Do all schizophrenics have to take anti-psychotics?

I actually have 2 questions.

Do all schizophrenics have to take anti-psychotics?

and...

Can people with schizophrenia work in the mental health industry, or even become a psychiatrist?

I diagnosed myself with schizophrenia over a year ago as I have both positive and negative symptoms. My hallucinations are tactile and i can easily cope with them as i can; "control" it to an extent by forgetting about it (i can also trigger it by thinking about it), I know that its not real so i just think to myself "It's my mind playing tricks on me" and it rarely occurs and only occurs when I'm relaxed in bed. So i believe that anti-psychotic medication wouldn't benefit me as it is not affecting my every day life and that the side effects of the medication would be worse than the actual hallucinations.
The negative symptoms, however, do effect me in every day to day life, I have and do research schizophrenia a lot so I am going to try and the nutritional theory that apparently improves sz symptoms ( certain vitimins, glycerine and omega 3-6-9) and try and get my sleeping pattern right and maintain it (by using an app that wakes you up after a sleep cycle). Anyway if these don't help my negative symptoms I am thinking about possibly try and see a psychiatrist to get anti-depressants (as i believe that this will help due to my negative symptoms not being due to delusions etc). I wouldn't say I get depressed, but i can feel down sometimes but i believe the anti-depressants will help with anxiety, blunt effect, gaining interest in things and just confidence in general.

I do not want to be diagnosed because I maybe forced to take anti-psychotics but i also don't want to be diagnosed because I'm going to university in September to study Psychology and I am wanting a career in mental health (lets aim high and say a psychiatrist haha) and i do not want me being diagnosed to affect this.

I live in England if this makes any difference.

Thanks in advance with any help you guys have, if you have any questions just message me.

Hi and welcome to the forum!



Not all, it depends on the individual, the doctor and the severity of symptoms. Granted doctors tend to be quick to use meds as treatment, but some individuals do find other treatment alternatives through doctors that help manage their symptoms without meds. Some people are high functioning enough that being stress free with psychotherapy is sufficient enough to manage symptoms. Further, meds are one of many treatments out there.

It all depends on the doctor and how much you can manage on your own.


You say you diagnosed yourself, which is good to be introspective, but its not a bonafide diagnosis. A professional may diagnose lesser or something very different altogether.

A diagnosis is so unreliable and unvalid. Yes, sure the psychiatrist may label the mental illness as something else, however, that does not deny the fact that i have the same symptoms as that a schizophrenic has, thus should be treated the same. I show both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, to be honest sometimes I didn't even realize some stuff was negative symptoms until I read into it. And my history is similar to some theories of how the onset of schizophrenia occurs. I believe your own diagnosis is the best diagnosis if you do enough research into the mental illness (you know yourself better than any psychiatrist - well if your a rational thinker I guess).
Well at least I won't have to take anti psychotics if I got diagnosed then, don't know if CBT would be abit useless haha. I'm a laid back individual, I don't often get stressed.. unless being anxious is classed as being stressed?

I still need to know if being diagnosed with Schizophrenia can prevent work in the area of mental health though. Schizophrenia isn't curable, but maybe if your stable enough they would allow it? Be wierd a psychiatrist having a psychiatrist though? haha xD

My sister works as a nurse and I was thinking about that career path at one point. However, my sister told me that I wouldn't be approved by the board, which is required to be certified to be a nurse, because I have schizophrenia. I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia though. I see a psychiatrist for it. I'd think the same would apply to any career in the medical field so you may want to be careful. If you can manage your symptoms on your own then don't see a doc but if not maybe you should think about a different career path. I don't work in the medical field. I work in engineering consulting. I've applied for other companies in my job path and on almost all applications there's a question,"Do you have any mental illness that requires special attention?" This is a companies way of finding out if you have a mental illness without directly asking you. Because that could be grounds for discrimination. However, following that question on the applications are usually a list of mental illnesses to choose from and schizophrenia is always listed. I suppose you could lie on your application but then if you need to take time away from work for an episode or if you have to be hospitalized your work could fire you on the grounds that you can't fullfill your duties and didn't disclose any handicap on the application. One plus if you can stay stable long enough is FMLA(in the US). After a year of working at a company and 1250 hours worked you can apply for FMLA which protects your job when you have to take time away from work for episodes or hospitalizations. Something to think about....

Okay, thank you

Be careful diagnosing yourself, we can open the DSM and will have traits of many different things, self diagnosis can be dangerous as your mind can go that way to validate that you are "that way".
I was diagnosed as schizophrenic, and the diagnosis varies from Dr to Dr., Everyone has their own professional opinions, but doctors have a lot of education on the subject. I question though you say you are delusional, or have had delusions? Do you stop and question if they are, or do you tell yourself you are when maybe your not? Do you realize after the fact that you were delusional?
For me, I question reality a lot, i'm not sure we can ever really find it, at least not me. However, if you met me on the street or at a party you would never know I was. This is because no one ever saw me at my worst, when I was sitting in my room for days going mad from intrusive thinking, voices, hallucinations...People only ever saw me and only continue to see me when I am at my best. I am very high functioning when I am not sick.
You asked if someone could be a psychiatrist if they had schizophrenia? I know lawyers and surgeons with schizophrenia. I myself am a third year Social Work student and going next year for my Masters Degree to be a therapist. My experiences have only heightened my understanding of people and how to talk them out of a delusion (if you will) because I have had to talk myself out of them many times before, I have have plenty of practice. There are a lot of avenues you can go in the mental health field, I think they are all rewarding but I think you should have your mental health in check before you try to treat anyone. There is nothing wrong with anti-psychotics, some are very effective with very little side effects.
I don't think that all SZ need medication, I disagree that long term medication is necessary for everyone, it really depends on the degree a person has it. At my worst I was in the hospital and had no clue what happened to me, sitting in a room looking at the floor for hours and being very hostile and paranoid whenever I interacted with anyone. I was reacting to things that I believed were true, but as usual it was all in my mind, I see the difference now to varying degrees. When things get out of hand or I feel a loss of control i start taking my medications as a PRN (As necessary), you're not supposed to do that but it works for me, maybe not for everyone. We are all different so we all work different. good luck in school, i think you will do well.

