Do I have Paranoid Schizophrenia?

So I had a psychotic episode about one year ago. I was going through a lot. My great-aunt had passed away of cancer and it took about a week or two for her to pass. I had lived with her and my uncle before (3 separate times actually). It was my first death. I was also going through my first break up, and my ex had the same 4 college classes as me, and we basically ignored each other in all of them.

About a year ago, a little more, me and my mother moved in with my step dad (half sister's father). My sister was a meth baby. At the time she was taking medication for being bi-polar. She was prescribed medication @ like 8 years old. She would pull her hair out and stuff and throw enormous temper tantrums. When we moved it was hard for her to be away from her grandma which she had lived with since she was born. So she would keep us up all night via crying for "grandma!!!". My mom hates her grandma too, which is interesting.

Anyways, my mom and I believed she really doesn't need medication, but better parenting. If she doesn't get her way all the time, she won't have such the tremendous behavior problems. One time my step dad thought my mom hid the medicine, which she didn't, and he got in her face all wide eyed. He looked like he was about to beat the $#%^ out of her. I was pissed, and the alpha male in me told me I will fight this man if I have to, even though I've known him forever. I became convinced under psychosis, that he was going to move out right after we moved in and make us homeless. That'd he was going to file for custody of my sister and pull a bunch of crap. Things settled down, and my sister is fine now as a 12 year old, she is losing weight she gained from medication, she is off meds, and she is getting decent parenting without being spoiled. My mom has really helped her and the only real problems is she lies about her homework (no screaming, crying, nasty words like before).

Getting to the point, I experienced psychosis for quite a while after that stuff. In fact, I didn't fully recover for like 2 or 3 months, maybe more. I became convinced I was front page news for a while. I was texting a 17 year old (I was 19), and I was convinced that I was going to be on "To Catch A Predator". One of the first memories was the feeling I was being followed. Then someguy yelling at me as I rode to school, "turn yourself in"!!! Not sure if that was real or not, but it was an incredibly bizarre experience. I rode my bike around town for a few hours thinking the helicopter above was the news and the entire country was watching me. Completely irrational thoughts, it was definitely psychosis. I agreed to go get help from the doctor's, but only because I wanted to act "dumb" to get out of any charges I thought I faced.

I was in the mental hospital for two weeks. I took a lot of anti-psychotic drugs, but I'm totally against medication. My philosophy is to live like a caveman as much as I can. When I have a headache, I tough it out. When I have a cold, I don't take medicine. In fact, I never take medicine for anything, unless you count coffee or marijuana.

After I was released from the hospital, which I really thought was a prison...I was still having crazy thoughts. I never wanted to take my medication. I only did it in the hospital because I had to in order to be released. And the only time I took it when I was released was to please my mom, who insisted on it. Eventually I was so stubborn I didn't take it because I felt I was gaining weight, and I couldn't form erections. I was having problems peeing, I was sleeping too long. I would sleep walk. And sleep for like 16 hours sometimes.

I stopped taking the medication completely and eventually all my disorganized thoughts are gone. I have a job now, I go to school, and everything is like before. The doctors I followed up after my hospital stay, insisted on me taking medication. They said I would be making a very, very risky choice by not taking them. That I could end up being like those homeless guys who talk to themselves. They said they aren't sure what I have, but they know something was not right and they would see how the medication would work. The medication I was subscribed was Zyprexa and Cogentin. After researching those two psychotic drugs, I'm very glad I didn't take them.

I just would like some input here. Did I just have a mental breakdown? Could it be the psychosis was a once in a life time experience due to stress/anxiety? I am very anti-medication and I feel like I couldn't afford crazy people medications, because it was expensive for the two bottles I had. I am very concerned for my future. I feel like even if I had Schizophenia, I would be fine for the most part, except when I was experiencing psychosis. My biggest thing is, as interesting and somewhat incredible as the psychosis was, I don't want to be in that state of mind permanently (it was so trippy I'm glad I experienced it now that it's over -- but it was REALLY scary). I don't want to have to be known as a crazy person and I don't want to take crazy people drugs. No offense to crazy people, I just don't think it's something anyone wants. Thoughts?

http://www.caffeineweb.com/?p=57
DSM-IV on “Caffeine-Induced Psychiatric Disorders”. “The 4 caffeine-induced psychiatric disorders include caffeine intoxication, caffeine-induced anxiety ...Paranoid Schizophrenia
Smoking weed also ?
People who smoke crack all act like Paranoid Schizophrenia thinking the cops are outside.
Dopamine theory or something.
Chill on the coffee and weed.
Thats all you need.
If it is Schizophrenia
Its best to be a happy cat.

http://www.gmilburn.ca/2008/07/04/wains ... cope-cats/

I have to really doubt it is caffeine because I didnt drink coffee for like 2 years before the psychosis.

It could however, have been marijuana. Because I had smoked a semi-amount of pot leading up until psychosis. I have been high post-psychosis and it is trippy when I go in public. Almost a psychosis feeling. I don't have the same problems when high in private though. I like to be high solitary, it would be hard to quite forever. It's not something I'm addicted to, but something I enjoy once a month or something.

weed !!

ITs about a few things.

How does it effect. How do you feel about it. Does it bother you to be " out there".
How does effect tour ability to work and have relationships. If its not bothering any of those things... Then , what is the problem.
It came and went. Sounds like your have a bend towards mental illness. When certain types of stressers hit you, you get symptoms.

IF none of this is bothering you, and if doesn't effect your daily life. I would not worry about it.

-- Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:47 am --

ITs about a few things.

How does it effect. How do you feel about it. Does it bother you to be " out there".
How does effect tour ability to work and have relationships. If its not bothering any of those things... Then , what is the problem.
It came and went. Sounds like your have a bend towards mental illness. When certain types of stressers hit you, you get symptoms.

IF none of this is bothering you, and if doesn't effect your daily life. I would not worry about it.

usually, when people have a very long stay in a mental hospital its one of two things, they dont know whats wrong with you, or you are seriously ###$ up and dangerous. usually the patient has no family trying to get them out too. its scary how messed up psychiatrists are. they know how society views them. they try to ignore that when they are working for the government in the hospital. if you have had contact with psychiatry remember that it is a fact that starting psychiatric treatment causes more harm to a person and their life than the problems they are having. its like actual hell. and you are a fallen human.

i would dought it. weed psycosis is a very comon thing i smoked for years then over time it turn on me the last joint i had, had me pulling out inset light sockets so they whoever they are couldn't film me. also you had a hell of a lot of stress going on this can cause a psycosis. Schizophrenia takes years to diagnos. and requires multaple psycosis

Hey Kingrat90,

Based on how articulate your writing is I'm going to suggest that maybe you don't have Schizophrenia (this is opinon obviously and you need to talk to a trained proffesional to find out for sure). Many people with Schizophrenia suffer from very disordered thinking which doesn't get better over time without medication.

It's important to note that psychosis is a symptom not a condition itself. Psychosis can be caused by certain diseases, drugs, mania typical of Bipolar Disorder, schizophrenia and certain other circumstances as well. I don't want to sound patronizing but I would suggest evalutating whether or not you should seek treatment and take medication based on a cost/benifit analysis instead of your "cave man ethos". If medication makes you feel better take it. You owe it to yourself. If treatment makes you feel better then do it. You owe it to yourself.

Take care Kingrat90.

To the OP, I don't think you are schizophrenic, but I do think you should bring it back up to your doctor.