Question by Plain_Jane: Schizophrenia Question?
Hello, I am a female age 23 and even though I have never been properly diagnosed it has been popular belief that I am schizophrenic. My question is, if you know what is wrong and understand it can that be enough to keep yoruself balanced? For example, I have a number of halicinations, I hear voices, I even have discussions with “imaginary” friends. But if I know and understand that none of these are real and they are just symptoms is it possible not to need to medication? I am happily married and help maintain our household. I cannot work (I can never pay attention long enough to even get a job) but I do write and will be self publishing this year. My problems have posed barriers in my marriage before but luckily I married a very understanding man who helped me understand what was real and what was just a paranoid delusion. This has probably been the longest I’ve ever gone without an episode, so far it’s been…several months. But yeah, if you’ve gone through this too, please reply. J.
This is for Buffy Fan; Yes I can tell the difference between delusions and reality, if I am ever in doubt I just simply ask my husband or someone I trust, “Do you hear that?” or “Can you see that person?” and if they say ‘No’ or ‘what person?’ then I know it’s just me and I go with whatever I was doing. My “mind friends” as I always called them do not bother me either, I guess I’ve trained myself to keep them at bay until I am alone and have the proper time to speak with them. When I was younger these things did mess with me, severely. But I’ve worked on it over the years and luckily had a mother who understood me and what was happening so she helped me get through it and taught me to seperate reality from fantasy. I suppose the reason i asked the question in the first place is because I always hear negative stories about schizophrenics, I never heard anything about the people who live normal lives and have families and all. So, I just wanted to know if there were others. Thank you. J.
Best answer:
Answer by buffy fan
Your concentration problem can be significantly helped by medication. As for the hallucinatory symptoms, I suppose the question at hand is, do they bother you or disrupt your daily life to a great extent? You mentioned “paranoid delusions” — do these hallucinations make you anxious, do they make you depressed, do they bring you down? Do the voices you hear tell you to hurt yourself or someone else?
If your answer to all these questions is “no,” then I don’t see any reason you should have to take medication. But if these hallucinations are getting in the way of your life, inhibiting your abilities, then by all means, try medication. It’s not as horrible as it sounds. It made my life HUGELY better. The side effects are usually manageable.
One more thing. You say you experience “hallucinations.” You also said you used to experience “delusions.” Can you now tell the difference between reality and hallucination? Do you always know that what you are seeing/hearing is NOT real? Are you able to ignore what you see/hear? If you have problems distinguishing between reality and hallucination, you need to try medication.
Do you see a psychologist or psychiatrist? I suppose you don’t, since you say you’ve never been properly diagnosed. I’d suggest visiting one and talking over your options. They won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do — they’ll add helpful insight and give you their professional opinion. Give them a try!
Good luck.
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