Living With Paranoid SchizophreniaBecause the experience of delusions and hallucinations can be so intrusive, confusing and unsettling, you may find it difficult to let anyone know what you are experiencing. It can be challenging when you are left feeling scared, alone, and unable to trust others. If you feel unsafe, it can be a challenge to build or maintain relationships, keep employment, or engage in tasks of daily living. Interactions with others can feel threatening and attend social events can feel risky, which can lead people to paranoid schizophrenia to become reclusive in an effort to feel safe.Schizophrenia treatment specialist, Dr. Lisa Cowley, shares that one of the greatest challenges in reaching out for help for those with paranoid schizophrenia is a lack of awareness or understanding of their condition. Cowley shares, "To these folks, their symptoms appear like they are really happening. So, if they feel like the government is spying on them through cameras in their home, they wouldn't go see a psychiatrist or psychologist, they would try to contact authorities."As symptoms progress, someone with paranoid schizophrenia may become aware that they have an illness and seek help. As Dr. Cowley describes, "Challenges to treatment may become things like lack of transportation or problem-solving skills when their symptoms are high and their thinking isn't as clear as it normally is. Usually, family members or support services, like social workers, can help with these issues."
OverviewSchizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling.People with schizophrenia require lifelong treatment. Early treatment may help get symptoms under control before serious complications develop and may help improve the long-term outlook.SymptomsSchizophrenia involves a range of problems with thinking (cognition), behavior or emotions. Signs and symptoms may vary, but usually involve delusions, hallucinations or disorganized speech, and reflect an impaired ability to function. Symptoms may include:
- Delusions
These are false beliefs that are not based in reality. For example, you think that you're being harmed or harassed; certain gestures or comments are directed at you; you have exceptional ability or fame; another person is in love with you; or a major catastrophe is about to occur. Delusions occur in most people with schizophrenia.- Hallucinations
These usually involve seeing or hearing things that don't exist. Yet for the person with schizophrenia, they have the full force and impact of a normal experience. Hallucinations can be in any of the senses, but hearing voices is the most common hallucination.- Disorganized thinking (speech)
Disorganized thinking is inferred from disorganized speech. Effective communication can be impaired, and answers to questions may be partially or completely unrelated. Rarely, speech may include putting together meaningless words that can't be understood, sometimes known as word salad.- Extremely disorganized or abnormal motor behavior
This may show in a number of ways, from childlike silliness to unpredictable agitation. Behavior isn't focused on a goal, so it's hard to do tasks. Behavior can include resistance to instructions, inappropriate or bizarre posture, a complete lack of response, or useless and excessive movement.- Negative symptoms
This refers to reduced or lack of ability to function normally. For example, the person may neglect personal hygiene or appear to lack emotion (doesn't make eye contact, doesn't change facial expressions or speaks in a monotone). Also, the person may have lose interest in everyday activities, socially withdraw or lack the ability to experience pleasure.Symptoms can vary in type and severity over time, with periods of worsening and remission of symptoms. Some symptoms may always be present.In men, schizophrenia symptoms typically start in the early to mid-20s. In women, symptoms typically begin in the late 20s. It's uncommon for children to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and rare for those older than age 45.Symptoms in teenagersSchizophrenia symptoms in teenagers are similar to those in adults, but the condition may be more difficult to recognize. This may be in part because some of the early symptoms of schizophrenia in teenagers are common for typical development during teen years, such as:
- Withdrawal from friends and family
- A drop in performance at school
- Trouble sleeping
- Irritability or depressed mood
- Lack of motivation
Compared with schizophrenia symptoms in adults, teens may be:
- Less likely to have delusions
- More likely to have visual hallucinations
- When to see a doctor
People with schizophrenia often lack awareness that their difficulties stem from a mental disorder that requires medical attention. So it often falls to family or friends to get them help.Helping someone who may have schizophreniaIf you think someone you know may have symptoms of schizophrenia, talk to him or her about your concerns. Although you can't force someone to seek professional help, you can offer encouragement and support and help your loved one find a qualified doctor or mental health professional.If your loved one poses a danger to self or others or can't provide his or her own food, clothing or shelter, you may need to call 911 or other emergency responders for help so that your loved one can be evaluated by a mental health professional.In some cases, emergency hospitalization may be needed. Laws on involuntary commitment for mental health treatment vary by state. You can contact community mental health agencies or police departments in your area for details.Suicidal thoughts and behaviorSuicidal thoughts and behavior are common among people with schizophrenia. If you have a loved one who is in danger of attempting suicide or has made a suicide attempt, make sure someone stays with that person. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. Or, if you think you can do so safely, take the person to the nearest hospital emergency room.
