Why is it so hard for someone with sz to do very simple tasks? is it normal to procrastinate with everything? over time will these symptoms improve?
I have strong negative symptoms. This is a feature of my illness. I procrastinate all the time. I find it hard to even brush my teeth and cut my nails. I often stare into space and when asked something, I give short, disinterested answers.
This is a class of symptoms which does not improve with medication and remains relatively stable, unfortunately. Iâve tried physical exercise, meditation and of course lots of different medicines. Nothing really helped me.
BUT
Few people have the same type of schizophrenia that I do. So it is advised to aggressively try and improve outcomes by:
- trying different meds
- trying CBT / talk therapy
The negative symptoms of the illness are like that, avolition is terrible. I think we can become better if we want to work on it, but sometimes that doesnât seem possible.
Not to be mistaken with laziness, itâs not that weâre lazy, we just have a harder time doing things.
I procrastinate a lot, my mom called me lazy until she understood itâs from the illness. Funny thing is, since she understood itâs from the illness Iâm actually better at doing things and not procrastinating so much, but also Iâm trying harder.
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I wish I knew. Itâs normal for szâs to procrastinate a lot. Iâm hoping my negative symptoms go away.
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I feel so sorry for him and helpless. I hate feeling helpless. I always offer to get him help besides meds like cbt and NAMI meetings or group meetings but no interest. I donât think he realizes how sick he is sometimes.
Google ânegative symptomsâ.
Itâs not procrastination. Itâs trying to get moving while dragging a heavy weight behind you. Doesnât matter how motivated you are â still takes a while to get up to speed.
With medication and therapy, yes, somewhat. In my own case it took many years, and the meds themselves make you tired and listless.
Pixel.
Anosognosia is a psych term that many with sz have. It means exactly what you spoke of, an unawareness of how ill one truly is. It varies from person to person, but it is a lack of insight into ones own wellbeing.
I noticed my son paces a lot. My dad used to do the same thing but I never realized back then that it was a symptom until now. My son started pacing a lot even before the meds. Whatâs confusing is he paces non stop but has no motivation to do much of anything. Iâm sure some can relate and understand. He canât even sit still to watch a movie and is very particular as to what movies he likes to watch. Certain movies he used to like, he no longer likes anymore because of his way of thinkingâŚ
I also pace a lot especially while smoking. I find it hard to focus on watching movies. So yes I can relate but I still hope your son doesnât have my type of schizophrenia. It would be hard to deal with.
Cognitive remediation is sometimes used to get certain cognitive functioning back. Donât know if it would help in your case but may be worth researching.
Sorry I mentioned that before I noticed your comment that he doesnât agree to therapy. Can you find out what he would like for his life? Drivers license, moving out, getting a job, finding a friend? Start with his goal and begin helping him set up a path towards that.
as of dec he has paranoid schizophrenia/depression/suicidal but with all I have been reading I sometimes wonder if he has another form. he also smokes a lot. he wants to quite even tried the patch but smoking is like a crutch for him. I would never, ever have bought him a pack a cigs until Dec when I realized how sick and depressed he was I gave in. Some days he smokes a lot more than others and he still tries the patch from time to time. I am going to read more about ur type of sz.
I donât get depressed and suicidal though. More exactly I CANâT get depressed. Itâs related to a feature of my illness called âflat affectâ. If you want to google my type of schizophrenia, look for âdeficit schizophreniaâ although you wonât find many articles. Anyway keep in mind that depression is treatable, while negative symptoms arenât. Good luck !
He changes his mind about 20 times a day as to what he wants. He was in college when things got really bad. He started isolating himself and coming home every weekend from college. many other symptoms too. He has tried working a few jobs but couldnât even last a full day. Doctor told him it will take time and not to rush it but I donât think he realizes how sick he is. Its hard for him to accept it. I always try to say the right things and lead him in the right direction but only time will tell. He knows I am starting NAMI meetings in March and I am really hoping by that time he will want to come with me.
yes I will check that out. Iâve read all about negative and positive, cognitive symptoms and my head spins because in my opinion he has so many symptoms at different times.
Iâm really tired right now and I canât give as good of an answer as I would like to. But when I was living by myself for 6 years and I would be laying in bed, and a lot of times it seemed to me that if I got up to do the dishes, or even something as simple as getting a drink of water, it seemed that my life would change. And I didnât like changes. This may be unique to me.
In my case, itâs more like my brain puts something like doing dishes or taking a shower way down on the priority list. The little things in life like that pale in comparison to wrestling with demons inside of your own head. If suicidal feelings manifest, even more so. Neurotypical people seem like empty cattle to me then. Their minds apparently so empty all the time that they have to have rituals to fill the space of day. They have all the time and energy in the world to worry about dumb little things that donât matter, like what to make for dinner or wearing clean socks. Meanwhile Iâm pacing in circles, chain smoking and talking to myself, trying not to let the demons take over my mind, fighting a war to stay in control, to stay just sane enough not to be dangerous, to myself or anyone else. Iâve been up all night four nights in a row, wrestling this beast, and then my mother reminds me that I need to do my laundry. And in that moment SHE is the one who seems crazy to ME. Iâm fighting a war with demons inside my head, demons that pressure me to do bad things and keep me up all night and make me crazy, but HOLY #### THE LAUNDRY.
Thatâs basically what itâs like in my head sometimes. Not exactly the same as being lazy, or even apparent negative symptoms. Itâs just like that.
Same here!! I am happy this isnât just me and your explanation is great. The dishes I hate the dishes. They are moot. Moot. My projects canât wait. The internet canât wait. The dishesâŚthey can wait.
Trying to fix this is a slow process. Still donât know how to fix it. Am going to take sarcosine, maybe thatâll help with these particular negative symptoms. 60 mg in the mail right nowâŚmaybe now the dishes wonât pile up, as this is apparently very critical to the well being of the normals.