[joshuas-mommy]

I don't understand why some people get PTSD and some people get schizophrenia. Because wouldn't everyone with trauma get PTSD? Why do some people with trauma get schizophrenia?

[childofchaos831]

My understanding, schizophrenia is not related to trauma at all. It is biological, possibly genetic. Ptsd is only possible from trauma.

[joshuas-mommy]

Originally Posted by childofchaos831

My understanding, schizophrenia is not related to trauma at all. It is biological, possibly genetic. Ptsd is only possible from trauma.

Well, how come I started hallucinating when I was being abused?

[Cyllya]

If I remember right, PTSD is linked to a smaller size of amygdala (part of the brain)? Which is why multiple people going through the same horrible event won't necessarily all get PTSD.

Originally Posted by joshuas-mommy

Well, how come I started hallucinating when I was being abused?

Not sure, but it seems "adverse childhood events" (and presumably adverse adulthood events) are correlated to all sorts of health problems like depressive disorders, diabetes, cancer.

The way I see it is that a person could already be hardwired as schizophrenic (biological factor) but that it will take a trigger, like possibly a trauma, to bring it on.

[childofchaos831]

Originally Posted by joshuas-mommy

Well, how come I started hallucinating when I was being abused?

A little background from me first...

I am diagnosed schizoaffective, C-PTSD and DID. The psychosis started in my early 20s, which is typical for someone with schizophrenia or schizoaffective. It was also around this time that the C-PTSD and DID started to really bother me and become noticeable.

In my research, for myself and also for school (studying psychology and social work), I saw studies and articles in journals linking increased psychosis with increased stress. I also, more recently, have started to see theories and research suggesting that severe PTSD can have psychotic symptoms that may appear to be schizophrenia.

Now, from my experience, the stress connection is absolutely correct. When I am more stressed, I hallucinate more. Also, I have experienced flashbacks and dissociation that felt like psychosis when it really wasn't.

There are a lot of possibilities as to what is going on. What I've said here is my experience. Do you have a pdoc that you could ask to explain this? Or maybe a T?

[*Laurie*]

Mental illnesses are biological illnesses that can have environmental triggers.

[Rainstoppedplay]

Originally Posted by joshuas-mommy

Well, how come I started hallucinating when I was being abused?

That is not 'scizophenia' but stress induced psychosis. When that stress goes the psychosis goes too. I've had that.
Scizophenia is generally genetic and doesn't go away.

[Rainstoppedplay]

Originally Posted by justafriend306

The way I see it is that a person could already be hardwired as schizophrenic (biological factor) but that it will take a trigger, like possibly a trauma, to bring it on.

I don't think schizophrenia usually takes a trigger to bring it on. Generally a person is wired that way or they are not. Trauma never helps but just adds to the struggle. People can stuffer extreme trauma and never become schizophrenic.

[obscurity]

I had taken Abnormal Psychology last semester in college and there's this thing we learned about called diathesis stress. It basically says that someone can have a predisposition to an illness like schizophrenia, but it's high stress that can set it off. So according to that model, what you get depends on how your genes are set up. And they also use it to describe why some people suffer through trauma but don't get a mental illness at all.

[VanGore28]

All I can do is re- iterate what's all ready been said. I'm schizoaffective and it Is biological as I need medication. I just happen to have had a not so privileged up bringing so I drunk to excess and brought on my psychosis earlier than if I hadn't, or it was more acute, it probably would have happened about same time it was inevitable but I made it worse with alcohol. I think trauma can make it worse, and of course stress is a trigger, I get racing thoughts if I am stressed. Since every day is different i managed to wrangle some extra daytime meds for when i do get an extra stressful day.