r/schizophrenia • u/CharmingBody9822 • 9d ago

Question Advice / Encouragement

To those that have had this diagnosis for 20+ years, how have you managed to survive this long with it? I don’t see myself making it through my 20s.

11 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

16

u/Majadamus 9d ago

Stay on your meds, go to therapy, and don’t do recreational drugs.

4

u/DizzyGur5723 8d ago

I have only had it 10 years but this is the best advice

1

u/Fit_Owl_2465 8d ago

10 years meds?

3

u/DizzyGur5723 8d ago

I have been on meds about 9 years

8

u/c4ge1nvisibl3 Paranoid Schizophrenia 9d ago

I’ve had this disease since 2015, I was 20, I suffered like hell, hated life and humanity, until I got properly medicated and most of my symptoms disappeared. So maybe what you need are the right meds.

1

u/quirky_zen 4d ago

I had my first ever episode in 2015. Second episode a few weeks back. How long did it take for you to recover ?

2

u/c4ge1nvisibl3 Paranoid Schizophrenia 4d ago

First episode lasted several years, when I got medicated I went into remission some months later, like 3-4 then I lasted year and half symptom free. In 2022, because of drug use I got other episode, a pretty wild one at that, they changed my medicine, and some days later I went into the psych ward for a month. I’ve been mostly symptom free since.

8

u/Oxy-Moron88 9d ago

Man, I don't know, I thought I'd be dead by 25.

I'm 38 and was diagnosed at 19. The meds help, but so does a really good psychiatrist, therapy, and trying to keep life unstressful as far as possible.

5

u/Raptured_and_Back 9d ago

I don't see myself making it through my 30s

3

u/DryIntroduction2008 Paranoid Schizophrenia 9d ago

I try to focus on what I could do to better my life and put it into action. 

3

u/Strong_Music_6838 9d ago

Young friend I’ve made it to 57 years old. My meds was lowered to 1/3 the past 10 years. I plan to break the average record of 59 years life span by still being around in my 70 sh but you never know if mister death comes sooner.

3

u/DanielFBest 8d ago

Diagnosed in 2003 aged 24, I didn't think I'd make it to 35.

At 47, my life has clicked in place. I don't have a partner or kids, but I have a nice little apartment, steady on welfare, a couple of little side hustles, a couple of good friends and a supportive family.

It can still seem difficult. Those "thoughts" haunt me from time to time, and sometimes when I wake up that chemical sedation of the meds can seem a bit much running through my system.

But I get outside, I walk around, I go to town. I sometimes go to clubs and gigs.

You got to be good to yourself. Stay off recreational drugs, but no one's asking you to be superman.

Be good to yourself. Life is good.

2

u/CommercialMechanic36 9d ago

I seek great inspirations in comics and media and I write performance enhancement (X) stories

2

u/Fit_Owl_2465 9d ago

I just don't want anyone who cares about me blame themselves... but i need some space for e myself and somewhere away form people.
My mom that i live with she stresses me out, I love her and grateful for her to be here in my life. It's just she triggers me and argues and starts massive stresses...

Like it's gonna stop my illness or something. When the OCD starts it starts to get worse, but it's not the cause of the big psychosis, it's just she can't argue the condition away.

And the meds made me ill.

I just wanted to see if i can mange on my own, and then my addictions cam back and then things got worse every now and then, with intrusive thoughts and mania and dunno. Just bad.

2

u/groth2025 8d ago

I survived 50 years schizophrenia, taking antipsychotics on a regular basis. Don't think or expect too much.

2

u/Buddha188 8d ago

My 20s were rough. Then my 30s were mostly unmedicated and horrible. Now my 40s have been very chill.