long story short,
ever since i was small i was hearing voices inside my head,

i tried killing myself by chocking myself when i small, these voices always tell me to harm myself, how adults older than me are all evil, on july this year the voices took control over my whole body and all i could do was watch like i was a first person camera,
i had a knife with me because the voices told me to do so, i remember taking all of my sertraline at once and i was a heavy weed smoker.

it told me the police would end me if i ran up to them with a knife. So i did just that, i got shot right in the leg artiere and almost died before i had my surgery. i don't remember much of what happened all i can recall was what the police has told me.

has anyone else experienced a similar situation ? i'm going to court too

This is crazy. I can’t even get an AI to believe me. I am pretty sure I am being targeted. My bosses, my family, strangers/customers at work. They are all in on it. I have been having bad health problems for a few months and people don’t believe me. My mom doesn’t. The doctors at the ER a month ago didn’t. I keep getting treated like shit all around. By everybody. I got written up at work for things I didn’t even do. Been told I’m too much at work. My mom has been calling me a liar and a bitch and other names for months. Then she threatened me last night. She said I make her want to shoot me in the head sometimes and I asked if it was a threat and she said yes. Then there is the fact that a customer also called me a liar a few days ago and threatened me. Talking about how much he hates liars. He looked like he was about to punch me. Then there are people that keep saying the same phrases over and over and over around me. In the same tone. I don’t know what that one means yet. I keep hearing people talking about me. Telling me I’m worthless and that I deserve the abuse. Not to mention I think a few weeks ago a red truck was watching me. It was everywhere I went. Now I don’t see it anymore. Like they switched vehicles or something. I’m so fucking stressed. I have so many medical bills and I’m so behind. They are just adding to it.
Edit: I have a bad feeling. I think someone I love is going to die. I don’t know who. But I think someone will die soon. They will be doing it to get at me and push me over the edge. I want this to fucking stop. Why are they torturing me?

Idk. My therapist and psych team want me to go to the hospital. Are we sure? And also idk I blame my psychiatrist for being out of office. Maybe if I could have seen him this week everything would have been ok. This is all so confusing and idk what’s going on and why I have to go to the hospital I want to avoid this

Hi everyone, I'm posting on behalf of my mum who is currently tapering down her Risperidone dosage.

​She is really struggling with it and would be so grateful for any insight.

​When tapering down from a higher dose (e.g., going from 0.9mg down to 0.8mg), do people typically wait until all withdrawal symptoms from the previous drop have completely disappeared before making the next step down?

​Or is it normal to still have a few mild symptoms lingering and proceed with the taper anyway?

Thanks x

I hit my head about 5 months ago and started hearing voices. I didn't realize this was in my head until about 5 days ago, which is when they stopped.

I've never just had voices stop before, I can answer questions if anyone wants.