I don't have delusions, I did when I first had hallucinations (I thought it was ghosts touching me and I swore at them etc). That was just trying to come up with a rational explanation of what was happening as I didn't know about mental health issues at the time. Luckily enough I learnt about sz in college not long after, so I finally had a rational explanation to what was happening, that's when hallucinations didn't occur as often nor as severe.
I mean't to say earlier that my negative symptoms are NOT due to delusions (because I don't have any), so anti-psychotics won't be that affective? Decreasing dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain only effect positive symptoms mainly, and can worsen negative symptoms. I think anti-depressants would be most effective on me.

I would say my schizophrenia is mild. I believe its mainly anxiety and lack of interest that effects my life for example I need to build myself up to do something, I don't want to apply for jobs cause I don't think I can do them (think people are going to judge me - paranoia), and trying to find something fun to do I always come up with excuses with doing something cause I'm like "what's point blah blah" all these are interlinked I guess and I think my thought pattern resembles that of a depressive person even though I'm not depressed? My sleeping pattern too can also be an issue. I do have other negative symptoms but them I can live with me. The hallucinations don't effect me at all, I don't have delusions and I don't have grandiosis or however you spell it aha

Well, Depression can cause negative thinking and an Anti-Depressant could be very helping in making your thinking positive. I'm generally happy acting and appearing but I am actually Chronically Depressed, I was taking Prozac, which I love! But I am not on any meds atm because I am trying ot figure out which one is the one causing me all the terrible nightmares. Be careful if you go on an anti-depressant too, just notice your thinking patterns, if they get better or worse. I have a friend that ended up in the psych ward after taking a break from reality and trying to kill herself. She doesn't remember any of it, it is because some people can't take them, it has the opposite effect, so do "self monitoring"

You could try taking food supplements L-theanine and 5-HTP? It does say consult a doctor if you take anti-depressants though. I've started taking them However if your chronically depressed maybe it wouldn't be that effective. That's quiet scary that that happened to your friend :/ Think I've heard about people not responding well to ant-depressants but didn't know it could be that bad. I doubt I'd be on anti-depressants anytime soon, been breaking my comfort zone recently so my anxiety is getting a bit better. However my thinking pattern and mood got worse today (could be many factors but I didn't have the food supplements).

I've read a little bit into schizoaffective disorder and you can have posative symptoms and it also goes along with a mood disorder and some negative symptoms? I don't really get the difference between sz and szaffective because you can be sz with cormobid depression. Maybe with szaffective you don't haye as many neg symptoms? May have to do some research when I'm in mood haha

I know a lot of people with schizophrenia need their meds, but personally, if you can avoid them, then please do. I've been on meds for a decade and nothing good has come out of it. Just poverty and all I see around me with people with this illness is poverty. I mean, if you really think you need it, then go ahead and take them. However, just remember that anti psychotics make you dumber. The more you take, the more dumb you get. I use to get As in school and even attended university, but ever since I started taking my medications because I got into trouble with the law from my illness, I've turned into a child. I went on disability and asked for rides to McDonalds all the time to buy a big mac combo because I was hungry. I've been hospitalized a few times and you should see all the nut cases there on these great pills you call "anti psychotics". There was one pretty girl I saw there once, she had bi polar or something light like it and she was so out of it that people took advantage of her like her supposed boyfriend who didn't bother visiting her in the hospital. And another note, people will try to take advantage of you if they find out you're mentally ill. Sad part is, most of us do get victimized by this too. The thing I'm trying to point out here is that people who go on this stuff enter a "dream world" that they never wake up from.

So I hope you've gotten some insight into the world of medication. If you're gonna start taking them though, start off on low dosages of the stuff. Its true that anti psychotics end up reducing your brain matter after prolonged usage. I can totally tell the difference between my old intelligence level and my current intelligence level. Only problem is I've become reliant on these meds that I can no longer function without them(trust me, I've gone off my meds a lot).

And no you wont be able to be a psychiatrist if you're ill. No chance that any governing body will allow someone "at risk/vulnerable" to be able to be the one who cares for people "at risk/vulnerable". Maybe if you were just a mental health support staff its possible. I've heard of people like that around, but they don't have something as serious as schizophrenia, they have like bi polar or something lighter. And remember, if you ever get hospitalized for your illness, you can forget stuff like joining the military because they'll find out you're ill and you're officially banned.

On a final note, if you're gonna do crazy things because of your schizophrenia, the meds might be your only choice so you don't go out and do crazy things.

Hope this helps.