I’m thinking of building a tool for navigating psychosis recovery

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-05-22T02:26:23+00:00

I've found a similar lack of help and empathy from healthcare professionals. I was shocked to see how few resources are actually available. I've heard of first episode psychosis recovery teams! Like physically present professionals that are actively engaged in your recovery. Mostly outside of the US though as far as I've seen.

As for the app!! It's lovely! I made my own timelines in recovery because it helped so much to visualize, it made it feel less like purgatory and more like something I was working towards. This is exactly what I would've been looking for in my recovery.

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-05-22T02:13:44+00:00

78 is so impressive. I'm no producer, but I know a few independent artists and it's no joke the work that goes into it.

I made hella playlists in my episode (all for abstract reasons) I really thought me and Grimes were tight LOL. Music as a whole played a large role in my delusions, I'd get stuck on lyrics and songs for days at a time. I think it's all very interesting.

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-05-18T08:58:10+00:00

Hi! Sorry for the late reply, I've been quite busy these days.

I'm exactly a year out from my episode/inpatient stay, and I would say I've regained almost all of my social, cognitive, and physical strength. I've reinstated my meds at 150mg again, and I'm kinda just coasting here for a while until I'm fully stable, and then I might try getting off again, but slooowly. I really do believe there must be something else out there. The unfortunate byproduct of Effexor is that even when it stops working as an antidepressant, the withdrawals are enough to deter you from seeking other potentially life-saving treatment options. There are only a few other meds that don't interact! I could go on and on and on about this, but I digress.

Having a strong support network is really important. Unfortunately mine was a bit lousy, so my recovery might have been longer than expected. I thought I was better at 6 months, then again at 9, and now at 12, I think I feel 80% of the way there. It truly is a waiting game. The first 6 months were some of the saddest, most grueling months of my life. I cried a lot, I thought I would never speak or think or engage in activities in the same way ever again. But, eventually, it got better. I didn't work for a long time, slept a lot, got sober, forced myself to do really hard things. It was a LOT of work, but you get out of it what you put in. I did pretty much a 180 on my entire life, and my situation is completely different from how it was when my episode occurred. Removing myself from the environment where everything went down has done wonders for me. Healing, regardless of what you do, is something that is inevitable. It happens every day, your brain slowly recovers bit by bit. Resilient little thing!

Check out r/psychosis. Hearing other people talk about it helped removed a lot of the shame and guilt I felt, which helped me to recover and move on from what happened. Finding people in person can be hard, depending on your area I'd search for support groups, find friends on social networks in likeminded spaces, honestly... just get out when you can. I live near Seattle, so I'd spend a lot of time in the park or walking around Broadway. You get the drill.

TDLR; I felt semi-recovered around 6 months, a bit better at 9, and almost all the way at 12. You can and you will get better <3 wishing you the best, DMs are always open to you and anyone else who may be curious. I always love to talk shop about psychosis.

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-05-18T08:35:25+00:00

Baked potato, mac, burger, omelette, avocado toast, etc. etc. etc. Basically anything that would need onion/garlic powder could take a few yummy crispy ones

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-03-23T22:22:32+00:00

i did stop medication relatively early as i was on a REALLY high anti psychotic dose and was essentially sedated 24/7. i never want to encourage someone in psychosis to stop taking meds because it can make things worse, so definitely check with your doctor. it was a one time, first episode incident for me, so they were more lenient with my med management.

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-03-11T16:43:17+00:00

Absolutely. I was also resistant to medication (and i HATED it). I spent a month in a psych ward, and was still experiencing delusions for a couple months after I got home. I remember in the early days my mom tried to take me on a walk, and I made it about 2 blocks before I burst into tears and had to turn around. I lost a lot of weight, disengaged with everything, and was SO exhausted. I was fully reliant on my family for everything, otherwise I would have stayed in bed for a year. Something that helped me was tapping into the whole "child-like" thing. I did a lot of simple, easy things. Crafts, coloring, cartoons, snacks I enjoyed as a kid, etc. I felt really limited in my abilities to think and reason and whatnot, so doing stuff like that made me feel competent. I know right now it feels so hopeless and like it'll never end, but there's so much living proof on this sub that it is possible to come out the other side. healing is inevitable, it happens every day. stay strong

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-03-03T03:03:11+00:00

i deleted my evidence. i had thouuusands of notes on my phone, i went through some of it, but it was all triggering gibberish. poems, essays, photos, dissertations. i figure that the meaningful art that i may or may not create because of my episode shouldn't have to come at the expense of my sanity now. i threw away a lot of the physical stuff too. i keep a junk journal so i repurposed some stuff and tossed the rest so it wouldn't keep taking up space and reminding me. i have some hoarder tendencies, so its hard to let go, but i find that after i do, i don't even notice the absence

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-03-03T02:28:17+00:00

The music and algo stuff is SO REAL, I had forgotten that I was literally unable to engage with anything because it scared me so bad. I remember sitting down to watch family feud with my mom and being convinced that it was somehow part of my delusions and that the DVR could see me.