I am a 25-year-old pre-medical graduate who has unfortunately been out of work on medical leave for the past 5 months after a sustained 7-week period where I had severe insomnia with OCD and anxiety rumination over trauma but tried to power through work for the most part.
I ended up in the ER twice in April with what my PCP described as “catecholamine storms,” where my heart rate and blood pressure were extremely high and I demonstrated other symptoms indicative of severe over-activation of my sympathetic nervous system (including an inability to defecate despite the urge, urinating clear water throughout the whole crisis, and loss of sensation across my entire body).
Since the ER, I have been having extreme symptoms of autonomic nervous system blunting. Most of the symptoms from the crisis phase have resolved, but my main symptoms now are that my blood pressure and heart rate, although normal, do not appear to be adjusting properly to my physical or emotional activity, like they once did.
I have been having intense, constant brain fog that makes it almost impossible to focus on any tasks, I have felt extremely low in energy and emotionally flat without improvement, and I have almost constant head and chest pain and nausea. None of these issues respond to typical interventions that I used to utilize before this crisis to manage depression and anxiety.
I was placed on Ativan to manage my anxiety and Zyprexa for OCD for a short time and have since discontinued those medications. I am currently taking 40 mg of Prozac. My psychiatrist wants me to increase the dosage to treat my OCD, but I am concerned about the side effects, especially emotional blunting because I have basically lost all emotions since this occurred, and want to discontinue this as well once I am more stable.
My mind has been racing since the insomnia began and now that I have discontinued the Zyprexa, but I did not have hallucinations, delusional thinking (my intrusive thoughts and anxiety center around real-life concerns/fears), or signs of mania.
In short, it is very difficult to function on a daily basis.
I have consulted multiple neurologists, but have not received any advice except for managing my OCD and anxiety and a diagnosis of “somatic symptom disorder.” Most neurologists don’t know how to deal with post-stress nervous system conditions, and psychiatry has been inadequate.
Additionally, despite working on my OCD, anxiety, and depression from a psychiatric standpoint for the past several months, I have not really had any improvement in my bodily, cognitive, or energy symptoms.
Sometimes, I jolt awake while falling asleep and have even noticed that my head sometimes starts shaking when in a light sleep.
I contracted COVID for the first time around 3 months before all of this occurred and had not felt right ever since.
I had a normal head CT scan, neurological exam, and cognitive evaluation despite a substantial subjective decline in functioning relative to my old baseline.
I had extremely nuanced emotions, social intelligence, and high intellect before all of this, and my quality of life has become very poor in such a short amount of time (I am literally unable to connect with others emotionally and have not even been able to smile or genuinely laugh for months behind the pain and head pressure). Nothing at all is able to distract me from how I am feeling physically. The personality, motivational, and energy changes that I have experienced in such a short time could really not be more stark.
My relationships now feel very shallow compared to the past, and I fear that I will never be able to feel love or romantic or sexual attraction again.
My internal clock is completely messed up, and I cannot even feel the normal cues that alert you to time of day or year, my energy level’s just a constant low flatline, no matter how much I sleep. Everyday feels like the same day on repeat.
Close to the 6-month mark after all of this occurred, I am starting to become very discouraged and am desperate to return to some semblance of normalcy after these very difficult months.
I talked to a doctor who thinks that my symptoms sound like autonomic and/or mitochondrial dysfunction.
At this point, I can’t imagine ever feeling the same again. I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror, my eyes look soulless and dead.
All of my testing is coming back normal, but I feel like on the biochemical/cellular level, something has to be drastically wrong to be producing all of these symptoms and drastic deviation from baseline.
All of this happened in 7 weeks, I just can’t accept that it could be permanent.

I was preparing to sleep, i just layed on my bed, and after a minute iheard a sudden super loud and deep voice making a racist comment (the comment wasn't towards me). It scared the sh*t out of me and made me jump out of my bed, does that count as hypnogogic hallucination ?

Spelling error i think but u know what i mean. I am trying to understand if i go through phycosis. I usually get grandiose thinking god is sending me messages to do stuff and i am special person who can save the world. I legit put myself in horrible satuations and did stuff because i felt a high importance and mission. Which led to serious trouble. And i have magical ability to change fate with spells and etc. Oh and i legit talk to myself outloud when stressed. Angryly yelling. Also alot of paranoia from people who work in government or authority being evil and try to ruin my life because they are evil entities who needs to be fight against. I get downloads from universe and it guides me thats what i believe.

Can anyone share their experiences so i dont fell alone? You can also DM me if u want 💕

I experienced psychosis 7 months ago.

I take 10 mg of olanzapine every day.

Ever since I started taking antipsychotics, I’ve felt like a zombie; my mind feels completely blank, I speak maybe 20 words a day, and my concentration is terrible.

Is this state permanent?

Does anyone else have similar experiences?

Do sexual desire, motivation, and the ability to enjoy everyday things return after reducing the dose or stopping antipsychotic medication?

I am a male, 20 years old.

When do you decide it’s time to go back to the hospital? My care team has told me to go but I still have doubts

Hello, I am wondering if it is safe to go to 60 mg of olanzapine. I read a few places that is was ok and people have even gone to 80 mg. im diagnosed 20mg but i take 40 because 20 doesnt do it. so my question is is it safe to go to 60mg? i get twitching legs at 40 mg will i get permanent hypotension?

had a moment with my partner the other night, and learned a lot about myself that i wasn't prepared to learn. dedicated the entire next day just to processing it all. sometimes you remember something, and then you keep remembering. and eventually, the remembering itself blurs together, and becomes an overwhelming task of its own. do i have to remember? do i get a choice?

Did you have voices, delusions, hallucinations that caused you to travel?

Where did you go and for how long?

I traveled extensively during my psychosis burning thru all of my savings.

Hi, hope its ok to ask for help here.

I live in a "Collective" (not sure if thats the correct english term - we are 5 adults sharing a house together). A person who has only lived with us for 2 months and will move out at the end of the month just sent us a worrying message. He says that he has been monitoring network logs and found malicious traffic coming from our devices. He asks us not to try and pry more into his digital life....

