[astrid03]

For a few months now I have been concerned that I may be in the early stages of schizophrenia, but I am really unsure and I am too afraid to talk to anyone about it. I'm even nervous about posting about it here to be honest. I recently found out about schizoaffective disorder and now I'm wondering if maybe that is more of a match for what I am dealing with, but again, I don't know. I am currently diagnosed with OCD and Depression.

As for the symptoms, I have been having trouble with memory and forgetting things a lot more. I also have been hearing noises that seem out of place, one day I kept hearing whispers around me, and seeing things that I am not sure are real or not. They are not severe things that I would definitely label hallucinations, but I see colored shapes randomly and things moving in my peripheral a lot. And I also mix up things a lot more. I am constantly trying to distinguish things from dream I had and reality. I get a lot of deja vu sensations too and feelings that something is familiar, but I don’t know why. In addition, I am much more paranoid than I have ever been. I try to talk myself out of these thoughts, but I still can’t help but to worry a lot.

I was just wondering if anyone has any idea of what the problem might be or any similar experiences?

Thank you.

[kaliope]

you could go check out the dsm 5 and see if you meet the criteria. it doesnt necessarily have to be that. you may just be experiencing some psychosis. did you start any new meds? i have had some antidepressants cause psychosis for me. what you should really do is make an appointment with your doctor to discuss what is going on with you. hallucinations are a serious issue.

[astrid03]

Originally Posted by kaliope

you could go check out the dsm 5 and see if you meet the criteria. it doesnt necessarily have to be that. you may just be experiencing some psychosis. did you start any new meds? i have had some antidepressants cause psychosis for me. what you should really do is make an appointment with your doctor to discuss what is going on with you. hallucinations are a serious issue.

I haven't recently started any new meds, but I am on an antidepressant. But if that were causing it I would have experienced symptoms back when I started it, right? And yeah, you're probably right. I'm just nervous about how it will go. I don't know if I'm just overreacting or if I actually have something then I don't know what the next steps would be.

[jaynedough]

Hi Astrid03, Welcome to PC. I'm sorry that you're having symptoms that are scary. I agree with what Kaliope said. It's something you need to check out with your doctor. Don't be afraid to ask. You know something is going on. Telling your doctor isn't going to make things worse and hopefully will lead to things getting better. It can be scary when our minds betray us like that. And the paranoia can make it seem impossible to trust that it's OK to tell your doctor. But it is OK. Like Kali said, it could be something as simple as a med reaction. Or not. But the sooner you get it checked out, the better.

I will say that I have alot of the same symptoms as you. The problem is, there are so many different diagnoses that share these symptoms. That's why it's good to have a PDoc diagnose you. The diagnosis may not be accurate if your PDoc doesn't have all the facts. And you could end up getting the wrong treatment. Your PDoc isn't going to freak out when you say that you have these symptoms. If you have a problem saying it, print out what you posted and show it to him/her.

I hope you can get some answers as well as some peace of mind. Take care.

[astrid03]

Thank you both! I really appreciate the feedback and support. I think I will take your advice and try to bring it up with my doctor. Hopefully we will be able to figure out what's going on.