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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by falconman on March 17, 2003, at 23:49:44
Hi,
I have a friend who has schizophrenia which seems completely managed by the AP Zeprexa. I don't know much about this illness. Today he was telling me about what he felt when he'd forgotten to take a dose or two.
He described feelings of detatchment from the world around him, as well surreal feelings of unreality and feeling he was in a dream. When this happens his intellect and 'reality testing'is fully intact, in that he realises this is not really happening and knows he better take his meds keep smart.
He went on to say that if he stopped the medication completely he would return to psychosis, and experince one of his full blown schizophrenic episodes. In this scenario he would be unable to distinguish fully between what was reality and what wasn't. In other words he would lose his 'reality testing'.I find this extremely interesting as under my diagnoses with depersonalization disorder, I can draw many parallels between the beginnings of a schizophrenic episode(i.e. when my friend forgets to take meds for a day or 2), and myself.
Obviously there are varying degrees in the severity of schizophrenia, but can someone suffer from a extremely mild form, in which their not fully psychotic (i.e.intellectually they know the difference between what is and isn't reality) but are continuosly aware of the fact their conciousnes has slightly changedpeace y'all
Posted by sienna on March 18, 2003, at 20:34:34
In reply to Schizophrenia and anti-psychotic med reduction. , posted by falconman on March 17, 2003, at 23:49:44
hi i have schizoaffective disorder, and i have screwed up reality testing, but i find myself at the low end of the psychotic scale. My pdoc says im nowhere near the low end, but i disagree. they say im way in denial, but i think that there is a lot of gray area.
and i do feel that detachment and i do feel unreal a lot of the time. like in depersaonalisaziton ew i cant spell. anyways. i think that there is a continuum and that you have to satisfy certain theings in the dsm4 to be schizophrenic but a lot of people have psychosis and its not schizophrenia like psyhcotic depression and stuf flike that. also with mania can come psychosis. but is ounds more like that he is haveing depersonalizaiton before he has psychosis.
i dont know though i get that unreal feeling all the time and they always say up my antipsychotic but it doesnt always work.
sienna
Posted by falconman on March 18, 2003, at 22:14:51
In reply to Re: Schizophrenia and anti-psychotic med reduction, posted by sienna on March 18, 2003, at 20:34:34
Thanks loads for the reply.
I have depersonalization 24/7, everything seems unreal or unfamiliar. I have a constant internal commentry in my head which I can't help but focus on because it sounds unfamiliar. Although my thoughts don't feel like their coming from me, intellectually I know they are. Therefore i'm not psychotic although I might be in this grey area you talk about.
thanks again
Falcon
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