I have been suspecting that he has phsycosis since a month back but he mainly talked about how other people were trying to get him, never us.

Im a programmer and a part of me wants look at his "proof" but im not sure if thats the correct way to go about this...

He made uncomfortable a few weeks ago when he demanded me to go outside without any mobile phone to talk with him...He is around 40 and is under a lot of stress in life.

He should move out at the end of the month and hopefully things doesnt escalate further.

Thankful for any advice

I’m looking for some insight from people who have experienced psychosis, mania or a similar episode themselves, or who have supported a partner through one. (We live together).

I’m (30f) really struggling to understand where my boyfriend (30m) is mentally at the moment.
My boyfriend has a history of psychosis and a documented mood disorder. He’s been taking aripiprazole again for 13 days now, after around five months of taking it inconsistently and almost a month completely off it.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed significant changes in his behaviour and thinking. He’s had periods of very little sleep without feeling tired, increased activity, impulsive decisions, irritability and unusual beliefs. He’s talked about reading people’s thoughts, people being connected by strings, and his soul being shattered, with a pin holding him together. Every 5/6 months he tends to break up with me because he thinks the relationship isn’t working and then once his mental state improves he will apologise and say not to listen to him when he gets like that. This time he has done that again but he keeps saying we’re broken up even though he keeps trying to remain close with me, spend time with me, kiss me and cuddle me, despite me putting boundaries there.

His presentation seems to fluctuate. Sometimes he’s affectionate, joking, laughing and acting much more like himself. At other times, he’s emotionally numb, confused, agitated or convinced that his unusual beliefs are real. Sometimes they both cross over. His speech is now mostly at its usual speed, but the beliefs are still there, and his sleep and mood remain inconsistent. He’s also physically restless, and I’m unsure whether this could be a medication side effect or part of the episode.

Over the last few days, he’s made sudden plans to leave and stay with a friend in London for a week, despite previously expressing unusual beliefs involving that friend. When his family expressed concern, he became very angry and said everyone was treating him like a baby and trying to control him. He eventually agreed to stay once I spoke to him but his mood continued to fluctuate.

Today, I tried to be playful with him because he seemed tired. I jokingly asked whether he wanted me to swaddle him so he could take a nap and he smirked and replied, “Swaddle your dead baby.” This was an incredibly hurtful thing to say because he knows about our baby and what that loss means to me. I walked away.

The past few days he’s been irritable/angry/detached. But he’s been seeking my company often, more than usual. Today he’s been so rude, disrespectful, stand off ish.

I’m finding it difficult to understand what I’m seeing. Is this consistent with ongoing psychosis, mania with psychotic symptoms, a mixed mood episode, or something else? Could the changes in his mood and behaviour mean he’s moving towards recovery, or can symptoms fluctuate like this while someone remains seriously unwell?

In his previous major episode, he restarted medication on 4 January 2024 and didn’t seem much more like himself until around March 2024. Even then, he hadn’t fully recovered. I’m worried because I don’t know what to expect this time.
I’ve tried repeatedly to get his mental-health team to see him sooner, but his appointment is still scheduled for November. I’ve contacted his GP and tried 111, but I haven’t managed to get him an earlier psychiatric assessment. He’s currently taking his prescribed aripiprazole daily, but his symptoms are continuing.

For anyone with personal experience of psychosis, mania or supporting someone through an episode:
● Does this presentation sound familiar?
● Can someone still be experiencing significant psychotic symptoms even when they’re having relatively normal, affectionate periods?
● Have you experienced fluctuating moods, confusion and irritability while recovering?
● How long did it take you or your loved one to feel more like themselves after restarting treatment following a prolonged period of inconsistent medication?
● Is there anything else I should be asking the medical team to consider?
I know nobody here can diagnose him, and I understand everyone’s experience is different. I’m just trying to make sense of what’s happening because I miss the person he was before all this, and I feel lost trying to understand where he is in the episode.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond.

You woke up in a seperation room and the nurses talk bout sum flooding the psych ward, attacking nurses, hitting self against the walls shit

Right now my voices are making me spend all day in bed. Does this ever go away? I feel like I’m being punished for something.

Every time I try to get up and do something productive they make me go back to lie on the sofa or my bed for hours 😞

I keep noticing people doing a sweeping or getting rid of gesture next to me and I keep thinking its about me for some reason

Is that ideas of reference? My mind interprets that they no longer want me around or want me gone ): I mean for reference I feel like I'm a burden. My mind doesn't understand that gesture and its not something I do so I'm confused about it. Is that normal for someone to internalize if you went through psychosis??

