Diagnosed with schizophrenia

Hi @Flymetothemoon, I'm rav3n - it's lovely to see you join, welcome to the forums 😊

I personally don't have any lived experience with hebephrenic schizophrenia but I can understand how overwhelming and scary a new diagnosis can be, there's new things to learn and adjust to - know that we'll be here with you on your journey, listening and supporting you all the way 💗

There are a few threads relating to experiences with schizophrenia here if you'd like to check them out in the meantime.

Thank you for your support @rav3n

Hello @Flymetothemoon and welcome. There are quite a few people on the forums living with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. I had a schizophrenia diagnosis for quite a while but it was revised but it didn't really change the meds.

I've always lived alone apart from a couple of interludes with my parents, either being looked after or looking after them. I worked (which wasn't always easy) then went parttime then finally retired early. I suppose I was moderately successful but regret my isolation.

Don't let your diagnosis stop you from pursuing your dreams. With the right meds and lifestyle choices you can stabilise and enjoy life. Pick your team wisely and find mutual support. And good luck.

Hi Flymetothemoon,
I understand receiving a diagnosis can feel very challenging i hope the diagnosis was clearly explained, how the diagnosis was reached, and what symptoms you can perhaps expect.
If not, i would request to have that discussion with the person that diagnosed.
It's important that your experience is validated, and for want of a better term "normalised" or "expected" based on the diagnosis.
you should be supported with ways to cope and hopefully overcome these issues.

Do you have a support network? Friends, family, professional?

@Flymetothemoon hi hun i have schizoaffective disorder which is schizophrenia with a mood disorder. my honest advice to you is to stay on your medication. find a really good psychiatrist and mental health nurse/psychologist. this is a great forum with people who really care stay in touch.

Hiya @Flymetothemoon

Welcome to the forums. Very glad to see people have responded.

I wish to write more, but I think I need to sleep on it first.

I hope you're having a good night

Hi @Flymetothemoon

Well, a night and day to sleep on it hasn't really crystallised my thoughts on your post. So I'll just go ahead with this...

Great that you've found the forums- lots of good peoples here with lots of widely varied experience and a generally welcoming and friendly attitude to communicating and supporting each other. I hope you can become part of the furniture, if you like.

My diagnosis, for about the last 15 years (?) has been schizoaffective disorder. Like @Bunniekins said, kinda like schizophrenia with a mood disorder on top (a very basic definition of both diagnoses). So I can relate to some of what you are going through...roughly...

Anyway. Your post.

I guess a lot depends on how your symptoms present and how effective the medications (and other therapies) are at treating them. What supports do you have, in terms of medical and others? Life certainly can get better...with effort

I'm very fortunate to have my parents supporting me (I live with them). I also am fortunate enough to be involved with a mental health support group and do some volunteering to give me a bit of purpose.

As for medications...please continue to accept taking them. Some of the side effects may be pretty crap, but, in my experience at least, they serve a real purpose.

Anyway, I don't want to go on and on. Not sure if my words say what I want to say...

But again, glad you found the forums. Hopefully this will be a good place for you to visit 🙂

Hello @Flymetothemoon,

It will take some time to grieve and accept, after your diagnosis. Every does this in their own way. Having said this, the sooner you come to accept this, then you can move past the denial to learning to cope, take care of yourself and heal. How you cope will depend on how compliant you are with medication, and how well you avoid the triggers of your illness. It can be triggered by different things including substance use and stress. How long your episodes last and how many you have had are sometimes used to predict how well you might recover, but as that is in the past, just focus now on trying to be symptom-free for as much of your life as possible. People also respond differently to medication – some people are more resistant to medication than others. It is possible to have a fulfilling life with things like a family and work – it depends person to person. Try to worry less about your future – use your energy to control what you can control – your medication regime, self-care, routine, exercise etc. Follow the advice of your treating professionals and build your support team. Psychiatrist, psychologist and GP can be helpful, as can support groups and family and friends. This is even more important if you choose to live alone. Living with other people you trust can provide a safety net, as they can help monitor how you’re going and help you to seek professional help if you need it. One common feature of schizophrenia is that you may not recognise a relapse because of lack of insight. So those around you may recognise it before you do.

Loss of interest is called anhedonia. It can be hard. Sometimes it take trying a new activity or hobby, or revisiting an old one, before you can gain the emotional satisfaction of it, so keep persisting!

With your medications – keep yourself accountable and try to be compliant with taking it. If you need to, put a reminder on your phone or set an alarm so you don’t forget. Side effects can be hard, but some will wear off over time, so don’t be disheartened. I see medication-taking as a necessity for keeping me stable, so that I can function in work and life and have as good a prognosis as possible.

There are many supportive people here… good on you for reaching out, and keep us posted!

I am doing better now and coming to terms with my diagnosis. I want to know out of all the people in the world why I was the one to be delt this fate. I question fate it's self now. I am sad because I cannot ever be like I used to be. My personality is completely gone and people I knew feel cold now. I feel like everyone knew my fate except me. It is like I was the only one blind to this. I wish I had a magic ball so I could see this diagnosis before it happens so I could have squeezed every ounce of life before it happened.

A palantir @Flymetothemoon ?

Yes it's hard for us and our loved ones to come to terms with the changes, especially as these conditions tend to emerge in early adulthood when everything seems so promising. I'm not sure if people who are religious or spiritual find it easier to accept. Perhaps it's an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. After a couple of years I returned to study and had a career change.

Please don't feel you're the only one. I think it might be 1-3% of the population and that's still a lot of us. And so many people here on the forums have gone out of their way to welcome you and share a little of themselves.