I wrote an article last week about interacting with someone that has schizophrenia, which can be found here. I have since received several messages with questions about symptoms and actually being schizophrenic, so I figured I would write a follow-up to the first article to give a better idea of what being schizophrenic actually entails.

For starters, when I say schizophrenia, I mean schizophrenia, however, it is important to realize that there is a whole array of schizo-spectrum disorders. If you’re reading this and questioning whether or not you may have schizophrenia, it’s important to know that there are several disorders that have symptoms similar to those with schizophrenia. Schizoaffective disorder, major depressive disorder with psychotic features, and bipolar with psychotic features are all possibilities. Click here to be taken to a page that addresses some of the different disorders that involve psychosis.

Being schizophrenic can entail many things. For some, it means living mostly with delusions (for example, that the government is after you or that you have some special, supernatural ability). For others, it means living mostly with hallucinations, and then there is everywhere in between. For me, I live mostly with hallucinations, with very minor delusional thoughts. Many of us with schizophrenia take medication to help alleviate and manage symptoms, although there are also people without access to medication for one reason or another.

I have mostly auditory and tactile hallucinations, meaning that I often hear and feel things that are not real. Other types of hallucinations include: visual (seeing things that aren’t real), olfactory (smelling things that aren’t real), and gustatory (tasting things that aren’t real).

Having schizophrenia affects my life in many ways. One example is the fact that I have to prioritize med taking and I have to be consistent with it. Even if I feel like not taking my medication, I have to take it, otherwise, my symptoms will shoot through the roof. Part of having any mental illness that is medicated is often plagued by trying new things, medication wise. I switch, drop, add, or adjust medications every so often and this is a common thing. Not every medication will work the same for every person, so finding the right medicines and the right dosage can be a painful process.

I also live with certain triggers. Without my mental illness, I scare easily, but with it, I experience terrifying hallucinations, so I have to be careful about watching scary movies or shows, which I try to avoid. I remember as teenager seeing a scary movie with my mom and brother and having terrible hallucinations and nightmares for several weeks afterward.

Darkness, especially when paired with being alone, is another trigger. I experience more vivid hallucinations at night than during the day, so I have to be careful about staying up or out too late at night. At night, I keep lights on despite trying to keep my electricity bill down because I know that if I walk to the bathroom in the dark from my living room, I’ll probably hallucinate the whole way there. I’ll probably hallucinate with the lights on, too, but at least with the lights on I will feel more real and it won’t be as scary.

Feeling real is another issue with this disorder. Sometimes I feel like nothing is real or I feel like my hallucinations and delusions are real. It can sway either direction. I’ve learned some grounding techniques to help with this, like identifying several things that I can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste, but this doesn’t always work for me. The best help for me is human touch, although other people with schizophrenia may have other ways to ground themselves in reality.

These are, of course, just a few of my own experiences, which will be different for everyone with a schizo-spectrum disorder. Ultimately, if you are experiencing symptoms of a schizo-spectrum disorder, I encourage you to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist. They can help you figure out what’s going on, and if you need medication, they can help get you what you need. There’s nothing shameful or wrong about getting yourself the support you need.