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Monday, December 21, 2009 life sucks asks

Q: shizophrenia or depression??

hI im going to get straight to the point,, i need to know if i have schizophrenia or major depression...... ,,im shy, withdrawn socially, ive developed a speech problem,problems socializing,high anxiety,some people say i eat funny,my memory is getting bad, no self esteem, feelings of guilt,paranoid,i have ocd tendencies,i worry alot, i think alot, sometimes barely speak for fear of ridicule and rejection( also because i stutter)...i think i have a learning problem, one time when i was around twenty i saw a message run across the television, and a swore that it said somthing about me,,( might have been high on marijuana at the time, cant remember,use to think i can faintly hear music playing at  my old place during night( which would have been impossible)my mind races, im depressed, moody,sometimes i twitch, LOTS of stress in my life,the docs think im just have depression and anxiety disorder! I am highly emotional, my hearing is sensitive,never heard voices at all, i think i hallucinated a few times, not sure though, could have been lack of sleep?? i sleep alot now, ...........i am so aware of my feelings and emotions though,,, arent  schizophrenics unaware of there illness, like they dont think their sick?? i really hope it's just a major depressive episode,, i am so confused and scared....please help me figure this out,,,,thanx

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Answers (2)
12/21/09 12:56am

Hi, there.  I think you should listen to what your doctors say.  You don't actually sound schizophrenic to me, you sound like you're in the middle of an acute depressive episode.  Nobody on this site would be able to tell you which it is, you need a doctor to make that diagnosis, but from what I've read, I think if you were schizophrenic you might not be aware that you are seeing or hearing things that aren't real.  I would not worry too much about that.  During one of my acute episodes, I was hearing voices whispering my name and my doctor put me on Seroquel, but I couldn't tolerate it and I think it was because I really didn't need it.  I think a lot of things can happen during a major depressive episode, so I hope you're taking whatever medication you've been prescribed.  Are you seeing a therapist?  I think that would be very important.

 

I hope you will talk to your doctor and get a straight answer from him, tell him your fears and if he tells you you're not schizophrenic, believe him unless you have a reason not to.  Write again and let us know how you're doing, okay?  You will get through this, just take care of yourself and do what you need to do to get better.  I wish you all the best.

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12/21/09 5:24pm

There is such a diagnosis as "major depression with psychotic features."  Because you may have had a few hallucinations/delusions/paranoid ideas doesn't automatically mean you have schizophrenia.  But both depression and anxiety can make you worry a lot about yourself and how others see you.  You and your doctor may need to discuss medication changes if you have been on your present meds for a while and they are not working.  I have both depression and schizophrenia, but they don't always relapse at the same time.  That one reason I have the 2 diagnoses instead of just one.

 

Have you beeen able to see a therapist?  Sometimes just have a supportive listener can help a lot.  Do you have one good quality you can expand from?  Everyone does.  Get interested in doing something you enjoy and focus on that for a while.  You deserve a break from depression and anxiety.  But sometimes they just won't go away, right?  It took me quite a while to get to my present state of recovery, and I may never be my "old self."  But I have a "new self" that I think is better!

 

Best wishes to you.

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By life sucks— Last Modified: 12/24/10, First Published: 12/21/09