How could I tell if I was schizophrenic?
914971
Well, for one, its not so bad being schitzophrenic... better than being on your own. second, when your in the mood for a party, they are!
123018
if u have or are losing touch with reality,  or are showing signs of talking to someone in the room  but noone is there (this can be a mild start)  if it seems to be worsening ones behaviors,   or one does things he or she might not have done before,,,for example   self mutilation, hurting pets, scatching other  hurting siblings,  and talking to them like they are someone or something else,,,,schizophrenia has many signs that lead to a big blow up of the illness,   but w treatment early on this can be slowed down, and they can even lead descent lives again when meds are adjusted correctly......good luck deary, im sure u will get many more great answers.....dilusional and fantasy world are also part of this illness!
690160
well possession is very rare. \nDo you lose time? Do you hear voices? Do you have physical wounds that are unexplainable? \n\nIf you seriously think you may be possesed you should seek professional help, either a counselor, psychiatrist or a priest or oher clergy. \n\nA lot of those symptoms I mentioned above can be indicative of other mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
204795
The word schizophrenia is less than 100 years old, but the illness has probably accompanied mankind through its history. Schizophrenia can be traced in written documents to the old Pharaonic Egypt, as far back as the second millennium before Christ.
63467
There are diffrences in the brains of people with schizophrenia. It involves many different areas of the brain. I would reccomend reading these two articles:\n\nhttp://www.schizophrenia.com/research/schiz.brain.htm\n\nhttp://www.schizophrenia.com/szresearch/archives/001062.html\n\nThe second one is an interesting study recently done.\n\nHope this helps a bit.
230330
I live with schizoaffective disorder, which is a diagnosis that shares symptoms with both schizophrenia and depression.  In regards to your question, I would say that the INSANE usually do not know they are crazy.  To be considered clinically insane, your symptoms have to be quite severe.  \n\nI don't think I'd qualify as insane at any point in my life, however I did spend about eight months in a "waking dream."  At no point during this time did I stop to think something may be wrong with me.  I have met others with similar experiences who told me that they ended up walking into an emergency room saying there was something wrong with their brain.\n\nWith schizophrenia and related disorders, most bot not all people have a symptom known to mental health professionals as "lack of insight."  When this symptom is present, it means precisely that the person has no idea that what they are experiencing is not real.\n\nI hope this answers your question.
206766
The DSM-IV (Psychology's diagnostic guide) has this as the diagnostic criteria:\nSchizophrenia\n\nA.  Characteristic symptoms:  Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month perior (or less if successfully treated):\n   (1) delusions (beliefs/thoughts that seem real, but are not true)\n   (2) hallucinations (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling things)\n   (3) disorganized speech\n   (4) grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior\n   (5) negative symptoms (i.e. affective flattening, alogia, or avolition)\n\nNote:  Only Criterion A symptom is required if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the person's behavior or thoughts, or two or more voices convering with each other.\nB.  Social/occupational dysfunction:  For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care are markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset\nC.  Duration:  Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months.  This 6-month period must include at least 1 month  of symptoms (less if successfully treated) that meet Criterion A and may include periods of prodromal or residual symptoms.  During these prodromal or residual periods, the signs of the disturbance may be manifested by only negative symptoms or two of more symptoms listed in Criterion A present in an attenuated form (i.e. odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experience).\nD.  Schizoaffective and Mood Disorder exclusion:  Schizoaffective Disorder and Mood Disorder with Psychotic Features have been ruled out\nE.  Substance/general medical condition exclusion:  The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substnace or a general medical condition.\nF.  Relationship to a Pervasive Developmental Disorder:  If there is a history of Autism or other PDD, the addional diagnosis of Schizophrenia is made only if prominent delusions or hallucinations are also present for at least one month.\n\nThere are 5 types of schizophrenia:  Paranoid type, Disorganized type, Catatonic Type, and Undifferentiated type.
305299
If I were in your situation I would go seek the help of a psychiatrist who can correctly hear your story and diagnose you. Schizophrenia can come in different forms. One form being auditory hallucinations. You say that they "don't talk to you," however, so I don't really know if that is considered an hallucination. \n\nI think that you could start researching the disease by going to http://www.schizophrenia.com/ . This might help you learn a little about the disease.
