It seems the average age is between 20 and 25. But where are all the over 40s , are they too old and have missed the information tech revolution , are they largely recovered , have they given up? Unless i have recovered i will always frequent mental health forums for as long as i can . Maybe its a case that a schiz sufferer no longer sees any point in trying to fix their problem and dedicates their time to simple ventures.

[Atypical_Disaster]

I think part of it is that schizophrenia usually strikes people who are in their late teens or in their twenties. So that age group is more likely to reach out on a forum for help simply because that's when the disease usually has its onset.

Originally Posted by Atypical_Disaster

I think part of it is that schizophrenia usually strikes people who are in their late teens or in their twenties. So that age group is more likely to reach out on a forum for help simply because that's when the disease usually has its onset.

I agree. The thing is though that schiz can and does last a long time. Some people suggest it burns itself out with age. Im not sure about that. Certainly anecdotally , the overwhelming majority still have symptoms well into their 40s. I find it unusual.

[Atypical_Disaster]

I've been on other forums for mental health, and I've seen people who are older posting regularly. It happens. I don't know why Psych Central is different.

Originally Posted by Atypical_Disaster

I've been on other forums for mental health, and I've seen people who are older posting regularly. It happens. I don't know why Psych Central is different.

Dont want to put you on the spot but if you know any of them off the top of your head , could you share them. If you casually came across the sites fair enough , anyway dont go out researching if you dont know.

Thks

[newtus]

Originally Posted by Materly

Dont want to put you on the spot but if you know any of them top of your head , could you share them. If you casually came across the sites fair enough , anyway dont go out researching if you dont know.

Thks

Psychology and Mental Health Forum - Psych forums

schizophrenia-support.com

forum.schizophrenia.com

[Silent Void]

I'm an old fart. I've been battling bipolar with psychotic features all my life.

[Sometimes psychotic]

I'm 39....when I was in college the widespread use of the internet had not yet begun....we had it where I went of school used Netscape and pine for email.....it was very different most people used computers as word processors...and played around with games in basic. Everything was Mac not PC. Had I gotten sick prior to college I likely would have missed the whole thing....why pay for one more thing if the budget was tight due to disability?

There have been a few older people here but you are correct it's mostly new onset. Aside from missing the the tech revolution I wonder if part of it is the development of negative symptoms....I don't hear a ton about lack of motivation on here, sure it comes up but positive symptoms are much more common.....if I switched classes from less positive to more negative I might be in a worse place to post from......just speculation of course...I just think pdocs note the positive symptoms much more...

Originally Posted by newtus

Psychology and Mental Health Forum - Psych forums

schizophrenia-support.com

forum.schizophrenia.com

Thanks for this

Originally Posted by Silent Void

I'm an old fart. I've been battling bipolar with psychotic features all my life.

Oh right hello there!

[The_little_didgee]

I'm 36. My unnamed illness emerged when I was 25. At the time I did not have internet and an email address so I never joined any forums.

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

I'm 39....when I was in college the widespread use of the internet had not yet begun....we had it where I went of school used Netscape and pine for email.....it was very different most people used computers as word processors...and played around with games in basic. Everything was Mac not PC. Had I gotten sick prior to college I likely would have missed the whole thing....why pay for one more thing if the budget was tight due to disability?

There have been a few older people here but you are correct it's mostly new onset. Aside from missing the the tech revolution I wonder if part of it is the development of negative symptoms....I don't hear a ton about lack of motivation on here, sure it comes up but positive symptoms are much more common.....if I switched classes from less positive to more negative I might be in a worse place to post from......just speculation of course...I just think pdocs note the positive symptoms much more...

I logged into schizophrenia chat once and there were older people, but its unfortunate to say they were talking in a juvenile way. I got answers like 'ask <<such and such a person >> because im not stable enough' Or 'you sound smart for a schizophrenic' , and all i was doing was asking direct questions , not tryn to act smart or anything. Im going to give a few more forums a go just to see whats out their. Gotta say this forum seems genuine , people are reasonable here.

