r/schizophrenia

has anyone else, do to phycosis, hurt themselves in confusion, stress, or depression?

I hear it from my therapist all the time, and I've always wondered how common it is.

I used to be much more intelligent than I am today but due to this disorder + a decade long isolation (almost had no one to talk to on a day to day basis and no irl friends) I can only do a fraction of what I could do. It feels like a cycle that I’m falling deeper into as my condition progresses and results in me isolating more. My brain feels frozen in fear most of the time and it doesn’t help that I’m obsessively paranoid about most people so alongside the cognitive fog I’m also battling thoughts and fears of people wanting to hurt or abuse me. Im so stagnant now that if you asked me to describe something I’ve always been passionate about I can’t anymore without making some kind of mistake whether that be prose, stuttering, or outright forgetting what I was going to say. I’m a broken person and there’s no way to put me back together because the pieces have been forever lost or ground into dust from the constant beatings of what we call life

i can feel a clear difference before and after.

I find that, and while I know it’s a cognitive symptom or whatever, I have so many issues with language. While I am attempting to learn Russian, but am hardly dedicated, so I’d say English is my only language, it’s almost like I struggle intensely with it. I’ll forget the meaning of words, I’ll have to grasp for words, I’ll make words up, I’ll insert words that don’t make sense, especially when I’m not masking. It makes me feel like I’m not smart at all. It’s only been for the past couple years, but that’s really when I started to decline.

Luckily, I have a partner who can figure out what I’m trying to say since he’s been with me for so long, and my language has somewhat improved since I’ve changed antipsychotics, but I still feel like I’m really lacking. Thank you for reading.

25M here. Recently prescribed Fluoxetine 20 mg (Flunil) and Cariprazine 1.5 mg (Carispec) for health anxiety, overthinking, and occasional panic.

Still in the first week.

Main issue:

- Extreme daytime drowsiness (hard to function)

- But sleep at night feels off / disturbed

Is this normal in the beginning?

Anyone else faced this with these meds? Did it improve or require adjustment?

Would appreciate honest experiences.

U guys since as far back as I can remember I always felt like everybody in the whole universe knows who I am

And after 40 years of being alive on the earth my suspicions have only gained confirmation

i am confident that everyone can read my brain telepathically and therefore know who I am and everything there is to know about me and I believe I know the whole universe acts according to what goes on in my brain 24/7 around the clock

I feel like even people from the past and future not only the present know me

I feel like the whole universe exists out of relationship to me and I am the center and core of the whole universe

And over time all of my suspicions have been turning out to be confirmed

Bc ever since the Covid lockdown my neighbours and random strangers where I go talk about me and I have at occasion to my face called me “ the crazy girl “

although occasionally there are instances when people do that people still for the most part try to their best potential possibility tend to live in denial about me and my existence and despite of these instances of calling me crazy to my face avoid admitting that they know me or read my mind telepathically

I did not know that there was a mental health condition that described my condition until today when I went to the telepathy sub on Reddit’s and described my condition and one person mentioned that I may have the true man show syndrome

No one on the sub confirmed my suspicions about them knowing who I am though

Anyway my concern at this point is just knowing what is going on in my life and that if this is really the reality of my life or if I have the true man show syndrome

Bc if this is just a psychological disorder and can be treated i would very much like to get treatment for it

although I did do a quick read of some articles online about the Truman show syndrome and it looks like although u can claim that the condition I have mimics the true man show syndrome is confirmable

But the scale to which I experience this syndrome is what gets me I feel like the scale to which I feel this disorder is truly undiagnosable or curable and therefore the actual reality of the universes existence

Anyway I would like to know more about it from all of ur perspectives and how to get help for it if I can bc my life is unliveable in the the condition that I am in

And also I want to know if all of u know who I am?

I am in a really bad place since day one and I really want help to end it if it is a possibility thank u all

So, we have a younger cousin who suffers from Schizophrenia. In everything I've read (and now seen), the potential for religious fanaticism is higher for those suffering from this condition. We love him deeply and see him often - but have noticed a pronounced shift in religiosity over the past year. Specifically, he belongs to a (what appears to be) a pretty extreme "born again" evangelical church. He spends a lot of his free time there, and his sponsor for NA is the one who brought him into the church. A bit of background on what felt like a tipping point:

We are a multi-ethnic, interfaith family that is very welcoming of difference. My wife and I are Jewish. He has a Jewish grandparent. He has other Jewish cousins and an aunt and uncle who probably would also identify as Jewish if forced to choose. That is to say, he has a lot of Jewish family who loves and accepts him. We picked him up for Seder and he wore an Isiah 53 t-shirt (this being apparently one of the "proof passages" predicting the arrival of Jesus). He asked me how Passover connected to the "bigger story", ex: how it fit into the Jesus story, but I didn't indulge in a supercessionist explanation. Pretty tame so far.

