[capgoat1691]

I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder almost 3 weeks ago. I see and hear things here and there, have trouble deciding what is real or imaginary, my moods can fluctuate three or four times in 10 minutes, so on and so forth. I also have OCD, Panic Disorder, and Insomnia. I was put on Zyprexa 7.5mg daily on Tuesday. It has already helped level out my mood and give me some interest back in life. My problem still though is deciding what I want in life--easily will get paranoid and obsess over something as simple as foot long sub or six inch. It stresses me out. Any tips on how to cope with these symptoms? I do see a psychologist and psychiatrist but am about out of stuff to talk about during therapy sessions..

[cybermember]

Hi capgoat,

Welcome to PsychCentral.

Have you found you are more symptomatic under stress?

For me, I've found that medication is really plays a significant part in getting my symptoms under control as well as having the access and support of my therapist and psych doc. I've learned to keep stress at a bare minimum, keep a scheduled sleep pattern, eat healthy, no alcohol, limit caffeine, exercise regularly (I'm still working on that), and connect with similar people on PsychCentral to share experiences and everyday ups and downs.

Since you also have a mood component to your diagnosis you may want to check out the Bipolar forum. Also, the Schizophrenia and Psychosis forum is more active than this one so you may also want to check that out as well.

[brackenbeard]

Originally Posted by capgoat1691

I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder almost 3 weeks ago. I see and hear things here and there, have trouble deciding what is real or imaginary, my moods can fluctuate three or four times in 10 minutes, so on and so forth. I also have OCD, Panic Disorder, and Insomnia. I was put on Zyprexa 7.5mg daily on Tuesday. It has already helped level out my mood and give me some interest back in life. My problem still though is deciding what I want in life--easily will get paranoid and obsess over something as simple as foot long sub or six inch. It stresses me out. Any tips on how to cope with these symptoms? I do see a psychologist and psychiatrist but am about out of stuff to talk about during therapy sessions..

I'm glad to hear you've found a medication that is working for you. I too take Zyprexa 20mg, and it works well. What do you mean by what you want in life exactly? Deciding over what sub to get is one thing, deciding the course or direction you want to take in life is another. I'd be happy to discuss with you either way. As far as coping with symptoms there are things you can do: breathing, soothing, distraction, doing pleasurable activities, excercise etc..

remeber therapy sessions are for whatever you're going through at the present moment. I recently got together with mine to talk about getting independent, and housing options. In therapy they're there to help... with just about anything...

welcome to psych central, hope you stick around.

[liveforfish]

My son takes an anti-psychotic med to help with paranoia and thoughts. It has really helped him focus. He takes a mood stabler too.

A lot of the symptoms are also due to sensory issues. Try and find yours and work on ways to relieve the stressors some. It may not go away completely, but it can be dealt with somewhat.