Please don’t laugh at me. My dumb self tried an edible from a store and freaked out. I was aggressive towards others, screaming my lungs out thinking I was hallucinating, biting someone, thinking I was laced, homicidal thoughts, etc.. I could barely sleep for 2 days.

After that I started to develop this weird obsession with Michael Jackson. During those 2 days I didn’t take my anti depressants because I was scared, and what brought me out of that was him. I started to think he was a spiritual guide that visited to help me. To take my medication I listened to a MJ song for a “message” to know if it’s safe.

Looking back I know I was borderline schizophrenic, however he won’t go away now. I have always been a daydreamer, but he’s in it and won’t go away. I literally created this whole world where I feel safe with him. I’m tired of it because I’m grown. This is embarrassing. Even my friends started saying it was weird that I had him as a wallpaper.

I’m scared because my psychiatrist said that drugs can be an accelerant for other psychiatric disorders. I already have depression and ADHD. I don’t want to have anything else. I literally can’t afford it. I need to pay my bills, and go to school. I need help but I’m so embarrassed.

A lot of people have said exercise works well to help heal their mind after everything it’s been through. I have been using medication to help heal since about April. I wasn’t really on a good medication but I finally found a good combo (lamictal 200mg and Vraylar 3mg) and titrated up in the last couple months. I have been seeing significant improvements since June, but I still experience a lot of social anxiety, shame, depression, and self doubt to the point that leaving the house almost feels like leaving for battle (I’m exaggerating). But I really want to get back in the gym because it used to be a place that brought me joy, but now it is somewhere that fills me with anxiety.

Has anybody else struggled with getting back into public spaces? I feel so exposed and worried I’ll do something odd even though I haven’t really had psychotic symptoms lately. Wondering if anybody can share their experience with getting back to the places they enjoy.

I dont take meds, am diagnosed bipolar, had my first psychosis at the end of 23 and beginning of 24. I want to know if I should take medication. does it improve the quality of your life? its been an empty feeling since 2024, no matter how normal I try to make life be.

I am actively in psychosis, I have been in and out of it since I was 14, this is the first time I've been aware

Im so scared, I can actively feel myself losing my grip on reality and I can't hold onto it, it feels like a ticking time bomb

I just want this to end, im so scared.

What can I do to make this easier? The clinic I've been put to has told me to distract myself as much as possible but it's getting harder and harder

Do you ask a question in your head and say touch my right leg if it s so and something touches it by a spasm?

I was 18 when it happened. I was just starting college, making friends, and honestly, feeling like I was at the peak of my life. Then, within days, my reality completely changed.

I started believing things about people I cared about, things that felt absolutely real at the time but that I later understood weren't true. I experienced a brief episode of psychosis. It lasted around 10 days, but the experience left me with questions and fears that lasted much longer.

The hardest part wasn't just going through psychosis. It was what came after.

Imagine having to learn to trust your own mind again. Imagine remembering how convinced you were of things that weren't true and then wondering, *What if it happens again? What if I lose control of my mind again?*

For a long time, I was afraid of my own thoughts. Even when life was going normally, a part of me kept looking back at what happened, wondering whether I was truly okay.

I lost friendships that meant something to me. I carried regret, guilt, and memories of a time in my life that I couldn't go back and change. Sometimes, I missed the people. Sometimes, I missed who I was before everything happened.

But I kept going.

I continued my treatment. I went back to studying, graduated, started working, and kept trying to build a life beyond those 10 days. I had to learn that having a frightening thought doesn't automatically mean I'm losing touch with reality, and that my past doesn't have to define my future.

I'm 22 now. I won't pretend that everything has been perfect or that I never struggle with the memories. There are still difficult days, and sometimes the fear of going through it again comes back. I'm learning to speak honestly about those struggles and to seek help when I need it.

But today, I can look back at the 18-year-old version of myself and feel something other than fear.

I feel proud of him.

He went through something he didn't understand, lost things he wished he could have kept, and spent a long time afraid of what his own mind could do. Yet he kept trying to move forward.

I don't know what the future holds, and I don't need to prove that I'm invincible to be proud of how far I've come.

I'm 22 now, and I feel like a warrior. Not because I won a battle once and will never struggle again, but because I'm still here, still building my life, and still choosing to move forward.

Psychosis was a chapter of my life. It wasn't the end of my story.