And good news to the purists: they’ve discovered a cure
For the symptoms of being alive
It’s a painless procedure with a low rate of failure
But very few patients survive
–Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave by Will Wood
When I was researching schizophrenia in college, I found the following symptoms across multiple websites. Schizophrenia is very broad so many people experience it differently. I put the symptoms I have in bold.
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Unusual ways of thinking
- Agitated body movements
- Reduced expression of emotions (flat effect)
- Reduced pleasure in everyday life
- Difficulty beginning and sustaining activities
- Reduced speaking
- Poor executive functioning
- Trouble focusing or paying attention
- Problems with working memory (ability to use information immediately after learning it)
- Social withdrawal
- Losing touch with reality
- Difficulty sleeping
- Catatonia
- Disorganized speech
- Shifting from one thought to another quickly without connections
- Moving slowly
- Writing excessively without meaning
- Forgetting or losing things
- Repetitive gestures (ex. Pacing, walking in circles)
- Having problems making sense of everyday sights, sounds
- Lack of motivation
- Less energy
- Paranoia
I once had someone say that I hallucinated too much to be schizophrenic. That I had too many of the symptoms. That I couldn’t possibly be schizophrenic because it is over-diagnosed. I never answered that comment. They have a point. Perhaps I am too schizophrenic to be schizophrenic.
Just kidding. I think I will trust the doctor who diagnosed me with schizophrenia…since she, well, specializes in schizophrenia.
Post 45 in Socially Unacceptable: The Daily Life of a Queer Schizophrenic Wreck (2022)
This is an autobiographical series about my life, something I have wanted to do for a long time. I intend to add new content daily.
For the whole series, follow this link.
The Queer Schizophrenic 