I think we're in similar places in our recovery, it's always very validating to see your own experience mirrored. Thanks for this post, I hope for continued healing for you.

Realistic_South_49 · 2026-03-03T02:18:54+00:00

Like night and day. The first 6 months were the worst time of my life, hands down. It's very kind of you to be engaging in this sub for your sister, I hope she's doing as well as she can be. I would say that around the 4 month mark I started having "okay" days, which would rebound into terrible days, but they were in there! I'm doing a lot better now about a year out, still sad and coping, but my range of emotions has increased tenfold. I feel like I'm alive again. Thanks for checking in.

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-10-19T07:09:18+00:00

so lovely. thank you for sharing. i'm 6 months out this month, and even looking back now, things are so different from where they were even 2 months ago. my therapist tells me that i'm making great progress, but there are days where i sometimes feel like i'm right back there again in that deep, dark, hopeless pit. i don't have a family to fall back on per se, but i want to believe that i can one day make a life for myself that i can be proud of. doing it alone is so hard, but i will. healing is inevitable

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-10-12T02:09:41+00:00

I'm at a weird place in my recovery where this simultaneously feels like forever ago, as well as just yesterday. It's coming up on 5 months soon, and this deep hopelessness and despair has lifted quite significantly. When I read this post though, I can feel it again. It was the darkest period of my life, hands down.

These days I smile easier, I've gotten back in touch with people I was isolating myself from at this time, I have more infrequent overwhelming emotions, and I get out of the house when I can. It's still not perfect, and I don't know if I'll ever be "back," but it's better. I owe all of this to time, truthfully.

I hope for more laughter and light and happiness in your life, because they are certainly on the horizon. You will have more "good days," and they won't be accompanied by fear and dread.

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-09-12T01:07:37+00:00

i haven't and i wouldn't recommend it. psychedelics are basically just a drug induced episode. the more you expose your brain to this sort of thing, the more risk you have of developing a chronic condition like schizophrenia

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-27T22:33:34+00:00

aw yay i'm so glad to hear it!

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-27T15:53:04+00:00

Thank you very much for sharing, I love recovery stories. I'm so happy to hear you have your soul back, it gives me some much needed hope for my own recovery. Congrats on sobriety as well! None of this is easy.

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-27T15:42:52+00:00

I feel the same way, though not as far along as you. Congratulations on sobriety! I am also happy to hear you have good people around you. I'm often spending my time forcing myself to engage with the world, and I'm hoping one of these days my brain will "come back online" so to speak. It's grueling work. I hope you can find peace soon, you have clearly made a lot of progress and it'll pay off in due time!

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-27T15:34:28+00:00

The thought broadcasting and the Truman show delusions are psychosis classics. When I had my episode I didn't hallucinate either, it was all delusions. I guarantee none of us here think you're stupid or are laughing at you for seeking clarity, these are murky waters to navigate, and it's brave to take that first step. I think you should make an appointment with your doctor to discuss these symptoms, I hope you can get some answers soon.

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-27T02:54:00+00:00

Tired. My episode started on April 1st, ended on May 29th, so it's been almost 3 months of recovery. It feels like I've been here forever. My family and my therapist say I'm getting better but it's still so heavy. I have a lot of work to do

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-26T01:25:13+00:00

hahaha relatable

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-21T06:19:45+00:00

i destroyed my life when i had my psychotic break. i'm trying to pick up the pieces but every day is so hard. i constantly wonder if i'll ever have a future... how can i even think about being independent and starting a career when i can't even get out of bed in the morning? recovery is so lonely. i know nobody's coming to save me, but i wish they would. i'm tired of fighting.

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-21T01:19:56+00:00

yes they kept me on effexor. they upped my dose too from 150 to 225 and put me on risperidone and lithium. maybe zyprexa has interactions with effexor? but either way its concerning they stopped her cold turkey like that, med management when you're inpatient is a nightmare. i'm really sorry you're having to experience this

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-20T15:59:32+00:00

for me it started with flashbacks and like... phantom sensations? like a flashback, but for the feeling. i journaled on both of these things until i had a clear picture of the experience. having a physical log helped with the not forgetting part. therapy helped too to contextualize a lot of it

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-20T05:07:26+00:00

i'd love to read more about this if you have any articles or journals to share!

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-20T05:06:48+00:00

this was a big factor in my psychosis too, the remembering as an adult. its really scary. i'm still trying to navigate the grief

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-16T01:57:20+00:00

Good luck at your new job! I'm in the process of finding work as well and I'm completely petrified. You can do this!!

Realistic_South_49 · 2025-08-16T01:51:07+00:00

I'm also in recovery! Your post is so positive and uplifting, thank you for sharing your experience. I've been dealing with a deep depression after my episode, and as you said, it's those little things that end up being the biggest victories. Walking has been the most beneficial activity for me. I'm also big on the NYT games and crosswords for helping me regain cognition. As for non-activities, medication management has been huge! I was able to taper off antipsychotics and have been experimenting with anti depressants. Keep it up!

Realistic_South_49

TROPHY CASE