(Serious question, no jokes please.) How can you tell if you have schizophrenia?

Question

I have some knowledge of the disorder, but definitely not enough to make any determination.

I am extremely paranoid that people know what I am thinking. It doesn't happen all the time, but when I am thinking something mean (example: A lady I work with was being rude and I was thinking "what a witch." Then she looked at me and I was convinced she knew I was thinking that) or thinking something I shouldn't, I'm always afraid that people know. It has gotten to the point where I try to consciously change my thoughts so people don't know I think negatively of them.

I don't have a lot of money to go to a psychologist or a psychiatrist if it is just me being a hypochondriac. What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

Schizophrenia is a clinical disorder and is a psychotic state. It is characterized by positive and negative symptoms:
1) Positive symptoms:
a) abnormal mood/behaviour
b) hallucinations, be it auditory or visual, in schizophrenia, it is more of the "3rd person" kind
c) persecutory delusions
d) disorganized speech with looseness of association
e) irrelevance in content
f) impairment in verbal fluency, attention, memory and executive functiong
g) thought disorders such as thought insertions or thought blocks

2) negative symptoms:
a) Affective flattening: difficulty in expressing emotions
b) Alogia: limited speech with consequent difficulty in maintaing a continuous conersation or saying something new
c) Anhedonia: lack of pleasure or interset in life
d) Asociality: socail withdrawal
e) Avolition: extreme apathy with lack of initiation , drive and energy which result in academic vocational and social detoriaration
f) Attentional impairment

You do not have to have all the symptoms described above to be diagnosed as schizophrenic.

From what you have described, you may have some form of paranoid ideas, but it takes a psychiatrist to actually properly diagnose your condition. As psychiatry is so perplexing and case-based, no one can really diagnose your condition without first talking to you and understanding your viewpoints.

My advice would be to talk to a psychologist or at least a family doctor, since you have some insight into your condition, before it detoriarates or leads to some form of decline in your life.

Hope this helps. :D

Answer 2

Being paranoid is not the sole criteria to decide as to ur being schizophrenic.Schizophrenia has some essential components to diagnose u as schizophrenic like apathy ie lack emotions, ambivelence ie two strikingly different feelings 4 a thing at the same time,affective disorder ie inappropriate response to a particular thing eg feeling happy wen situvation demands u to be sad. Ur being paranoid might just be an overt response to situations.u should focus on ur capabilities and boost up ur confidence to overcome the situation.

Answer 3

I doubt people know specifically what you are thinking but you may "project" energy more clearly than others, which could be a spiritual gift. If you have such a gift, others may "sense" your thoughts or moods but also, the look on your face or other body language may be alerting them. There are different spiritual gifts called things like clairvoyance and clairaudiance ? ? or something like that. I would encourage you to see a doctor if you are unable to find a way to make peace with something which may be a gift or talent that most people on Earth either don't have or won't acknowledge and who instead would choose to call being "mentally ill." I believe that mental illness is a result of these gifts or talents being "stunted" or retarded. You have to love and trust life and yourself and know that you may be teaching yourself how to manage this gift. If you could project thoughts and had a heart with conscience you might could use it to help people either by easing up on the judgement or projecting thoughts of them having peace with themselves.

Answer 4

It is very hard to diagnose yourself with any particular mental illness, especially something like schizophrenia. The important thing to consider here is that it is causing you distress and you should check it out because of that. You can search out mental health clinics in the area you live in: these can be county clinics, university counseling centers and colleges, or training clinics that offer low fee services if money is the issue. Sometimes therapists also offer slliding scale fees.

Answer 5

Unless you hear voices and hallucinate things that are not there then no you are not schizophrenic. You are totally aware of the problem which is making you paranoid and anxious. I feel maybe you could be depressed and need to speak to your gp about how you are feeling maybe try a course of antidepressants. It is just coincidence that she happened to turn around. please do not sit there worrying people can read your mind as you will only make yourself more paranoid by convincincing yourself they can hear you when they can't. Plz go and see your g.p. YOU ARE NOT GOING MAD YOU ARE JUST LOW RIGHT NOW.

Answer 6

It doesn't sound like you are schizophrenic, it just sounds like you are paranoid. The type of paranoia you suffer from sounds kinda extreme and might be able to be treated if you go see a doctor. Try seeing your regular practitioner and telling him/her whats been happening - you may be able to get on some medication to help you. At worst they will recommend you to a mental health professional and then it's up to you to go if you can afford it.

Answer 7

You go to see a normal GP doctor, who will determine if you need to see a more specialist doctor. Mental health is something no one on an internet message board will be able to diagnose any mental or physical condition.

Answer 8

See a psychiatrist or if you don't have the money go to a local mental health center.

Answer 9

Paranoia can be a symptom of things besides schizophrenia. If it bothers you enough, check it out with your doctor. Don't worry... they really don't have a clue about what you're thinking.

Answer 10

You don't seem to have Schizophrenia, but you should consult a mental health specialist.