/mental/ - Mental Health, Illnesses and Disorders

Possibly, but you can definitely experience thoughts like that with a combination of bi-polar and anxiety. If you were schizo I'd expect your writing and thought process to be scrambled along with a diminished ability to realize your thoughts are irrational. It's possible to not have hallucinations but it's somewhat rare.

I'd talk to your doc though. You never want to under-report your symptoms.

>>9374

when i say that i have never had any hallucinations, it is because i have never had anything that i can definitely say is a hallucination. i have never heard voices when i am alone, but when i am around people and hear them whispering i tend to hear (or think i hear) my name being used in the whispering. another thing i experience often enough to mention is the feeling of insects crawling on various parts of my limbs. it isn't a daily occurrence or sometimes even a weekly occurrence though.

i don't know if these are hallucinations, or if the whispering thing is just a manifestation of my extreme anxiety.

>>9377

I'm not a trained psychologist or anything but that sounds a bit more like anxiety. People of all mental states tend to hear things in white noise. If you're worried about psychosis than you're going to be hyper aware of that.

The bug thing is possibly something to worry about but it could be any number of things, body hair, itches, air flow, etc.

If you were having tactile hallucinations you would be fairly convinced that they were real. That's what makes them hallucinations.

I have anxiety as well and have very often worried that I might be schizophrenic. I found that educating myself about the disorder helped a lot even though I was careful to avoid doing so at first since I didn't want to self-diagnose myself any further.

Essentially if you were having a psychotic break you would have to have an extreme presence of mind to realize what you're experiencing isn't real. That's one of the hardest parts about treating the disorder. If you're worried about it, it's likely you don't have it.

also that picture is fucking gross wtf dude

Diagnosis is not that important, medications are often same regardless of disorder diagnosed.

> i think everyone is staring at me, paying attention and criticizing my every move. i think they all want terrible things to happen to me. i'm scared that they might act on those desires.

In psychiatry, delusions of reference form part of the diagnostic criteria for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia,[4] delusional disorder, or bipolar disorder (during the elevated stages of mania).

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecutory_delusion

>i have also found myself staring into space and either not moving or making a simple repetitive motion for long periods of time (20+ minutes)

Stupor can be a symptom of a mania.

>>9377

> when i am around people and hear them whispering i tend to hear (or think i hear) my name being used in the whispering.

definitely prodromal schizophrenia imo

t. schizo

same poster as above, forgot the rest

> another thing i experience often enough to mention is the feeling of insects crawling on various parts of my limbs

this is a common hallucination, maybe you're also getting restless legs syndrome and having trouble sleeping?

> when i am around people and hear them whispering i tend to hear (or think i hear) my name being used in the whispering.

i think that some sane people have same thing

OP here again:

lately I have been seeing white noise (little black dots, flashes of light, streaks, etc). Additionally, on occasion I have been seeing things distort in front of me. What I mean by this is that sometimes things will expand/contract, the road and walls will sometimes "breathe," etc.

Lately I have been questioning whether anything is real or whether I am in a dream. Sometimes I close my eyes and see the room I am in with striking detail. Usually when this happens I see something out of place in the room and "snap out of it," but it still make me question.

Lately my speaking skills have gone to shit. I have been having trouble articulating my thoughts; having trouble finding the words. I used to be a very good speaker and debater.

Everything feels like a dream. Like I'm not in my body. Everyone is always watching. Always wanting me to die. My psych upped my zyprexa to 5mg a few days ago, but little has changed.

Dunno what to do. I moved back to parents house for summer and can't see a psych out here until the 21st. I'm fearful of what might develop by then.

>>9591

Alot of that is very much symptoms of depersonalization and derealization, I get the same things.

>>9592

Can confirm. Worrying about insanity is a dead common symptom of depersonalization and anxiety.

You seem to be aware that what you're experiencing is a disturbance of experience, i.e. you can recognize it as not real. That's a pretty good indication that you're not psychotic.

As always though, tell your doctor everything you can.

>>9594

these kinds of hallucinations are symptoms of depersonalization?

right now i am looking at a swivel chair and watching it turn towards me. earlier it felt like everything i looked at was being pulled (or i guess zoomed) towards my head. also white noise and blurry/afterimages i think they're called.

>>9596

I have experienced the latter two symptoms you're talking about. Derealization can make one hyper aware of various visual phenomena.

What you're describing is visual snow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_snow

At the bottom of the page is a list, see if any of that sounds familiar before you jump the gun and assume you're psychotic.

As far as a chair swiveling towards me? Well no, never had that happen. Hallucinations are when you cannot differentiate them from reality. It's an important distinction to remember.

>>9598

only the white noise/blue field and trailing images (not all the time) sound familiar.

i guess i'm most concerned because when the more striking distortions appear (like the chair turning towards me), it takes me a non negligible amount of time to convince myself that what i'm seeing isn't real.

>>9599

It's dangerous to self-diagnose as that's only going to increase your anxiety. I know you have a date to see your psych but don't underreport this time. If he confirms your fears the good news is that catching it early is the most important part to having a good prognosis.

>>9600

at this point i don't care what it is that's wrong with me, so long as it can be fixed. i just tried to go for a run but ended up hyperventilating and ruined the run about 5 minutes in because i was constantly looking behind me and at the windows i was passing because i knew people were staring at me or following me. about 5 minutes in i saw someone who actually was in the window and she looked at me and i started sprinting as fast as i could.

looking back on it, i can't really tell if my feelings were real or perceived. it was such a visceral fear. i don't think i've ever been that afraid before.

i just want to cry.

>>9380

>Stupor can be a symptom of a mania.

Wasn't it something that occurs primarily in depression?

>>9601

>at this point i don't care what it is that's wrong with me, so long as it can be fixed.

Well, someone said it before, but there's a great overlap in the drugs. You're probably gonna end up taking antipshcotics either way.

>>9602

yes but in catatonic depression