Fear of Schizophrenia?

[Mk09]

Hi all.

Well, recently I've developed a real fear of getting Schizophrenia. I sometimes think a random, crazy thought to see if I believe it. Which makes me anxious, and then unsure if I actually do believe it. I also constantly, when there is noises going on around me, feel like I hear some kind of out of place noise in the background/or in my head? :S (Like a humming, or something similar to that).

This is very annoying for me since it keeps me feeling quite anxious and usually I end up getting very irritated with people easily, for any reason (Including people just talking to each other sometimes also). Not to mention sleeping can be tough due to all of this.

Im wondering if I really am getting the disease, or if it's just a form of anxiety.

Also, the whole noise problem stems from the fear I'm hallucinating voices/noises.

:(

[loulabella]

In my honest opinion as an in training psychologist, I think the mere fact your questioning prob means you don't have it. Anxiety can cause all of the symptoms you talk about. The DSM - a mental health manual - would suggest many more symptoms for schizophrenia. As your aware your thinking silly thoughts is not usually typical. If I can be of any help pm me. ;)

[Mk09]

Thanks for your reply :)

Just to add, I was out earlier at the bowling alley, but I could barely enjoy it to the paranoia caused by my fear of Schizophrenia. I felt feint sometimes, plus the whole "background noise/hallucination problem" made me feel 100x worse. Also, when im on the phone in a quiet room, I usually end up feeling so scared that ill begin hearing things, other than the person im talking to, so end up feeling very sick and having to hang up prematurely.

[NoPoet]

Hi, I think your fear of developing schizophrenia is simply something that you have allowed to take over, cos you're afraid that thinking about it will make it come true. It doesn't work like this. The more you try to avoid thinking about something, the more insistent it becomes. So the next time you start getting these thoughts, just let them happen. The very act of giving them a voice can render them powerless when the awful promises they make fail to come true.

If you were suffering from schizophrenia, you would not think there was anything wrong with you. It wouldn't occur to you to do so. If anything, you would think any problems were being caused by someone or something else, like unseen villains or a spiritual power.

As far as I know people don't just become schizophrenic. It's something that you are born with and lies dormant until something sets it off -- or it can be caused (rarely) by suffering brain injury, or (less rarely, but still uncommonly) by habitual use of mind altering substances such as cannabis.

[emmax]

Hiya,
just to agree with what everybody has said so far really...........i work as a support worker for people with schizophrenia and it does sound to me that you have health anxiety about schizophrenia rather than actual schizophrenia. Most of teh guys I work with don't believe they have mental health problems at all, which I think is probably more common, rather than fearing it. I hope this helps a little.

Em