[starry-eyed]

It appears that some people may not be familiar with the difference between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. With schizophrenia the person has no insight that it really isn't real even though they hear/see/think things. My brother is in hospital right now and he has had schizophrenia/alcoholism his whole adult life, decades. I have schizoaffective disorder (very very loosely defined here) which basically is 1) a mood disorder 2) psychotic features from slight to more active. There is insight into the feeling that someone is watching me, I KNOW it's not real, even if it seems so. The depression is by far the worst part. And sometimes the mood disorder happens at a different time than the psychotic features.

I do have other diagnoses, which complicate my life, but schizoaffective disorder doesn't stop me from doing something.

[mgran]

I think that some people can have schizophrenia and still have insight, but I understand that schizophrenia is generally considered a more negative diagnoses than schizoaffective. I'm really sorry that both you and your brother have been affected by these disorders, and I hope that you have support in "real life."

I've been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, and I agree that the mood disorder is sometimes by far and away the worst aspect of it.