Random thoughts - just anxiety or schizophrenia

[littleme92]

I just have a question about something I am worried about lately.

I was wondering if this is a symptom of anxiety or if I am starting to develop schizophrenia.

I get random thoughts pop into my head that just come from nowhere and it is like i'm not thinking them. It is just random things that I wouldn't be thinking like "its five of them" and "look at the baby pig" for example. They never have any relation to what i'm doing or trying to focus on. They sometimes sound like they are from someone else's voices and not mine. I used to only get this when I was going to sleep but it also happens when I am on my own or trying to read something. If I am talking to someone else or the TV is on they aren't there.

I know that these thoughts are in my head and that I am not hearing voices but I am scared that I might have schizophrenia. I don't want it to turn into something like hearing voices telling me to do horrible things because it's not like that at the moment, it's just completely random.

Does anyone else have this with anxiety or am I the only one?

[AntsyVee]

You don't have schizophrenia.

Every week someone comes on here with the same concern. I suggest you look at their posts. None of these people ever actually have schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia have a hard time distinguishing reality from their own little world. This is not the case with you or any of the others that come on here with the same worry.

Schizophrenia is a very common and classic OCD worry. Do you have OCD?

[ankietyjoe]

Not even remotely related to schizophrenia. Not even close.

[MyNameIsTerry]

You don't have schizophrenia.

Every week someone comes on here with the same concern. I suggest you look at their posts. None of these people ever actually have schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia have a hard time distinguishing reality from their own little world. This is not the case with you or any of the others that come on here with the same worry.

Schizophrenia is a very common and classic OCD worry. Do you have OCD?

^^^ This. Been seeing threads like this for years on the OCD board and others.

Our minds are busier than we realise and thoughts get triggered by very subtle queues that we don't realise. Aside from the intrusive thoughts that we understand more there are things like Mind Pops which are just like what you describe. Both are normal and everyone experiences them, it's just they aren't focussed on their minds & bodies like those with anxiety disorders are.

[littleme92]

I don't have OCD, well at least I don't think I do, I have never been diagnosed with it, I am diagnosed with GAD and depression. I don't have to have everything neat and in order and I have never had to do anything obsessively.

Although I do get intrusive thoughts when I am really depressed, I won't say how bad they are but you can guess. I wouldn't act on these thoughts though because I do want to get better and I have numbers I can call from the mental health team if I am feeling really bad. I thought this was just because of the depression though, could it be OCD?

[AntsyVee]

It could be because of the depression or it could be OCD. Only a psych could truly diagnose that. While they are more common with OCD, you don't have to have OCD to have them. We were asking because schizophrenia is such a common OCD obsession.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Intrusive thoughts can be experienced by anyone, it's when they become a problem that there is an issue and it branches out into either OCD or depression. Either can include them and it depends on other factors which they choose.

OCD is quite diverse. Some people experience what sufferers have termed "Pure O" because their anxiety is about intrusive thoughts & obsession. To the medical world, they don't use all these sufferers terms and diagnose based on the cycles involved e.g. mainly obsessions, mainly compulsions, mixed.

What you also have to remember is that much of what you see in OCD can be seen in many people without it. That's why in diagnosing OCD they don't just look at the traits, they look to the fact they are impacting on the person's life. Otherwise anyone checking a lock would be diagnosed!

[Lucia_1989]

Hi, cant really offer much advice but just wanted you to know that you're definitely not alone in this as I also have had a massive fear of my anxiety turning into schizophrenia or phycosis. If you look at some of posts youll see. I too get all the random thoughts really struggling with this at the minute as dont feel like myself at all and feel so disconnected from life in general but apparantly feeling disconnected and being disconnected are two very different things. Still doesnt make it any easier when you feel so rubbish just want to feel like myself again.

[ankietyjoe]

Anxiety doesn't turn into schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is caused by very different reasons, almost always severe and repeated abuse.

Also, schizophrenia is more an umbrella term for a multitude of different symptoms.

[AntsyVee]

Anxiety doesn't turn into schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is caused by very different reasons, almost always severe and repeated abuse.

Also, schizophrenia is more an umbrella term for a multitude of different symptoms.

Actually that's not quite true either. While people who have schizophrenia are more likely to be victims of abuse, it's a biological disorder. People with schizophrenia have differences in their brains; the way their different parts communicate with each other and even the composition, especially the size of their ventricles.

They might be odd children, but schizophrenia itself doesn't usually present until the brain undergoes puberty. There is something with the new hormones and chemical changes brought on by puberty that the brain can't handle and that's when the person will have their first break with reality. It's usually diagnosed between the ages of 13 and 24, and hardly ever diagnosed after the age of 30. There have been some kids diagnosed with it, but that's extremely rare, severe cases.

Schizophrenia does have a bunch of different symptoms, but the overarching one is a break with reality, and the inability to distinguish reality from hallucination. It's very easy to tell anyone who is schizophrenic, and even someone who has schizoaffective disorder when they are having a break with reality.

[ankietyjoe]

Actually that's not quite true either. While people who have schizophrenia are more likely to be victims of abuse, it's a biological disorder. People with schizophrenia have differences in their brains; the way their different parts communicate with each other and even the composition, especially the size of their ventricles.

