Early warning signs of psychosis

I'm currently in my early 20s, diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder. I'm already in treatment because I've experienced a notable decline in functioning over the past 2-3 years, causing me to quit my job and to retreat from the outside world even more than I used to. It has become increasingly difficult to get myself going, especially on tasks requiring much cognitive effort. I'm getting more and more sensitive, nervous, irritable, distrusting and overly cautious. I also had visual hallucinations on two separate occasions this year (which I recently mentioned in some other post on this forum). I'm getting increasingly more concerned I might be developing schizophrenia. My psychiatrist noted a 'possible schizophrenic development' in a recent diagnostic report, but strangely enough never talked to me about it.

Recently, I was reading the following on this website:

Many symptoms that occur during an acute psychosis can appear in a weakened form already beforehand and are thus important early warning signs. However, the very first signs of a psychosis are frequently difficult to recognize. In hindsight, many people realize that an unusual behaviour had commenced long before the onset of the psychosis.

This made me wonder which symptoms, or early warning signs, you experienced prior to the onset of your first psychosis. I'm asking this because I would like to know if your experience back then is similar to what I'm experiencing at this moment. Please note that I'm not referring to the signs days before your first psychosis, but to the so-called prodromal phase of mild psychic alterations usually already starting multiple years before one's first psychosis.

ZonedOut wrote:I also had visual hallucinations on two separate occasions this year

I meant last year.

Im pretty far along in my current mental state(about 25 yrs.)I currently can't convince myself that other people can't read my mind and are out to drive me insane, like its a organized thing going on.Thats partly because some aspects are true I recently had to move to another state because drug dealers said I was costing them money by giving the advice to quit drugs to people I went to school with and are now homeless because of their drug use.So its like im totally screwed up in the head as I really cannot trust anybody AND I have paranoid delusions.Also much like a lot of places the community I moved to has a racial thing going on so I can't be a part of the community and thats normal here.So im like really screwed.Just giving you the background of my illness.To answer your question for me it started with anxiety then paranoia of society as a whole I used to think it started when the voices started but in retrospect it really started prolly with puberty around 13 or so I had a few friends but never went to parties or socialized outside of my home.I literally locked myself in and didn't even go to school, the few times I did go befor dropping out my anxiety was such that I would eat lunch in the bathroom and skip classes and hide out somewhere.so it started with anxiety then went to paranoia now I feel im constantly being watched by mind readers and the only time I don't hear voices is when im reading and my mind is occupied.Not just paranoia in general but if you start having a paranoid fixation that is prolly a sign the psychosis is progressing.Ya know like you think a certain type of people is out to get you.Good luck God Bless

dysfunction Al wrote:Im pretty far along in my current mental state(about 25 yrs.)I currently can't convince myself that other people can't read my mind and are out to drive me insane, like its a organized thing going on.Thats partly because some aspects are true I recently had to move to another state because drug dealers said I was costing them money by giving the advice to quit drugs to people I went to school with and are now homeless because of their drug use.So its like im totally screwed up in the head as I really cannot trust anybody AND I have paranoid delusions.Also much like a lot of places the community I moved to has a racial thing going on so I can't be a part of the community and thats normal here.So im like really screwed.Just giving you the background of my illness.

Thanks for your reply. I'm sorry to hear about your current situation. I read in another thread you are looking for medication. Let's hope you will find a good psychiatrist, so things will hopefully start to become somewhat better for you soon.

dysfunction Al wrote:To answer your question for me it started with anxiety then paranoia of society as a whole I used to think it started when the voices started but in retrospect it really started prolly with puberty around 13 or so I had a few friends but never went to parties or socialized outside of my home.I literally locked myself in and didn't even go to school, the few times I did go befor dropping out my anxiety was such that I would eat lunch in the bathroom and skip classes and hide out somewhere.so it started with anxiety then went to paranoia now I feel im constantly being watched by mind readers and the only time I don't hear voices is when im reading and my mind is occupied.Not just paranoia in general but if you start having a paranoid fixation that is prolly a sign the psychosis is progressing.Ya know like you think a certain type of people is out to get you.Good luck God Bless

I used to be a very calm, cool-headed person, but recently I'm starting to get more and more worried about all kind of minor things after I've been outside, or when I've been in contact with other people, basically. I often start to worry about having offended other patients at my treatment facility, for example. I'm afraid they will tell their therapists I've offended them, resulting in me being negatively viewed and eventually warned or even banned or something, that they will end my treatment. Like today, I was in some kind of public area with two others. I went outside to take a walk with one of them, while the other had to stay inside. When we came back from walking, the guy I walked with left, so I remained alone with the guy who stayed inside earlier. He told me he felt like being watched all the time and we talked about this for a while until we had a group session. Before it started, I saw him going into an office to talk to his therapist for a few minutes. During the group session he wasn't doing well, like a bit panicky. After the group session, I tried to ask him what was going on, but he left rather quickly. So now I think I've done something wrong, either because I left him alone to go out for a walk, or during the conversation we had afterwards. I'm afraid he was talking about that to his therapist and that the staff is going to be mad at me. I can't get this out of my mind now, even though I know I'm likely just inferring the wrong.

A few weeks ago, I had to show my ID somewhere, and I think the guy wrote down my personal number, so I started to freak out after I left. I often fear that my identity will be stolen. My worst nightmare is that I will get arrested for things I haven't done, because someone stole my identity and committed identity fraud with it. I will need to defend myself in court to prove I have done nothing wrong, which is hard in case of identity fraud. It's also like I will have to prove my identity, while already having a very weak sense of identity. It would drive me crazy. My paranoia isn't fixated. I'm just highly suspiciousness at the moment.