[XxLifexX]

I've been seeing ghosts for as far back as I can remember. Nobody has thought much of it until about a year ago when I saw one that was more demonic than anything, he was grey-coloured and had yellow, soulless eyes. I ran downstairs to seek comfort from my dad, who was shocked about how scared I was. After that episode I began seeing a psychiatrist. I was put on medication for depression, because I was also (and am) dealing with that. I've told my friend everything there is to know about me, and he doesn't believe in ghosts like I do, so he's saying I'm schizophrenic. My therapist called me schizophrenic. My parents are calling me schizophrenic. My psychiatrist might be putting me on schizophrenia meds. But, I'm NOT schizophrenic. I don't know what to do. They're all out to get me and they're probably inside my head listening to what I'm thinking, but none of that matters, I just can't be put on anymore meds. I can't take it.... thanks for reading.

[Warrioress]

I can't be sure about anything, but have you considered the possibility that the others might be right? Of course, they may be wrong and what you see might be actual ghosts, but I think you should try the meds. If you stop seeing the ghosts, we know that they've been visual hallucinations, right?

[costello]

I'm really sorry you're going through this right now, Life.

I don't know if ghosts are real or not. I tend not to believe in them, but maybe that's just because I can't see them. I can tell you with certainty, though, that your loved ones are not inside your head listening to your thoughts. Your thoughts are private, and unless you share them with others no one else will know for sure what you're thinking. They may guess what you're thinking based on what they observe you doing or saying. But they can't hear what you're thinking. So don't feel afraid about that, ok?

Take care of yourself.

Hi there,

Firstly, I'd like to say I'm very sorry to hear you're struggling right now. On the subject of ghosts, nobody can say whether or not they're truly real, so I'm not going to tell you that you're just "seeing things". And I know when you say "They're all out to get me and they're probably inside my head listening to what I'm thinking", it feels very real to you, however, most people don't think this way.

It might be worth trying these medications to see if they might work. They could help with getting rid of those ghosts, and any other things that are bothering you. And if they don't work, at least you can say that you tried, right?

I once had beliefs that others didn't agree with, I thought they were all wrong and I was right, but it turned out that I was going through a manic episode. I was experiencing delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations that all seemed very real to me but in fact were not true. So I can definitely relate to how you're feeling.

Also, perhaps the reason you don't like the term "schizophrenia" is because of the stigma associated with it. Although I don't personally have it, I've met a couple of people with this illness who were successfully treated with medication, and are living satisfying lives right now.

If you ever need to chat, you can pm me anytime. I hope you'll keep us updated on how you're doing, and you start feeling better soon.

[XxLifexX]

I'm not taking any more medication... they're a waste of time and money.

[EmptyReflection]

I can certainly relate to how you feel, XxLifexX. There's things that I believe that I don't tell anyone, partly because I just don't trust them, and partly because I know what they'd tell me. In all likelihood, my diagnosis would be worse than it is, and it's bad enough already.

[mgran]

I used to see "ghosts" all the time, and angels, and demons, and stranger things than that. For years I rationalised it by thinking I was psychic, but things got worse. Eventually I realised I needed help, because my life was falling apart.

When they got me on the right meds the ghosts, ghoulies etc all vanished. It's a wonderful feeling. Oh, and I no longer feel like people are thinking things at me, or that my house is bugged, or that I'm being followed by the authorities.

So, it's worth trying the meds. They can make things a lot better.