They might be odd children, but schizophrenia itself doesn't usually present until the brain undergoes puberty. There is something with the new hormones and chemical changes brought on by puberty that the brain can't handle and that's when the person will have their first break with reality. It's usually diagnosed between the ages of 13 and 24, and hardly ever diagnosed after the age of 30. There have been some kids diagnosed with it, but that's extremely rare, severe cases.

Schizophrenia does have a bunch of different symptoms, but the overarching one is a break with reality, and the inability to distinguish reality from hallucination. It's very easy to tell anyone who is schizophrenic, and even someone who has schizoaffective disorder when they are having a break with reality.

I can assure you what I have said is true.

My partner has a rare form of schizophrenia (diagnosed at 32), and all current theories are showing that it's almost always as a result of childhood abuse. Biological psychological problems are so rare as to be virtually non existent.

Schizophrenia is the mechanism in the brain that protects the individual from reliving past traumas, and creates alternatives or 'alters'. Different personalities and realities to cope with what has happened, and attempting to prevent the individual from remembering and/or reliving it.

It's historically one of the most misdiagnosed and misunderstood disorders, and only recently have there been any significant breakthroughs.

[AntsyVee]

I can assure you what I have said is true.

My partner has a rare form of schizophrenia (diagnosed at 32), and all current theories are showing that it's almost always as a result of childhood abuse. Biological psychological problems are so rare as to be virtually non existent.

Schizophrenia is the mechanism in the brain that protects the individual from reliving past traumas, and creates alternatives or 'alters'. Different personalities and realities to cope with what has happened, and attempting to prevent the individual from remembering and/or reliving it.

It's historically one of the most misdiagnosed and misunderstood disorders, and only recently have there been any significant breakthroughs.

I think what you're referring to is not schizophrenia, but what they have now termed DID or dissociative identity disorder. They used to call it "multiple personalities", but that is not the PC term for it anymore. Some people used to call it "split personality." What happens in this disorder is that someone has experienced multiple traumas, abuses and neglects, usually in childhood, and as a coping mechanism, the brain creates a branch or new form of the former personality. In other words, the abuse is too much for one personality to deal with, so others are made to cope with the trauma. Depending on how severe the abuse was that they experienced, some people have many other personalities or modes that they can go into to cope.

Schizophrenia is a different diagnosis. There are no "other" personalities. It's a biological brain disorder where the person experiences hallucinations and breaks with reality.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think what you're referring to is not schizophrenia, but what they have now termed DID or dissociative identity disorder. They used to call it "multiple personalities", but that is not the PC term for it anymore. Some people used to call it "split personality." What happens in this disorder is that someone has experienced multiple traumas, abuses and neglects, usually in childhood, and as a coping mechanism, the brain creates a branch or new form of the former personality. In other words, the abuse is too much for one personality to deal with, so others are made to cope with the trauma. Depending on how severe the abuse was that they experienced, some people have many other personalities or modes that they can go into to cope.

Schizophrenia is a different diagnosis. There are no "other" personalities. It's a biological brain disorder where the person experiences hallucinations and breaks with reality.

They would be under Other Dissociative (Conversion) Disorders for us. That category covers Mulitiple Personality. Again, it's the differences between WHO and the APA as far as names & criterias go. But there are also personality disorders may show that way too such as Enduring Personality Change After Catastrophic Experience but these would be singular.

The NHS state the following:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Some people think schizophrenia causes a "split personality" or violent behaviour. This is not true.
The cause of any violent behaviour is usually drug or alcohol misuse.

Rpsych, MIND, Rethink, etc all echo that.

But if new evidence is changing this or points to it, I would certainly be grateful to understand more. Perhaps a reworking of memories out of trauma even? I wonder how that would fit with delusions though?

Trauma is a known cause of Schizophrenia though. Perhaps trigger is a better word? Even with genes it can mean the switch need flicking to the on position such as through methylation. Abuse certainly is known to increase your risk factor.

Brains don't always appear different. I've seen that mentioned regarding growth in babies or in pregnancy itself.

[AntsyVee]

Trauma is a known cause of Schizophrenia though. Perhaps trigger is a better word? Even with genes it can mean the switch need flicking to the on position such as through methylation. Abuse certainly is known to increase your risk factor.

Yes. I would agree with trigger. Although schizophrenia is has a very strong genetic component, some relations only acquire it when they have a background of trauma. And there is the whole "chicken or the egg" question....Does schizophrenia occur in part because of trauma or because these people are out of touch with reality, are they more easily victims of trauma/abuse?


Brains don't always appear different. I've seen that mentioned regarding growth in babies or in pregnancy itself.

Yeah, that's another chicken or the egg problem. For instance, many people with schizophrenia have enlarged ventricles in the brain. But were they born with the enlarged ventricles or are the enlarged ventricles a result of schizophrenia?

IMO, That's why on-going research into mental health is so critical.

[ankietyjoe]

Schizophrenia is a different diagnosis. There are no "other" personalities. It's a biological brain disorder where the person experiences hallucinations and breaks with reality.

That's why I mentioned alternative realities as well as personalities.

The research that shows there is a genetic component has been largely disproved by other studies that include environmental factors as well. Just like you're more likely to suffer heart disease if your parents do, because you continue bad habits in eating and exercise instilled on you as a child.

All current research is veering towards environmental, not biological cause.