Thank you for your answers. I'm in theraphy with a psychiatrist, who diagnosed me with general anxiety disorder and depression. She is doing a depth analysis with me. Ahh ok and what course of therapy will they/have they suggested for you? Cheers

GeraltRiva
09-03-17, 18:32
Ahh ok and what course of therapy will they/have they suggested for you? Cheers

There is no real course. I just meet her once a week and I talk about my problems and how I cope with my medication.
I try to change my attitude towards these obsessive thoughts, but it seems impossible at the moment.

Bigboyuk
09-03-17, 19:08
There is no real course. I just meet her once a week and I talk about my problems and how I cope with my medication.
I try to change my attitude towards these obsessive thoughts, but it seems impossible at the moment. This may also help even though you are not in the uk it's not launched yet it's called changes radio and is part of www.changes.org.uk (http://www.changes.org.uk) the site has been round for a good while as soon as I know the launch date for the internet streaming radio service I will post and let you know it promises to be exciting times for MH listeners :) Cheers

GeraltRiva
11-03-17, 02:13
Hey thanks for that page, I will check it out for sure! :)
I've read that a high consumption of coffein also supports DP/DR symptoms an thoughts, and I think I'm kinda addicted to coffee. I'm really struggeling cutting it out on a daily basis, can anyone recommend a rehab guide?

MyNameIsTerry
11-03-17, 05:40
Not sure that is true, but have a good friend who has a injection every 2 weeks and you woudnt know he had that condition never seen him in a state or anything. would reckon it would be totally different if he didn't have his medication. Cheers

---------- Post added at 16:34 ---------- Previous post was at 16:33 ----------

Ahh ok and what course of therapy will they/have they suggested for you? Cheers


It relates to someone having an episode - they don't realise it. Or someone's schizophrenia presenting prior to diagnosis. Once they have been diagnosed & treated, they understand their condition yet may still be unable to spot episodes of psychosis or delusion forming.

In psychosis or delusion, you just don't have objectivity.

Bigboyuk
11-03-17, 10:26
Hey thanks for that page, I will check it out for sure! :)
I've read that a high consumption of coffein also supports DP/DR symptoms an thoughts, and I think I'm kinda addicted to coffee. I'm really struggeling cutting it out on a daily basis, can anyone recommend a rehab guide? You are welcome :) Well I like my coffee too but it's not the amount of cups a day I drink, it's the amount off coffee in each cup, I have 1 desert spoon of coffee per mug no wonder my depression was worse than it was :eek: I have cut right back now to 2 teaspoons per mug etc :) Cheers