Looking for a coping mechanism

I Michael. I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as well. I hear voices and have heard them for 29 years. Do not let that worry you. Even though I heard them I still have a successful life.

 

How I cope with the voices is that I acknowledge that its a voice, shut it done immediately and force myself to think over them. In a sense I push them out and away.

 

I will take patience and diligence to cope. There is hope.

 

Giving yourself less classes next term is a good idea. Stress can bring the voices out.

 

I wish you well. I hope your art project is successful

 

Peace,

 

Dave

Hi,

 

Way to go with the As!

 

Do keep up your school work as it will only benefit you in your life.

 

You are truly an inspiration to other people who might want to go to school or achieve a goal.

 

I'm going to defer to community members who have heard voices for their suggestions.

 

One thing I can tell you: depending on the length of time you have been on your current antipsychotic, and whether you get the optimal benefit from it in other important areas of your life and symptoms, you could stay on the medication or possibly see about some things: a dose change, a change in dose times, or a change in medication.

 

My friend was initially put on Zyprexa, which did not take away any of her voices, and when she switched to another atypical, the voices stopped cold.

 

You may want [and this is something I'm doing in my own life with a persistent troubling thought or two] to view this objectively and allow that it happens, accept that it happens.  One thing that aids with symptoms of schizophrenia is cognitive therapy.  I have started a round of ten cognitive therapy sessions and I have four left.  I'm given homework assignments to do that I will need to continue after the formal therapy sessions end.

 

So if you are able to [you may have to find a clinic with a sliding-fee scale that offers cognitive therapy] I would recommend short-term cognitive therapy.

 

Also: only taking one or two courses a semester.

 

Regards,

Christina

When I started college, I was what I consider to be bipolar. I was manic because I could not sleep but about 3 hours a night and thought myself God's gift to the universe. I was sure that every painting or drawing I did was of genius caliber. Whatever I read stuck in my mind immediately --dates, times, names, places -- so I always made A's. But on the other hand, I was depressed at the same time and very paranoid. But I wasn't psychotic. I wasn't hearing voices or having other hallucinations, nor was I having paranoid delusions. So it was a "mixed state." What I did to cope was major in something that was familiar to me, that I enjoyed: Art. That made it easier for me to sit through an art history class, and even easier to sit through biology and English, for that matter, because I was working toward a goal that was important to me. Often, I would sign up for 12-16 hours, but then I would drop the most difficult class or classes, usually ending up with about 9 hours. That was all I could cope with. I never left in the middle of a class, but I did drop plenty that I found too challenging, usually because the professors liked to weed out anyone not seriously interested by giving a lot of F's on early assignments. It is great you are taking the prescribed medications, and breaking in a new one can be very hard. Always take time to make sure you are okay, and that includes not taking on too much that is stressful. No one says you have to graduate in 4 years or even 10 years. Go at a pace at which you are comfortable or else you might relapse. I am proud of you for sticking with school. I wasn't really diagnosed with schizophrenia until I was 37, but I did have these mental illness symptoms the first 3 years I was in college. Then the 4th year I crashed and had to take a year off. Then I went back on an art scholarship at a much smaller college in a small town and lived in the dorm. I didn't try to work while finishing my degree. And eventually, I did graduate magna cum laude and was voted Art Student of the Year. I am so glad now that I stuck with it -- you will be too. Carolyn