Overcoming Schizophrenia

The following blog article was written by Scott Bernard... Thank you, Scott for sharing the information. This type of support will undoubtedly help countless individuals. As individuals with schizophrenia can relate, different people can express very different transitions between psychosis and their baseline state. Some individuals experience the transition as an on-off switch. Initially they may have near perfect insight into the cause of their hallucinations, and the flawed logic behind their delusional thoughts. Then suddenly, they may lose nearly all insight into their condition, and whole wholeheartedly believing in their delusional thoughts, or having trouble differentiating their hallucinations from reality. Then there is another group of individuals who possess a level of insight which tends to fluctuate up or down more gradually. Rather than going from a complete understanding of the cause of symptoms, to a complete lack of insight into the driver of their symptoms, this group...

What happens when we take our medication at the wrong time of day? If we skip a dose, should we double-up? Are there any medications that a woman can take which will not harm the unborn child? Can medication prevent relapse? Talk to Your Doctor      These are just some of the questions we should ask our doctors to gain clarity. I've learned first-hand the trials and errors of not comprehending the facts and making poor decisions. Often, we wonder what the fine print says but don't investigate. Therefore, we ask our doctors questions without understanding what language they're speaking and leave their office with the same questions.     My medication cocktail changed over the years. In the past, I've been fortunate to be on a single medication to effectively treat my schizophrenia symptoms. While other times I've had to work diligently with my doctor to adjust my medication cocktail. For example, dealing with two anti-depressants or anti-psychotics at once in add...

In this blog article I reflect on my last hospitalization that took place a couple of years ago. I share my process of recuperation. Provide insight on strategies to maintain support and guidance with caregiver and the treatment team. Give tips for you and your loved ones on how to manage the recovery process after hospitalization. Schizophrenia's Mind Wars Early warning signs my mental health is spiraling out of control begins with poor sleeping patterns. Specifically, not sleeping enough. Excessive energy to pull all-nighters. Followed by delusions and a range of false beliefs.     Mine starts with obsessive thoughts and hyper-religious ideas. Frequently, I'm a victim of situations. Recurring ideas of being spied on and followed. My train of thought runs rampant and uproots hallucinations. Going into the Hospital My last hospitalization was in 2022. Initially, I was ordered by my doctor into an in-patient facility. However, released within 72 hours despite my symptoms ...

Catatonic. Delusional. Psychotic. These are a few symptoms of schizophrenia, which I suffered, lived in, and endured through medication.  Catatonic was a place of immobility, distance, and lack of awareness. I experienced catatonia during my first breakdown at age 20. My breakdown led to my incarceration and hospitalization. My catatonic state of mind left me frozen, vulnerable, and lost. While I was catatonic time did not exist. I did not hold concerns related to hygiene, socialization, nor consequence. A jail nurse, Erwin, expressed my condition, in order, to persuade me into taking medication. Erwin said, “We had to drag you in your chair from the day room back to your cell, because you would not move... We rushed you to the emergency room three times to stick an IV in you, because you stopped eating and drinking... Please stop ignoring me... Would you take your medicine?” I did not move for hours, and maybe even for days. Doctors and nurses visited regularly. ...

Schizophrenia for me, is characterized by hallucinations (specifically the voices and visions of people or ghosts), thoughts of people gossiping about me, following me, or trying to poison me, and false beliefs or delusions... As I reviewed old college journal entries it saddened me how prevalent my diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia was. Certain phrases gave indication that Schizophrenia was dominate and slowly getting worse. I relied on God to relieve my stressful situations. Now, I will share with you some thoughts I had that I wrote about in my college journal while I was a sophomore and/or junior. Stress played an intricate role in my symptoms that surfaced. On February 26, 2006, I wrote: "...Although I have been under a lot of stress due to financial, car, and professor conflicts, everything is okay...." Most of the time I tried to stay positive. However, I was obsessed with the idea that someone or some group of college students were gossiping about me. On March 11...

Delusion : a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact (dictionary.com). Schizophrenia.com defines a delusion as a false belief or misinterpretation of events and their significance. 50 Signs of Mental Illness defines a delusion as unchanging beliefs that are held on inadequate grounds. Delusions are misinterpretations of events, words, and body language that are exaggerated, and cannot be meant in any other way. Don't take that word lightly, because it is major, serious, intense, and deep. There are several types of delusions, some are: 1) persecutory, 2) grandiose, 3) erotomanic, 4) jealousy, 5) identity, 6) somatic, and 7) nihilistic. Here, we are going to discuss persecutory, grandiose, and identity, because I personally experienced these three types of delusions. Persecutory delusions is the most common form of a delusion. I thought that a relative was trying to harm me; however, I did not have any evidence to confirm this belief. I tho...