schizophrenia

Hi @Tracey, welcome to the forum. I don't have the schizophrenia diagnosis. But I relate very much to struggling every day with basic life tasks. I am diagnosed bipolar 1, am 55, have been in menopause for about 18 months. At the moment I am at a friend's place on my mobile, so can't write much more than this just now. But wanted to send you a welcome here as soon as I saw your message. I'm hoping some others might find your post too. Wishing you well.

@Tracey Yes, yes and yes again. Late onset bp1 and schizoaffective disorder due to stress. Has taken me years to get over it to be honest. During the early stages of recovery I just slept all day and all night for about a year or more ... I was so tired. I was pushing myself to have a shower every other day because I was just so exhausted.

I had voices and still do occassionaly. Recultance to leave the house is still there,... it takes time to get over something like this. Alot of time and a good psychiatrist.

Hi again, @Tracey. Hi @Bunniekins. On my desktop now so can say a bit more than I did earlier.

I too have delusional tendencies and fear too much that I am being persecuted. I get a lot of negative self talk in my private moments too. My bipolar is considered stable but I struggle with depression, especially very low motivation for most things, struggling to leave the flat, fairly slow movement. This all mostly happens when I'm at home alone. I have a companion I live with, a blessing. And my moods change a fair bit as soon as evening comes on. I still like to laugh. I also try to be playful and silly, it seems to help. But, like @Bunniekins, I spent about nine months of my life sleeping about 20 hours a day. Even lately, I have been sleeping too much again, for which I am now in the process of raising dose on my anti-depressant, on the advice of my psychiatrist, who I've been seeing for about two and a half years. I respect and have good trust in him.

I wonder if you have a good psychiatrist you can talk to about the side effects you are experiencing. Is it possible your medications need some adjusting to counterract these? I suffer from the weight gain side effects of both the mood stabiliser and anti-psychotic medications I have been prescribed. And some liver issues, not too serious at this stage. I get an involuntary physical jerk sometimes from side effects of these meds. I find that the more I can get myself out, especially walking, the less I experience this. I have written a fair bit in generic terms about medication but I should mention that the forum doesn't allow medication names so we can't be more specific than that.

Menopause too has had a big effect on me, though the good stable medication routine my psychiatrist has developed for me has helped a lot. As has finding this forum and some help from a support worker. I also now have a psychologist. Again, I wonder how much support you have.

I'm tired almost all the time too.

Anyway, that's enough. Just wanting to you to know that you are not alone.

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@Mazarita Hi Mazarita! the sleeping part was and still is bizarre isn't it. I am exhausted now but have slept for hours. When I became sick I got a funny involuntary twitch in my foot which has remained. Like someone is moving my foot for me. All very strange ... all very weird. You have my sympathy.

@Mazarita @Bunniekins Thank you for sharing your stories. You are very kind. I wish you both a brighter future. I do have a psychologist and a psychiatrist. I don't know how to judge them as 'good' but i do know I want to make a faster recovery.

@Tracey Hi Tracey from what I have seen it is a very individual process. I feel I have come along way and am happy with my progress but am definately a very different person from what I was before I got sick. I suppose that is the thing I haven't worked out yet is where is the old greenpea and where is the remainder of my mental illness. Both sides seem to be merged.

I have to get my mind trained which I am finding hard. Stopping it from wandering off into the cosmos ... but that is okay I have given myself time to do it.

@Bunniekins Hi greenpea. How long have you been dealing with your illness?

@Tracey 6 years now. When I was acutely ill I could barely talk, could only sleep, I could only handle the occasional outing outside to the shops to get much needed food and that was my body repairing itself.

Before that I was hearing voices, acting strangely, huge mood swings, it was terrible but I had to crash before I was taken to hospital where I was there for 3 weeks to a month. It was awful I was totally manic.

@Tracey everyone's journey with schizophrenia is different. What really helped me was listenting to my body. When I was tired I slept, I didnt drink alcohol, ate healthly, didn't take on heaps of stress because like you my schizophrenia and bipolar was brought on by stress and probably menopause.

I have a great psychiatrist who is not only funny but great looking and knows his stuff. Don't be surprised it will all take longer than what you want.

Hi Tracey, I was diagnosed with late onset schizophrenia. I find low moods the hardest part of having schizophrenia. I find being diagnosed later in life very heart wrenching. I gave up a career as a midwife because I was experiencing paranoid thoughts and very insidiously became more paranoid and psychotic. I really feel for you