[Typo]

Is it possible for symptoms of schizophrenia to cycle?? I first came to psychcentral because I was having problems with parinoa, disassocaiton from reality and hearing voices. The voices have stopped for the most part..same for the problems with reality. Parinoa is still strong but I've had problems with that since I was really little. Could these things come back?? Like I metioned above they are gone for the most part but still are present from time to time when I am around alot of stress or triggering situations that remind me of bad memories. Is it schizophreina or a self defense thing? I'm so confused..also after my little melt down in January I had started to self injure again but have manged to stay SI free for 15 days could the symptoms have triggred that?

[PsyChris]

Yes, Schizophrenia does tend to change over time. If you are taking medication I think that may account for the lack of hallucinations and derealization.

Stress can made Schizophrenia worse but most studies seem to say that if anything it is just a compounding factor.

Do you have a therapist or psychiatrist you can talk to about this?

[Typo]

I don't have a therapist or psychiatrist..I'm to scared to go to one so I keep making excuses to not make an apointment with one.

I haven't been diagnoised with anything I just went through this realy scary episode in January. I have really bad parinoa more than anything. Thank you for replying.

[PsyChris]

I'm sorry I must have mis-read your post. I thought you had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

Lacking a diagnosis those symptoms could account for any number of identified mental disorders.

The best advice I can give you is to think about making an appointment with a Psychiatrist for evaluation.

[spiritual_emergency]

<blockquote>Silversparrow: I don't have a therapist or psychiatrist..I'm to scared to go to one so I keep making excuses to not make an apointment with one..

I can appreciate your concerns about seeing a psychiatrist -- they are afforded a great deal of power over others, the drugs they prescribe as a rule of thumb can produce a startling array of side-effects, and their recovery rate ranges on the low side on a global scale. There are some very good psychiatrists out there of course, and some are more skilled than others. If you were to see one, you might find it best to shop around and be discerning in who you choose to work with, assuming you can afford to take that route -- many people can't.

As an alternative however, perhaps you could arrange to see a therapist -- not for your fears about schizophrenia but about those bad memories. There are more theories on the causes of schizophrenia and psychosis than you could hope to shake a stick at and at least a few of them suggest a strong link between schizophrenia and earlier trauma. It's been further suggested that the schizophrenic episode itself is an attempt by the psyche to heal.

For more information on various causes, try here: Presumed Causes of Schizophrenia & Psychosis

See also: Controversies Over the Cause of Schizophrenia.

If you've not yet found them you might also enjoy the links related to voice hearing in the Resources area.

Best of luck to you.