67206
I believe you. Looks like your good side is fighting your bad side. Personally, I think it could be one of these: \n1. you could be bipolar-need medication\n2. you have been invaded by a spirit- need psychic help\n3. could be one of your past lives- need a hypnotist\n4. or you have had some sort of trauma and your really angry inside but on the outside you are a sweet person- need a psychiatrist.
899894
Don't try to diagnose yourself, you need to see a psychiatric doctor to get some help.  They can diagnose you properly as well.
779411
It doesn't sound like schizophrenia to me.  Sounds like a personality trait that might have been helped by her stress of growing up with an unreliable and unsupportive father (because of his illness).
517050
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality and by significant social or occupational dysfunction. A person experiencing untreated schizophrenia is typically characterized as demonstrating disorganized thinking, and as experiencing delusions or auditory hallucinations. Although the disorder is primarily thought to affect cognition, it can also contribute to chronic problems with behavior and emotion. Due to the many possible combinations of symptoms, there is ongoing and heated debate about whether the diagnosis necessarily or adequately describes a disorder, or alternatively whether it might represent a number of disorders. For this reason, Eugen Bleuler deliberately called the disease "the schizophrenias", plural, when he coined the present name.
1008367
schizoprenia u mean?\n\nNo.\n\nThey simply want to adhere to a personal belief and find religion as a guide.\n\nFor more of your qs & whines, why not post at http://dearcoffeemug.blogspot.com
149247
Schizophrenia is characterised by distortions of thinking and perception and is usually accompanied by emotions that are inappropriate or blunted. Typically there is a disturbance of the most basic functions that give a person the feeling of individuality, uniqueness and self-direction. For example, an individual may believe that intimate thoughts are known by others or that supernatural forces are influencing his or her actions in ways that are often bizarre. Additionally, the individual may lack insight and may not appreciate that there is anything wrong with his or her mental state.\nSchizoaffective disorder is characterised by the presence of affective (depressive or manic) symptoms and schizophrenic symptoms within the same, uninterrupted episode of illness.\n\nThe schizophrenic disorders section of the site features a range of information on schizophrenia, acute and transient psychotic disorders and schizoaffective disorders. Each condition is divided into a number of subsections which can be reached by using the left-hand menu on each page.
309388
Schizophrenia or multiple personality syndrome.  Bipolar people usually don't have personality splits which cause internal conversations. If you're having auditory or visual hallucinations (hearing things or seeing things) get to a mental health facility immediately.
792698
I'm not schizophrenic but I used to work as a R.N. on a psych unit for many years. Try to imagine yourself, just as you are now. Then imagine that because of a malfunction of the chemical regulating system in your brain that your mind stopped working as well as it does now.\n\nYou're the same you, but now you have a lot of trouble understanding things. You can no longer think logically so as to make good decisions for your life. You have delusions that you believe are real, that people are out to kill you. \n\nYou can't trust anyone, not because of their behavior but because certain chemical levels in your brain are either too high or too low. Imagine that you came down with schizophrenia when you were 20 y/o. \n\nImagine that you think there is nothing wrong with you but that the problem is with all the other people in the world.\n\nIf you can imagine what it would feel like to have all these things be true about you, then you might have a small idea of what it feels like to be a person who has schizophrenia.\n\nIf you sense some anger in my answer, it's not directed towards you. I'm angry at the stupid liberal do-gooders that know nothing about mental illness but have caused the government policies to cause mentally ill people more problems and make their lives harder.\n\nIn Minnesota, they have closed most of the state hospitals for the mentally ill because they thought  that people would do better in residential treatment centers.\n\n This was not true for most of the patients and, anyway, they never bothered to make sure that the legislature voted money to build residential treatment centers.\n\nSo now, those people who used to be safe, warm, and wellfed; are now homeless people, hungry, and vulnerable to people who would take advantage of them.\n\nI'm sorry. This is probably much more than you wanted to know. I hope something I have written has helped you.
1026637
My shrink thought I have it but still deciding..... Sigh (I really would like to know or at least be able to be aware! There are A WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE lot of different types and options so you really cannot just say Schizophrenia.