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Administrator
Administrator
14915 Posts
Gratitude: 577
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 Posted - 09/23/2007 : 13:22:42
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Dear Members,
Research has shown that social withdrawal is often a problem in both schizophrenia and depression.
Social Withdrawal is defined as:
Prefers to be alone; does not seek or enjoy the company of others. Could you please tell our community if social withdrawal was part of your schizophenia, and what made this better or worse.
Your comments will greatly help others facing these same problems.
Phil Long M.D.
Administrator 
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| firebird
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)
1555 Posts
Gratitude: 525
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Posted - 09/23/2007 : 16:13:18
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I am somewhere in the middle. I am ready to be friendly and most people find me so.
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| peewee
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)
1520 Posts
Gratitude: 486
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Posted - 09/27/2007 : 05:30:40
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People were fond of me in general before I developed schizophrenia but when I became ill I don't know how many of the symptoms were openly exposed but I lost my friends. They were shocked to have me as a friend for so many years and see me drift away into a mentally ill person almost overnight. They were afraid and avoided me. I was embarrassed because I was paranoid and never knew if they knew I was hearing voices, and getting disgusting thoughts and delusions and hallucinations.
I made some christian friends during that time but they were more of acquaintances - saying hello and how are you etc. Short conversations. If they spoke to me it felt like my head was spinning and I could hardly hear them - like I was miles and miles away from them but they were sitting right next to me and I couldn't get a grip with reality.
The years would go by, birthdays would go by and there was no phone calls from anyone. I was on my own for quite a while after my ex-boyfriend broke up with me after nine months, I was apparently very temperamental and a nutcase because I didn't approve of the hold his ex-wife and child had on him.
I stayed at home, I was very restless, I couldn't sit still for one minute, my leg would move constantly and I would be agitated and I would blink my eyes often and would be embarrassed to be in the public eye and I would spend my days at home and would scrub and clean every object, wall and floor there was in the house - I became totally obsessive with shopping, eating health foods, certain music, my sex-appeal, tanning, the bible and that kept me away from people and then I would sleep for days on end not knowing what day or month or year it was telling myself that God was going to stop these people from harrassing my mind and will go away. So again I was away from people.
I mostly suffered from serious anxiety when my father told me to leave his home so I stayed with my ex's friends but they were afrikaans so they had a different culture and I never spoke much - I struggled to make conversation and the symptoms of agitation showed quite alot so I went out and did voluntary work. I never really had any female friends sadly enough, I had male friends but they always wanted to have a relationship with me which was a let down but I went on to meet my husband but his friends might have picked up something weird about me and made it clear that they didn't like me which was very humiliating because if only they knew how much rejection I was experiencing over and over again because of this illness.
However, I started working for my first law firm and I couldn't mingle with all the girls as they were really ****y so I kept it proffessional. Even here at my present place of employment I keep my friendships proffessional. I still don't have any close female friends even though it's been two and half years that I have been medicated - granted yes I have two but we see each other when we see each other - we are not close like best friends.
I know I am now capable of having friendships with girls because I am well on medication but I'm not bubbly and spontaneous which most girls are when they are together in each other's company. That I would say is part of the illness, partly because I'm in my 30's and maturing and because I have hectic life of working, housework, a husband to take care of and a very active toddler that drains all energy out of the parent so when I do get to have a conversation with a woman face to face I'm friendly and reserved, not laughing and joking which does not make me very popular but I know that as time goes by I will make female friends because I'm capable of holding conversations now and initiating many topics to talk about.
I still struggle though with direct questions because my mind is a bit slow in gathering my thoughts and feelings to answer there "Hello, how are you, how's your week been" My goodness, I can't even remember what I did in the morning, how on earth am I supposed to remember how my week was -I've forgotten" But if I had a close enough friend who understood my illness they would understand that.
Good point Peewee, It is very hard to be friendly when, because of Schizophrenia, you can't understand what people are saying to you. My patients tell me that, when they were not on antipsychotic medication, they could attend lectures or watch television and not comprehend what was being said. It was like the other person was talking in a strange foreign language. Also, when not on antipsychotic medication, these patients couldn't read for more than 10-15 minutes because of their poor concentration. Their memory was also poor, and they often couldn't remember conversations they had the day before. These problems with poor concentration, poor memory, and difficulty understanding speech can often dramatically improve on antipsychotic medication. Peewee it sounds like your problems with poor concentration, poor memory, and difficulty understanding speech have dramatically improved since you started antipsychotic medication. You now are gainfully employed and functioning well as a wife and mother. That is an amazing accomplishment. You are to be congratulated. Phil Long M.D.
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| Linden_Rose
Full Member (100+ posts)
177 Posts
Gratitude: 57
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Posted - 11/24/2007 : 19:46:31
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Other people, especially my family say that I am rude. I really don't mean to be rude or irritable, but I have all of this inner turmoil inside of me. For example, I hear inside my head my mother saying irritating things to me and things that don't make any sense. These things make me feel angry at her. Maybe I'm delusional. I really don't know. I find that the more and more that I hear these rants in my head, the angrier that I get at my mom. |
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| FinkPloyd
Starting Member
24 Posts
Gratitude: 5
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Posted - 12/22/2007 : 01:55:36
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Hey, regarding what you said about not being able to understand what people are saying, how does that work? For me, I can hear each individual word and understand it, but my memory is so bad I normally forget what theyre talking about before theyre finished talking. Listening is a somewhat background process for me, and I usually preoccupy myself with something else, with all the voices bouncing around upstairs... 