Schizophrenia and depressionAbout 25% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia meet the criteria for depression. Depressive symptoms can occur throughout all phases of the illness, including during psychotic episodes, and may be associated with themes of loss and hopelessness.The prevalence of major depressive disorder is approximately 7%, with marked differences by age and gender. The prevalence for 18-29-year-olds is threefold higher than that of 60-year-olds, and the prevalence in women is 1.5-3-fold higher than men.Major depressive disorder can occur at any age, although peak onset is in the 20s. The essential feature of major depressive disorder is a period of at least two weeks during which there is loss of interest or depressed mood that represents a change in functioning as characterized by exhibiting five (or more) of the following:
- Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
- Diminished interest in all, or nearly all, activities most of the day, nearly every day
One of these first two symptoms must be present to make the diagnosis.
- Significant weight loss or gain or change in appetite (decrease or increase) nearly every day
- Sleep disturbance (insomnia or hypersomnia) nearly every day
- Psychomotor agitation (restlessness) or retardation (slowing down) nearly every day
- Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
- Feelings of guilt or worthlessness nearly every day
- Decreased ability to think or concentrate or make decisions nearly every day
- Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation, a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
To meet the criteria for major depressive disorder, the symptoms must cause significant impairment in occupational, social, or other areas of functioning and the symptoms may not be attributable to another medical condition, including substance abuse.Depressive symptoms with schizophrenia exacerbate deficits in psychosocial functioning and increase the risk of suicide. Approximately 5%-6% of individuals with schizophrenia die by suicide and 20% attempt suicide, but the risk of suicidal behavior exists at all times during major depressive episodes.
RM, I was thinking the same thing. That is why I deep dived into these subjects and sought professioal help, despite my skepticism of psychology as a whole. I am paranoid, but when I look into the paranoia it really is more along the lines of hypervigilance and other ptsd type symptoms. I've had some auditory hallucinations and atleast 1 visual hallucination. These hallucinations are not as rare in the general population as you may think. I think something around 33% of people have had auditory hallucinations. I hear knocking at night sometimes and hear my name called occasionally. Not as uncommon as you might think. I've certainly had delusional thinking. I thought that a trickster God had attached himself to me and was helpibg me to become a stronger person. I would pray to this entity I called Loki. Telling him thank you for putting me in so many abusive environments or for causing me to suffer so terribly after certain events. I thought Loki was training me for something great by tearing me down so much. At times I have thought time travelers were trying to kill me. I have always thought I was special, thinking an alien dropped me off and that I actually had a loving family and that the one I was in was just something I had to put up with until my alien parents returned to take me to their loving home where somebody actually cared for me. With that being said I think it comes from some other type of schizotypal personality, seeing as how they are prone to living in fantasy worlds, especially in response to trauma. The disordered thinking symptom did get to me for a while, but it is not the same type of disordered thinking descfibed in schizophrenia usually. Their disordered thoughts have no logical connections my disordered thoughts do. I was reading some stuff written by psychologists differentiating between both types of disordered thoughts. I don't really isolate myself. I prefer veing alone but I still socialize and deal with the public. I think I am a mix of things unfortunately. OCD, PTSD with bipolar and some sort of anxiety disorder mixed with some sort of schizotypal personality. The Bipolar is probably genetic and the rest are likely just responses to the high stress enironments I was put in.
I think I am a mix of things unfortunately. OCD, PTSD with bipolar and some sort of anxiety disorder mixed with some sort of schizotypal personality.
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