[mcsiegs]

Maybe I am thinking too much, but could my DP/DR be a sign of schizophrenia? I don't hear voices, but after reading about the symptoms of schizophrenia, some are very all-encompassing.

I know that nobody on the internet can diagnose, but can DP/DR be a sign of schizophrenia? I am really having a bad week with DR.

Mike

 

[Ben]

There are two questions to ask yourself here:

First - what symptoms characterize schizophrenia the most? Delusions. Thought delusions - whether hallucinations exist or not - the person is delussional in their thought processes. They have little to no insight into their being and of the fact that they're "insane". Very few schizophrenics would, without medication, post onto a site concerned about their sanity. One of the primary problems of the disease is that the one suffering doesn't recognize their problem - hence the fact that they infrequently take their medication.

Second - if you had schizophrenia, why would that be so bad? I know this may sound like a stupid question (as, really, it would suck) - but in what way would it be worse than, say, some other disorder? You have to figure that due to all your ruminating you would probably catch it early, take medication and feel a ton better.

Research the disorder beyond the simple diagnosis and discover that millions live with it in our society today and, while on meds, can live productive - even successful - lives. It's a bad problem, yes, but not the end of life.

Disarm your fear about the disorder first by realizing that you COULD live with it and that you don't HAVE to be perfectly healthy at all times to enjoy life.

 

[Guest]

For me habing schizo would mean being on meds (neuroleptics) for the rest of my life, and not improving about Dp and dr, spaciness, feeling whole, complete... being functionnal but not ME, the old me, happy.

It's stupid but if I can cry (I hate to cry) but if I can cry and remember who I was and what happened to me, I am not schizo (very stupid thought, I admit).

I am so afraid of this illness since 12, too.

Allure

 

[rainboteers]

This is my worst fear and what I am stuck on as well. I know I don't have it right now, but I am terrified that I am in the prodromal stage. My therapist told me to stay away from researching it because a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous. She has had a lot of experience in mental health and she said most of the time their family notices something is wrong before they do. I don't know about you but I can act as if nothing is wrong and noone would know that I feel completely screwed up inside. She said that the symptoms on the internet do not paint the whole picture. For example, the symptom disorganized thought and speech. She said what they mean by that is if you asked someone with schizophrenia how they are feeling they might reply, "I have a head of lettuce." It is not just feeling spacey and not being able to concentrate. She said even in the prodromal stage their family usually notices that they are not right before they do. Of course my messed mind says she doesn't know everything and what if she is wrong. I have come to the conclusion that maybe she is wrong, but it is more likely that I am wrong. She is the expert not me. I don't have any advice but you are not alone. I am seeing that it is a very common fear on this board.

 

[Ben]

My point behind posting that was that we probably do _not_ have schizophrenia and even if we did there is no amount of worry that would fix the problem - only active work against it (such as seeing a counselor, or actively taking our medication, etc.). Us pondering it wouldn't do a damn bit of good - and so makes no sense, really. Simply listen to your counselors.

I had been afraid of the disorder since I was very young - at about the same time as I feared cancer, AIDs, aneurysms, drive-by-shootings, nuclear war, the sun exploding, tornados, and so forth.

Interestingly the fear of nuclear war made me interested in politics, the cancer made me interested in biology (the same with AIDS), the sun exploding fear made me interested in astronomy (which won me several awards), the fear of tornados turned me into a storm chaser (which I do to this day), and on and on and on....my fear of girls when I was nine turned me into a man-whore when I was 19....

Sometimes these things can be blessings in disguise. Remember, I still believe you don't HAVE to be healthy to enjoy life.

 

[Guest]

for me, my DP was caused by the tramau of schizophrenia. That dosent mean that you will encounter schizphrenia though. Just by reading a few of the posts the last week or so...i can tell that you people dont even come close to fitting the criteria of a schizo. Trust me,I am one and have been around hundreds of them in my lifetime. A schizo could not sit down and write a sentence on a computer that made any sense at all. The only thing I see out of you people is that you are a bunch of neurotics. I've been around several of them too and you all remind me of them in some way. Rest assured, you will not get schizphrenia.

 

[rainboteers]

interesting...
my therapist said that from what she has seen DP comes after an episode of schizophrenia. It is ususally a result of the illness, not a precursor. Maybe she knows something after all...

 

[university girl]

Guess I should write here. My psych has diagnosed me as having a rare form (mild) of schizophrenia. She has quite a bit of experience in this area. I only thought I had DPD (still not convinced it's schizo). Yes, DP and DR are symptoms of schizophrenia but schizophrenia involves more symptoms, including problems with how you think, delusions and hallucinations. For your information, an international schizophrenia specialist told me that 1% of all schizos will have no hallucinations or delusions during the course of their illness. That's a small percentage. I hope I am not scaring you by saying this. If you fear schizophrenia, talk to your psych. They will know what your symptoms mean. The earlier schizophrenia is caught, the better the chance of recovery.

 

[Ben]

Supergrass:

Yes, we are a bunch of neurotics - a large bunch of neurotics. That pretty much summed up the total of our disorder.

Too much time, too much brain power, not enough control....