Hi,

ive had a fear of schizophrenia for years, mostly because my nan had it and although no one else has inherited it, I’m always worried I’m going to be the first.

a lot of things have led me to believe this...I started getting intrusive thoughts at 17 and I didn’t initially know what they were...roll on ten years later and I’m diagnosed with OCD. Being the worrier that I am, I found out that OCD raises the risk of schizophrenia, and in combination with my potential predisposition that scares me.

on top of this, once or twice I have had experiences that make me worry I was hallucinating. I saw a puff of smoke on a train once but I remember being very sleepy at the time but I know another time I had maybe five hours sleep and I saw what looked like a puff of smoke right in my face and then in my peripheral. Another time I thought I heard music playing but I soon realised it was a bell like ringing in my ears...it could be tinnitus as my ears do ring but it literally sounded like music.

whats been worrying my lately is how my mind generally functions. Is it normal to get random words popping in your head when you’re just going about your day? I have intrusive thoughts but I also have random words pop into my head tired or not tired, and it happens pretty frequently. Today I was just sat there staring at my phone and the word ‘orange barbecue’ popped into my head. Is that concerning?