How is your reading?

medwireNews - Psychiatry - Reading deficits in schizophrenia contribute to underachievement

So I came across this article that suggests that reading is a widespread but understudied issue with sz.....I know for me I lost a lot of interest in reading complex fiction and had issues just quitting books. I seem to be ok with stories that aren't fiction as they are generally less complex.....so I can read the center cannot hold but not my favorite fantasy novels. I have this both when actively psychotic and not although it's slightly better off meds.

Just wondering if you guys have reading issues compared to what you had pre-sz or psychosis?

If your reading has gotten worse is it the meds or the illness and have you found anything that helps?

Reading is a lot more difficult for me now. Meds have not made it easier or worse. Taking my time and going back to read things again helps.

i used to read as a child and teenager. its gotten worse cause the illness i think. i very rarely to none read anymore

Yes I noticed that too reading more slowly helps....

Also I find audiobooks work....

When I'm actively psychotic I can't read at all.

Lately my ability to actually sit down and read has come back though, which I'm very thankful for. I don't read as often as I used to, but it's way better than it was while I was sick.

I've never been a huge reader but I would say I find it a bit more difficult with active psychotic symptoms.

I think it's mostly just comprehension (of terms or words I don't know) which I used not to have much issue with. I find myself losing track instead of inferring the meaning from the context. Then again it's also a concentration thing because that extra effort it takes is mentally tiring.

I am reading non-fiction books on quite in-depth subjects though, so might be easier when I move onto a fiction book. I really need to get back to reading my Wheel of Time books...

I used to love reading; always had a book on the go, and could read a book in one sitting. I also had no difficulty with technical/scientific textbooks/journal articles for school/Uni.

Now reading is hard work. I think it's a 'me' thing rather than a meds thing because it's been regardless of what type of med I've been on or if med-free.

There are various issues:
interest in reading/apathy;
concentration (it is harder to focus & I often get headaches from reading a lot, even posts on here);
comprehension (especially if it's complicated/research stuff for Uni, when I often confuse cause eg X does/doesn't cause Y so I can't follow what they're trying to prove);
reduced reading speed;
memory of characters/events in fiction and especially abbreviations in textbooks/journals
...I can't think of anything else right now.

I have text-to-speech software which helps read stuff to me. But I don't use it on PC cos it's a pfaff if you're only reading little bits of text, and I usually use my iPad and I don't have it on this. I find it easier to read short paragraphs, and must admit that if a person writes a big wall of text with no paragraphs, I physically don't have the energy to battle my way through it. I also tend to skim read a lot, which is fine for fiction, but means that I can't follow complicated stuff cos I'm not reading properly.

I also find writing really difficult too. That why I didn't go back to Uni this month. I find it hard to organise my thoughts into a coherent argument. Even on here, it takes me ages to reply because I have to think about what I want to say, type it, then proof read & edit it a few times to ensure it makes sense.

*Willow*

Also, I did an IQ test in summer 2012 and the Ed Psych said that I have a visual processing disorder because it takes me so long to read stuff & copy it (on the test, I had to copy a list of symbols as quickly & accurately as I could, & I was terrible at it). Never had this problem until a few years ago though.

*Willow*

I used to read a lot. I'm from a family of readers. Now I basically only read for school because I have trouble focusing and comprehending language especially if it is very abstract. I take my time when I read which really helps. Sometimes I use text to speech software and keep my course load to no more than 2 classes per semester since reading is usually a time consuming process. I really miss the old days when reading was fun, quick and easy.

Science fiction always got me through tough times.


I have a hard time reading big wall of text posts too. The lack of grammar and the san serif default font make it much harder so I usually don't read block posts.

I'm a big fan of audiobooks read by Stephen Fry... there's just something about his soothing voice that puts me into a peaceful sleep!

He does have a lovely, soothing voice!

I've not really tried audiobooks. I imagine it still requires concentration like my text-to-speech software? I have trouble understanding speech too (idk if it's a problem with my hearing or a problem with my brain understanding sound?), but with the text-to-speech software I can see the written words at the same time to correct confusion, which I don't think you can with audiobooks?

*Willow*

I'm still good at reading and read daily, but my writing is terrible due to not making sense. I usually have to correct my writing several times before posting a response.

I've noticed you can get audiobooks for some kindles but I'm not sure if they go along with the text or are just audio.

Me too! Handy having autocorrect on my iPhone etc. I also find I repeat words or phrases... I've always done it to one extent or another though.

i used to read a lot. i loved it. i have a lot of books, a whole bookshelf full. i loved reading classic fiction novels and sci-fi end of the world or future dystopian society books. but i dont do that anymore. i find it very hard to concentrate and i also have apathy about it although i miss reading because it was a good escape at times. i read for school and stuff and even that is hard.