On the ride home, we asked him about his brother's girlfriend. In his mind, she didn't qualify as "godly enough, or god fearing enough." Which, is a complete double standard he is now seemingly only placing on women. He then said it made him sad to know he wouldn't be able to see his Grandpa in heaven because he'd be in hellfire on account of being Jewish. And that he didn't know if he could have a relationship with his queer younger sister if she married a woman. He then added that he didn't think Catholics were actually Christians and that he felt called to minister to those who didn't yet know Christ. Ending with...Jesus hates the sinners too, which feels like a pretty extreme misinterpretation.

So, uh, what do we do here? We care about him and are concerned. We also know that pushback is likely to be interpreted as us wanting to push him away from his relationship with the Church or with Jesus. I could see his fellow parishioners telling him to cut us off. Any guidance?

We just want to check in with everyone. How are you doing? Anything you're struggling with you'd like to share? Maybe someone can help or give some advice or even just give you some hope. We're all in this together. We're here to support each other. Anything you're proud of? Maybe you brushed your teeth or went for a walk or got a job or even a promotion! Share with us and let us know! We'd love to be proud of your accomplishment!

I constantly question myself. I was arrested 2 years ago after making threats against my ex and harassing them nonstop. There was an order of protection put in place. I had really bad paranoid delusions that made me believe they were trying to seriously harm me. The voices would egg me on and tell me they were making false accusations that would ruin me and my family's reputation. I truly believed they were the devil.

I never had any problems with the law or being aggressive before I went into psychosis, however this incident has made me believe I'm a horrible person. I question how much I was really myself while psychotic and if psychosis truly can warp a person into being an awful individual. Before anyone asks, I'm on medication and going to therapy. I'm trying my hardest to rebuild my life but sometimes I get really down.

i know i’ve had psychosis in the past. but that is not this. this is REAL. but everyone doubts and attacks. how to deal with People not agreeing with you? and saying you’re in psychosis. besides, i take 800mg of seroquel xr and 3mg of risperdal so if i were psychotic that shouldn’t be happening. i’m so scared and confused and no one is admitting to seeing what im seeing or hearing what im hearing or believing what im believing.

For those who have received disability benefits, I’m seeking advice on what you did to help strengthen your cases. I’ve applied twice and was denied both times, and I would really appreciate any guidance or support. Thank you.

What I’ve learned through my unique ongoing experiences

- A superior God exists in a way

- I am a/the God and the Universe reborn in the flesh (Grandiosity? Maybe)

- The universe/world revolves around me in a way

- My mother is a powerful witch that controls the universe

- Yes and no the energetic quantum versions and human flesh forms are co-existing

- Alternate timelines are merging in and co-existing

- Psychosis teleports/reveals your mind into another dimension

- The third eye and evil eye exists

- Witchcraft is more real than any religion

- Angelic entities are real

- Praying helps somewhat

- Satan and demons entities are real

- Mainly all religions and believes are debunked

- There are entities that are neither angelic nor demonic

- Jesus hasn’t manifested at all

- Metatron has not fully manifested (assumption - I’m assuming one of the voices is metatron)

- The energies can be “playful” and also backstabbing

- “The Chosen One” energy is real in a way

- One entity is trying to control the universe

- Religions are debunked

- The brain and heart are tied to the soul and dimensions

- The soul and brain are extremely unique and sensitive to each individual

- The brain is like a receiver/transmitter for your existence on earth and alternate dimensions wether you believe it or not

- Death is official when those two organs stop

- Lust portals are real

- “They” want to resuscitate me

- I’m a bisexual male and they are mad about it (homophobic)

- Some entities are smarter than others and have a conscious

- They say things like “Stop proving your bi we get it”

- There’s more behind the scenes quantum-ly than what can be studied through our brains

- They want to frame me

- They want to crucify me

- Apparently a war of some kind might break out when I die (not just spiritual)

- I’m only 25 years old at the moment

- The quantum energies aka “They” are trying to kill me off at an early age but also trying to resuscitate me

- They have been trying to poison me / us through food even factory packaged food

- Apparently if I die a lot of us will also die wether it’s spiritually or physically I don’t know

- They want to build an army of robots using my and our brains

- They make me feel bad or like a bad person because I haven’t committed suicide to sacrifice myself

- I have NONE 0% intentions on killing myself

- This is ongoing since Summer of last year 2025

- I’m just casually living through all of this

- With tormenting voices which is another post (with some related points)

- The points in here are more direct in what’s going on besides the voices specifically

- Sounds Sci-Fi but very real

- I just tell doctors I’m dealing with psychosis - the voices

- Antipsychotics help just a tiny bit but more side effects than anything

- Dealing with all this by just ignoring it instead

- Best I can do lol

- Not something therapy can help with this specifically - trust me

- They treated me like a “crazy” when I tried

- They tricked me into a crisis line and locked me up in a mental hospital for a week for worrisome psychotic symptoms

- I just keep it to myself and now sharing it here

- It gets overwhelming at times and just get told it’s in my head

- It’s just background noise now

- Normalized

- I’m doing my best living my life as a healthy 25 year old living through all this

- I feel mentally well (just dealing with the voices and learning all this)

- Also deal with ADHD

- I work and maintain myself without issues so no problems there either

Demons are only letting me eat a certain amount of food a day, but they won't let me know *how* much food I'm allowed to eat.