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

I'm 36. My unnamed illness emerged when I was 25. At the time I did not have internet and an email address so I never joined any forums.

Similar age and similar age of onset here.

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by Materly

I logged into schizophrenia chat once and there were older people, but its unfortunate to say they were talking in a juvenile way. I got answers like 'ask <<such and such a person >> because im not stable enough' Or 'you sound smart for a schizophrenic' , and all i was doing was asking direct questions , not tryn to act smart or anything. Im going to give a few more forums a go just to see whats out their. Gotta say this forum seems genuine , people are reasonable here.

You do sound smart though.....

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

You do sound smart though.....

Awh thks , i'm not really though , i was maybe a just above average joe all my life , then i became psychotic and my interests became varied in an attempt to manage my illness. So things that didnt interest me before , gradually did.

[The_little_didgee]

Here are a few things to consider:

The illness. E.g. anhedonia can interfere with with social interactions.
Self-awareness.
Intelligence. People with higher intelligence tend to be more introspective, self-aware and open to different kinds of discussion. Note this doesn't apply to everyone, though.
The use of texting shorthand. When used excessively it conveys a lot about a person's character such as lack of interest in the conversation. It can also be really hard to read.

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

Here are a few things to consider:

The illness. E.g. anhedonia can interfere with with social interactions.
Self-awareness.
Intelligence. People with higher intelligence tend to be more introspective, self-aware and open to different kinds of discussion. Note this doesn't apply to everyone.
The use of texting shorthand. When used excessively it conveys a lot about a person's character such as lack of interest in the conversation.

I use txt short hand to convey a light and breezy tone , i have , for a while now , largely come to ignore tone and focus on content. As someone with schiz i simply understand that this facet is simply not dependable.

[The_little_didgee]

Originally Posted by Materly

I use txt short hand to convey a light and breezy tone

I never considered that. Thanks. I'll think about that the next time I encounter a post filled with text shorthand.

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

I never considered that. Thanks. I'll think about that the next time I encounter a post filled with text shorthand.

Dont get me wrong though , if im trying to build relationships , like meetn someone for the first time , i generally try to keep txt speak to a minimum.

[newtus]

i remember using netscape!!! that was like my first internet browser!!!

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by newtus

i remember using netscape!!! that was like my first internet browser!!!

Yes but this was before it had numbers even....it was just Netscape there was no chrome or Firefox or even explorer or safari....

The primary navigation was a page marked what's new and what's cool.....seriously there was so little on the net there was a page of what was new!

[Crescent Moon]

Originally Posted by Materly

It seems the average age is between 20 and 25. But where are all the over 40s , are they too old and have missed the information tech revolution , are they largely recovered , have they given up? Unless i have recovered i will always frequent mental health forums for as long as i can . Maybe its a case that a schiz sufferer no longer sees any point in trying to fix their problem and dedicates their time to simple ventures.

That's a little insulting. I'm well over 40.

[Loial]

It's hard to judge the ages & sex of people on forums. Can be quite fun trying to guess though!

I get the impression there are more women than guys who are regular posters here whilst I think about it too...

Originally Posted by newtus

i remember using netscape!!! that was like my first internet browser!!!

Me too! On Windows 3.1. The first computer we had though was an Apple 2C. I used to play space invaders on it.

I am a woman in her 40's.

I touched on all this before in previous posts. The medical material and research states that schiz is largely a life long stick. Yet i have noticed there is a large fall off when psychotic sufferers reach 40. Research says schiz sufferers are likely to die 10-15 years before the rest of the population , so where are they in their 'twilight' years. I accept that maybe this forum is tipped more in favour of the youth. But the last time i frequented other forums for general chit chat , i honestly did find the conversations worrisome if that is indeed what awaits me. Ahhhh who knows some suggest that with age , people become a bit more silly because they largely throw off their adult shackles and are just in it for the giggles.