hi, I have two questions to all of you in this thread, no matter what type of schizophrenic disorder you have:

-How did you find out about it?
-when/ how old did you start to see signs?

To be honest, this is all out of curiosity, worry, and a bit of self diagnosis.
I am 15 years old and have just realized for the first time that i may have the same thing as all of you. (my uncle on my mother's side, and my father were both schizophrenic before they passed) Just today I realized that hearing sounds for things that are not there is a little odd. ( I hear my mom calling me a lot when she hasn't said a word, phone rings with no apparent calls , and doors shutting when I am in the house alone).this usually occurs a couple times a month and has been happening since I was around 12-13.

I would go to a specialist and get diagnosed, but I am afraid to tell my mother who is completely against taking me to a doctor of that sort out of fear of them putting me on medication. Hence I have had to take the matter into my own hands and find out.