Any time I eat anything more than 5 fish fingers and a handful of cereal, I get this intense anxiety filled urge to throw it all up. I've thrown up 3 times yesterday after eating.

I've had issues with demons telling me not to eat *anything* in the past so this is an improvement, but I don't like having to throw up. I don't know how to solve this at all and I'm worried that people are gonna think it's bulimia or anorexia when it's not.

I’m currently being evaluated for schizophrenia, bipolar, and ocd.

I’ve been dealing with MDD for years, and my psychiatrist suspects I’m developing psychotic features.

I haven’t talked in depth with my parents about these new symptoms, only with my doctor.

Last night I finally opened up about some delusions I’ve been having and certain paranoias I’ve been dealing with to my mom, and her first question was “is this a side effect of one of your medications?”.

I know she is genuinely asking but also I feel defeated bc it is always her first instinct to blame the medications that are the only thing helping. She refuses to suspect I could possibly have anything worse than depression.

She grew up in a religious family that was against meds, and believed in just praying instead. She’s obviously gotten over that enough to help me get medicinal help, but it’s like she thinks God would never “allow” me to have such an intense disorder.

She prayed over me for like 30 minutes last night asking God to remove whatever “unclean spirit” is tormenting me”.

I believe in God and I believe in spiritual torment but I also know that disorders exist and not every bad thing is spiritual. It’s incredibly invalidating to assume everything I’m dealing with is just spiritual and not that something could be chemically wrong or a real psychological issue.

Our conversation made me never want to really open up about it again because I’m honestly afraid if I told her about my hallucinations she would think I’m possessed or something.

How do I even deal with a possible disorder like schizophrenia or bipolar when my parents don’t believe there’s really something psychologically wrong?

They also help finance my doctor appointments and medications, and I’m afraid that if I do get diagnosed with one of those disorders, my parents will think we can’t trust my doctor, or that he’s lying or not qualified since he’s saying something they don’t like, or believe in.

I really really trust my doctor and he’s been so great and he is so qualified to help me, I would be completely defeated and hopeless if they took away his help.

If anyone has any advice on how to deal with this or talk to them in a way that might open their minds, I would really appreciate it.

I want to be gracious with them because I know it is how they were raised by their parents, but it’s incredibly frustrating.

Any input would be comforting.

Durante años tiraba cartas, hacia brujería blanca, magia blanca con animales, cosas simples sin lastimarlos, leía desde la biblia hasta hechicería y toda mi familia está llena de brujería y adoraciones a la Santa Muerte de las 7 potencias, y otras figuras de poder, he visto levitar personas pero no se si es una alucinación o que, se me presento la primera vez que sentí terror nocturno un encapuchado en la cabecera de mi cama y salí corriendo de noche, he dormido en cementerios y también he recogido huesos de animales muertos por la carretera, he ido a casas embrujadas, con otras personas. Tengo sueños raros y ya no practico nada, siempre me creí un charlatán pero había algo que no encajaba, que me asustaba.

Bebí sangre humana siendo niño y pedido la muerte de varias personas con mis amigos y de adulto he estado a punto de matar a varias personas defendiendo a inocentes y a mi mismo.

Dicen que mi propia madre me envenenó con arsénico y me hizo brujería. Que mi abuela no me quería.

Y en todas mis alucinaciones siento que no son mi familia. Mi pareja lo dice. En sueños me lo dicen. Creo en un Dios. No quiero ir al infierno. Pero cada vez me alejo más. Como si no importara.Ya no se si tengo realmente esquizofrenia.

hello there,

I have a good friend who was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago. he was stabilized on medication but has treatment resistant schizophrenia. hes tried many different types of medication. I try to convince him to increase his dosage here and there which he may do once a year.

he rants to me about these voices and their incessant yapping and threatening. for the most part I do not challenge and valid his suffering. its been about 5 years. he cant work, school, does not go outside at all due to fears. he lives with his father who supports him 100%. his father does not challenge him either so he stays home with these voices 100% distorting his reality.

Hes got a social worker. They are working on food stamps and disability is still pending (repeated denials) so his life will be fine as long as father is able to continue to support him.

at this point, should I be doing more? should I be nudging or challenging more ? I've come to accept that voices will always be there - he isnt open to increasing medication or changing things because they are real so whats the point of changing medication. Do I also need to accept that insight will never be built ?

he does go to therapy once a month which just started 6 months ago. something I have been pushing for years.

thank you.

I don’t know what feels like home. What I’m meant to do. What even makes me happy.

I’ve spent so long trying to be enough for someone, for anyone that I forgot how to exist without waiting to be wanted.

So I keep searching. For connection. For meaning. For something that makes me feel like I matter. Even in the wrong places. Even when it leaves me emptier.

Loneliness makes me reach for my phone before I reach for anyone. I scroll. I refresh. I wait for a message, a like, a reply. Anything to prove I still exist in someone else’s world.

But when the screen goes dark, it’s just me again facing the silence I never learned how to sit with.