Fear of schizophrenia

[Brad10]

So the last two and half years my anxiety has been through the roof doctors say it's from a lot of change that has happened because I'm a teenager, so I have depersonalization as a symptom that scares the hell out of me and if I'm not worried about that in worrying about getting so sort of mental disorder or illness. But this symptom is really freaking me out, so last year I started to get random thoughts going through my head before I was about to fall asleep and they almost seemed loud but my psychiatrist said it normal a lot of people get it, but now when I have nothing to worry about I get during the day something and there just random thoughts or past conversations, and said to my psychiatrist I'm scared of there voices and she said there not is just anxiety, but I worried now :(

[Fishmanpa]

Welcome to the world of normal dreamlike states when falling asleep.

Positive thoughts

[AntsyVee]

OCD is characterized for many by a fear of diseases or health problems. Schizophrenia is a very common OCD fear.

Everything you're describing is normal for most people, and especially people with OCD. People who have schizophrenia are very rarely aware of it. To them, their hallucinations seem real.

I don't think any of the numbers of people on here who thought they'd have schizophrenia have ever really gotten it.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I suggest you make yourself aware of Hypnagogia & Hypnopompia. These are two normal sleep stages, one of which you described above, and they are experienced by everyone because it's just how the human mind works. The mind changes greatly in these stages and it's common to experience many sleep phenomena.

You will be surprised by the list of things you can experience. Some of them are Schizophrenia symptoms BUT the important thing to remember is that you don't experience them outside of these stages but Schizophrenics do. Also, Schizophrenia means other symptoms not even seen in those stages.

As for random thoughts popping into your head the rest of the time, these are also part of the normal human mind. With anxiety you tend to notice them more and worry why your mind doesn't seem as quiet as it was before your anxiety. But it was there before, you just didn't notice it. And obviously worrying means a busier mind too.

We are used to hearing about intrusive thoughts, worry & rumination but what we don't tend to realise is that we also experience thoughts outside of this which appear random. The triggers for these thoughts are often very subtle. It's a newer area of research, they are called Mind Pops.