[Sometimes psychotic]

So for my first break I had very clear stressors that were thought to trigger my psychosis but by my second break there was no noticeable stress. I know some of you have more or less constant psychosis and others intermittent. Do you find a clear pattern of association between stress and psychosis on a personal level?

[A18793715]

Oh very much so. Stress is a huge trigger for me. Like right now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Loial]

I believe there is definitely a connection between stress & my psychosis. Although drugs were the actual trigger for my psychosis, I was under large amounts of stress both times before my episodes. I think it made me more susceptible.

The stress of my best friends death was too much to bear. That's what triggered it.

[Angelique67]

I've had a form of psychosis since early childhood and that's a baseline for me, but this whole delusion of the stalker started after a series of moves I was forced to make, first cross country, then due to an evacuation, then again away from a bad area and again away from someone who really was bothering me. A ton of moves precipitated the delusion and also I think higher amounts of Klonopin.

I'm going to say No. My life was going really well and then bang, it just hit me.

[A18793715]

Originally Posted by chickenfoot

I'm going to say No. My life was going really well and then bang, it just hit me.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RisuNeko]

It can be either way for me. I can be perfectly unstressed and have minor psychotic symptoms or like right before my thesis defense as an undergrad I went completely manic/psychotic as I was under an enormous amount of stress.

[cogladaid]

The first bout of psychosis I had I thought was some kind of reaction to an anti-depressant that lead me into hypomania and psychosis but now I'm not depressed and not on any medication but I feel myself slipping. I've been under more stress than usual lately (akin to what stress I had before) so I think it's more that.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[justmeandmyhead]

My cpn thinks my psychosis is definitely linked to stress and that I'm just not very good at identifying when I'm stressed or not. She says even small daily stressors can impact on an illness.

[RisuNeko]

I think it's true that even small daily stressors can add up and cause that kind of problem.

[Mikeyboy]

Introspection(which is hard for me) and exploration of all of my past episodes has made me realize that yes, stress is a very big part of it. Stress coinciding with depression, resulting in insomnia and isolation, eventually leads into anxiety, which gives way to delusional thinking, increased paranoia(I'm more or less always experiencing some degree of paranoid thinking, but I can keep it minimal and manageable when I'm doing well), and finally, auditory hallucinations.

[newtus]

yes very much so.
ive had stress my whole life.
I was hospitalized as a child for physical problems and was diagnosed with trichotillomania when I was 9. which is triggered by stress and anxiety.

it just continued into my teens being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder all the way til now. which I continue to have huge stressors.

my psychosis is not intermittent. everyone here seems to think so and people in my life seem to think so but its not. its ongoing. I have paranoia everyday. I dont have voices everyday. maybe every other day but not everday. I also have anxiety everyday. every waking moment of my life and it seems in my sleeping life too. I have nightmares.

my psychosis just has levels.

[junkDNA]

stress is a big factor for me. also, sleep. and isolating. these things really get me off track. but the biggest trigger is not taking my meds. if i dont take my meds... im back at square one. ive learned over all the times ive stopped taking them or hoarded them or whatever. by getting the cops called on me, getting committed, disappointing and frustrating people... i learned the hard way that i need meds to be well. will that be true for the rest of my life? i certainly hope not. i guess thats why i invest in therapy. but i dont know the answer for sure

[Atypical_Disaster]

I said yes on the poll but really the answer is yes and no.

I am constantly "psychotic"... But I have these "flare ups" that can either be caused by stress, or out of the blue. It's unpredictable and I hate that.

[Axiom]

I am stressed most of the time, so I forget that I am stressed. I think maybe it has made me psychotic before. My episodic memory is very bad so it's hard to say. I forget things.

[Angelique67]

I'm afraid it might get worse with another stressful life change. Very, very worried.

For anyone with any sort of mental health difficulty or emotional problems, stress makes their problems worse. It's definitely true of psychotic-type symptoms, especially the more positive type ones like hearing voices and things of the sort.

[ofthevalley]

Yes and no. I'm always off but even the tiniest bit of stress sets me off. Jesus my kid is mad at me and I'm stressing over that

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[passionfruit3]

Hospitals seem to make me more psychotic although since im diagnosed secondary as bipolar firstly psychotic depression it could be mania i have no ideal

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk

[stewartmays1]

i have a stress related illness and it sucks on meds now and it helps but it has not gone away been the same now for years