Guitars are the best interface to the soul. |
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| jo73
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)
1407 Posts
Gratitude: 157
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Posted - 05/29/2008 : 12:46:51
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hi administrater i know i proberbly havent possed right but i am a new member and unsure as to wot is wrong with me i have read all the stuff on schizophrenia and think it sounds like me but im not sure maybe u could tell me wot u think.
my husband passed away last year i also got raped that same year then at the begining of this year i lost my 3 year old son, i drinking alot more beer and self medicating and i also self harm , i have overdosed 2 times this year . i see and hear my husband all the time and hear my son crying i have nightmares every nite in wich paul ( my husband) is strangling me, i see spiders all the time and feel like something is crawling on me or inside me, i hear voices in me head and lts like having a constant argument but in my head and i always think people can hear it the voices r most of the time telling me to do things that i know i shouldnt. can u please give me some advice thanx joxx |
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| jane_m
New Member
67 Posts
Gratitude: 27
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Posted - 07/12/2008 : 21:40:31
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| I like being alone. I hate phone calls or anyone going over. I want to be left alone. The only people I talk to is medical people and I use to not do that until the symptoms made me afraid. I'm dealing with alot of physical and mental problems at the same time. I usually know which is which. But am having a hard time making people believe me until I ended up with an emergency pacemaker. |
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| hercules21
Incredible Member (2000+ posts)
5726 Posts
Gratitude: 435
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Posted - 04/17/2009 : 22:54:55
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I hope things improve for you Chump and that you are able to get help to stop the voices and that you can function outside and not be so isolated.
When I had a psychosis I became socially isolated as well. It is physically painful to have the embarrassment of having your thoughts broadcast. Therefore I wouldn't leave the house unless I had to.
My mother figured I was depressed which lead to me being put on anti depressants later by the doctor. But it had nothing to do with depression. It is just painful to go outside when you are in that state.
Luckily I didn't really suffer from voices. Thought broadcasting was bad enough. |
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| Tommy C.
Starting Member
20 Posts
Gratitude: 5
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Posted - 08/12/2009 : 21:20:44
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| I used to do a lot of comedy stuff. Now I don't do that stuff anymore. I only perform now when my boss at work wants me to. My doctor wants me to perform more, he thinks it's good for me or something. But, I won't do it unless my boss sets up another puppet slam. |
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| coconutvaper
Starting Member
18 Posts
Gratitude: 11
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Posted - 05/18/2010 : 14:45:36
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I'm really not sure I have schizophrenia. The diagnostic tool at this site did diagnose it, but it was on just one symptom so I'm not sure.
I don't have any hallucinations of any sort, I just believe that I am guilty and deserve to be punished. I've done some pretty lousy things in my life, so I'm just really not sure that my guilt is unfounded.
At any rate I am socially withdrawn. I like being alone. I live with my soon-to-be-ex and my son and sometimes I catch myself wishing that they weren't around. I love my son and I often enjoy his company, yet I day dream about being a hermit and seeing no one for months on end.
I work from home, I rarely get out other than to grocery shop or run errands. I see my therapist once a week.
I remember when I used to have friends and sometimes I miss it, yet I really don't feel like I can meet people or nurture friendships. Friends call each other, go places together, plan things, confide in each other, etc - and when I try to do those things, it feels fake. It feels like I'm being phony and only pretending to care. I feel like I don't really know how to act in front of others. It's just easier to be alone. I can be myself and be really genuine when I am alone.
Sometimes I think I am just not able to really care about others. I only care about myself - oh then that guilt comes in.
Vicious circle. |
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| runningeagleruns
Starting Member
10 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2011 : 18:52:12
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| I withdraw from people cuz the nasty voices that come out of most people. |
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| aspierob
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)
1119 Posts
Gratitude: 88
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Posted - 06/05/2011 : 22:59:02
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I have a double whammy when it comes to social withdrawal , i was already socially withdrawn with aspergers syndrome , then i got schizophrenia, and became even more withdrawn , now i have no friends except the ones i have on the internet , and the internet is the only socialization i do now
there is a fine line between genius and insanity , if you can learn to walk the line , you can rule the world .unfortunately i keep falling into the insanity side |
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| fleurette
Incredible Member (2000+ posts)
3282 Posts
Gratitude: 292
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Posted - 05/02/2012 : 07:14:45
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I have had some periods of time of social withdrawal on and off
When the social withdrawal is severe I spend too much time on the computer, which isn't as helpful. What made it better was to journal or talk to a few people and including going outside for a walk and fresh air.
What made it worse is if I keep obsessing over the same thoughts and worries that ruminated in my mind. This can be controlled when I practice some distraction techniques and simple household tasks which makes my mind clear and free of worry.
It is true reading takes a lot of concentration and if I can stick to one book. I do eventually finish it, and it is a good way of spending my time when I do feel social withdrawal.
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| warbird
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
100629 Posts |
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| warbird
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
100629 Posts |
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| warbird
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
100629 Posts |
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Topic |
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Do You Have Problems With Social Withdrawal?
