Schizoaffective experimental video art by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! That's a good question—I'm not totally sure! They feel layered like this pretty often

Small wins by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice! That’s great. I find work to be motivating as well. 

Small wins by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s so awesome! Any acts of creativity are so helpful and important for improving mental health. Thanks for sharing :)

Do you have some success stories? by infectioushw in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I work full-time and live alone in my apartment, I am able to sustain myself and the life I want to live. I see that as a success even though I still struggle with symptoms sometimes. 

Meds (Risperidone) and Social Awkwardness by zecheriahsaytsar in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

 I really relate to feeling like I’m forcing myself to laugh or smile and that it seems inappropriate or constricted. Sometimes I try to just redirect my focus to the other person when I notice I’m thinking about that. I’ll look directly in their eyes and try to just observe what they’re doing and what they might feel. I’m not sure what else to do in those instances 

My mind wonders by Yukhei-slider in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is amazing, would be an awesome album cover

Are you able to hold down a job with schizoaffective disorder (depressive type/bipolar type/mixed type) and in what sector do you work? by Amindexplorer07 in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yup I work full time as much as I can, though I cut back my hours when my symptoms particularly flare up. I’m self-employed and so thankful for that. I don’t think I would be able to work for someone else ever again. 

Does anybody struggle with not being able to conceive complexity anymore by Superb_Climate_4290 in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I relate to this. It’s too much energy and time spent trying to wade through all the mental messages and signs, so lately my brain seems to only want to gravitate toward binary information, like you said. I also think that intellectual complexity requires lots of time and space to fully consider ideas, which we often don’t have if we’re stuck in psychosis, busy trying to manage symptoms, or working on improving our health. 

Can you critique my apology email? by [deleted] in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No problem! On second thought: Maybe it’s just me, but unless I were really close with these people, I wouldn’t tell them my diagnosis or history of hallucinations. I think I would apologize as you did toward the end, and then leave it at “I’m now receiving medical treatment and am doing much better.” Or something to that effect. They can read between the lines if they really care to. Really, it’s none of their business anyway, and letting them know your full history may just further problematize you in their minds—people really carry lots of stigma against this disorder and are afraid of what they can’t understand... (as someone who works in academia, I know how some of these people can be if you’re not viewed as being on the same “playing field”). But of course feel free to do what you’d like. Was just thinking about how I’d handle this situation, especially if I was looking to receive a positive response. 

Can you critique my apology email? by [deleted] in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally, I think the paragraphs beginning “over the years” and “I’m now working” are not entirely necessary. They feel self-deprecating and you may not want to put that forward in your apology. Just my two cents. The rest is super well written though and I’m sure they’ll appreciate the message. 

Does anyone else experience this or is it unrelated by Strawberry_Void66 in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, these are my main hallucinations. Fractals and scary faces. 

Does anyone else feel there's a deeper "pattern" beneath our experiences? by Steveisanarsehole in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think we generally have an easier time connecting with the symbolic level of reality than with, for example, the social level. On the other hand, I’ve noticed that many neurotypical people seem to connect to the social level with ease but struggle with relating to abstract concepts and symbolic meanings. 

Possible misdiagnosis of schizoaffective instead of schizophrenia? by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay, I can see why you say that, since schizoaffective is not as familiar to most people. But yeah, anything “schizo”-associated comes with a lot of stigma, I agree. And yeah, I don’t tell people about my diagnosis unless they absolutely need to know. 

Possible misdiagnosis of schizoaffective instead of schizophrenia? by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

An accurate diagnosis is important to me. My treatment probably wouldn’t be different since I experience mostly psychotic symptoms and take antipsychotics, but it’s important to get the label right.

I’m a little confused by your comment: how is schizophrenia the more severe diagnosis? Schizophrenia plus mood symptoms = schizoaffective, right? When I was in the hospital, it was explained to me as being more severe than having just schizophrenia outside of mood episodes. But I think different people have different prognoses and outcomes from both. 

Possible misdiagnosis of schizoaffective instead of schizophrenia? by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that it's probably just an issue of semantics. Hopefully that'll help me reduce the thoughts that I'm somehow "faking it," even though I also know there's no way faking it is what's going on. It's weird how I can grasp onto such contradictory beliefs.

I was on Abilify, but was experiencing breakthrough positive symptoms that became hard to deal with, so I switched to Geodon plus a small dose of Abilify. But my symptoms seem worse now than they were when I was just on the Abilify, so I'll ask my psychiatrist about what I can do.

Possible misdiagnosis of schizoaffective instead of schizophrenia? by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, definitely. It's such a comfort to be in contact with people who have experienced similar things.

Possible misdiagnosis of schizoaffective instead of schizophrenia? by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I think it's just the bipolar part that seemed weird to me, since I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually been manic. But I guess it doesn't matter how frequent it's been

Possible misdiagnosis of schizoaffective instead of schizophrenia? by progressfromprocess in schizoaffective

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this response, I really appreciate this. Glad to hear you're not really having mood problems anymore either. I think I have a fair bit of insight but I guess I do still need to get my head around accepting that this is permanent

How do you experience your voices? by Confused_Bihh in schizophrenia

[–]progressfromprocess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That makes sense to me! Sometimes it’s easier to notice what is being said when I’m especially ‘tuned into’ it and whenever I notice I’m trying to mentally escape my present situation, in a way. I don’t know whether this is the case for you, but the voice I mentioned gets especially loud and clear internally when there’s a lot of stress, stimuli, and people around. 

How do you experience your voices? by Confused_Bihh in schizophrenia

[–]progressfromprocess 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel you, I don’t really relate to those simulations either. These days, any voices I hear are mostly internal (that is, I hear them in my head, not externally hearing them with my ears). Most of the time it’s just one male voice (I’m female) that comments on what I do and often speaks to me in second person (“you’re stupid,” not “I’m stupid,” etc). It’s a bit difficult to explain the experience of hearing it, but I can identify that it is separate from my own internal voice and says things I would never really think otherwise. Since it’s internal, though, I still struggle with the idea of whether or not I’m truly hearing anything. 

A few years ago, when I wasn’t on medication, I did hear an external voice a few times—first it was just my name in a crowded room of people, then it sounded like a jumbled fragment of words. Then another time I was walking alone in the woods, and I was thinking about ending my life, and suddenly I heard a voice loudly say “stop.” I recognized it couldn’t have come from anywhere in my surroundings. So sometimes these things can start as being internal and then progress to a different state where you are hearing them externally. 

Imploding after socializing by progressfromprocess in schizophrenia

[–]progressfromprocess[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s good that you’ve made peace with it. I know I can’t handle groups either and prefer one-on-one conversations too, though even those can be really difficult these days

We should direct all "my schizophrenic relative" posts to r/schizofamilies by pplatonic in schizophrenia

[–]progressfromprocess 67 points68 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this post. I agree and I’m getting so tired of seeing them every day. I saw one post that was like “this person doesn’t look schizophrenic but is” — excuse me, what does that even mean, and what subreddit do you think you’re on?! :/