Hi CK,

I would say that if you're aware of your thoughts, get enough sleep and rest and exercise, stay involved with friends, and work at some kind of meaningful job you love, that would tip the scales in your favor if you were to develop the schizophrenia, because a high level of "pre-morbid functioning," where a person has all this in place, will enable a person to have a better outcome after a first episode.

This isn't to say schizophrenia is an outcome you should worry about.  It could happen, or it couldn't happen, either way.  I know someone whose uncles all had schizophrenia, but his father did not, and yet his father did go to bed every night wondering if he would get sick, too.

Life is too short to worry.  Worry doesn't solve problems; it creates them or at least makes them bigger in our minds.

Be proactive.  Stay engaged in life.  Make it a goal to do the things you need to do to stay healthy.  If you are living at home and everything else seems in order and you would rather live independently, take steps to make that happen, like getting a job or going to school so you can have a career.

The fact that you've been through traumatic events and are able to clearly articulate what's going on, is a positive sign. 

Continue to be proactive.

I would love that nobody living in this world ever develops schizophrenia, yet if he or she did, I'd urge them to get immediate treatment, stay on the medication, and set realistic goals to reintegrate into society in a meaningful way.

People with schizophrenia can recover.

Best regards,

Chri