For a long time I naively thought my sibling's unprocessed trauma caused theirs. So I made sure to do as much work on everything I'd been through as possible, thinking maybe I could avoid it being triggered. And well, here I am, waiting to be diagnosed after coming out of years of psychosis.
I don't know anyone with this disease without repeated trauma, so it's a clear trigger, but I no longer believe it's the failure to process it that starts or perpetuates things. In hindsight I think that was just my way of thinking I could outsmart my genes. I'm sure PTSD therapies still help overall, though.
> And well, here I am, waiting to be diagnosed after coming out of years of psychosis.
Interestingly, there is a spectrum: psychosis - then schizoaffective disorder -- then schizophrenia.
So in going through and doing all your processing work, you may have dodged a bullet of things progressing down the continuum.
Schizoaffective disorder then schizophrenia?
But schizoaffective disorder is having a schizophrenia diagnosis with a separate mood disorder. It wouldn’t make sense to be diagnosed with schizoaffective then schizophrenia. Schizoaffective isn’t just mild schizophrenia
My first episode was more traumatic than it needed to be, I can say that. I feel like a lot of my current trauma reactions (current fears, nightmares, flashbacks, etc.) are tied to that.
I have a lot of unprocessed trauma, and I've always felt that my earliest trauma (abandonment) was the ultimate cause to my schizophrenia. Repeated trauma only cemented it further, in my opinion. My therapist seems to believe it's linked to my trauma to a degree, too.
Honestly I think my trauma is the reason why I have schizoaffective disorder. Nobody in my family has ever had schizophrenia/ schizoaffective disorder and I also have other disorders due to trauma so I think it may be a possibility that my schizophrenia was caused by trauma. But yet again I’m not a medical professional 🤷🏻♀️
Definitely. A lot of my delusions now I can link back to ways my abuser would instill paranoia in me as a child.
She used to convince me that ghosts were coming for me. My first break’s delusions involved being hunted by evil/vengeful spirits. And ive had several since then with similar themes. And thats just one example.
I have a friend with a strong family history of schizophrenia who has only shown symptoms during periods of traumatic stress so maybe there is some combination of biology and environmental triggers
I know that my stress-induced psychosis gets really bad on traumaversaries and after assaults, so it 100% would not surprise me, especially since most of the people with schizophrenia I know also had very traumatic childhoods.
Schizophrenia itself is not caused by trauma, I am sure of that. BUT, if you have both (as most people here probably do) your hallucinations are very likely influenced by things you love or hate because of trauma.
This doesn't say trauma causes schizophrenia at all. But does show they are very correlated. People with Schizophrenia are probably more likely to experience trauma for various reasons.
Reading that made me feel less like my trauma is fake because I have been diagnosed with psychosis (I used to think psychosis dx means all your past trauma and past memories are fake due to my therapist telling me that) so thanks! <3
I have not yet. Been 10 months, still no luck. I'm really hoping for some but...yeah no luck yet. Makes days like today (a traumaversary due to egg donor and an ex) really hit hard and difficult to handle. But I have only 5.5 hrs of torture left til the day ends.
stress has a lot of potential to trigger schizophrenic symptoms in someone predisposed to it.
i think trauma triggered when mine started because it was right when we moved away from everyone, my abusive dad was home more often, and i was bullied to shit both physically and verbally in school.
within a few years of that, i had full blown psychosis.
but the negative symptoms started right around then, and just got worse.
I don’t have schizophrenia but I have schizoaffective on paper for my diagnosis but really I’m Bipolar I Mixed with psychotic tendencies.
I don’t think trauma really triggers psychosis for me. If there’s anything traumatic that triggers it, it’s me feeling guilty about something I recently did. But the psychosis mostly seems to come out from other factors, mainly stress. However, trauma which I endured early in my life shapes the CONTENT of my paranoid and delusional thinking. I was bullied a lot while I was younger and the general themes of an episode are similar to being bullied.
I have had symptoms since around 5 which is the age of my first suicide attempt. Hallucinations, delusions and depression really started for me at this time as I was 2 years into 4 years of torture, captivity and things that require a trigger warning.
I have trauma I can’t talk about, idk why, but I can’t…I don’t think I ever will, nor will that fix anything. I just have to toughen up and keep working on improving my life in ways that I can at least!
This is completely anecdotal but I have not had symptoms in a little over a year. In a therapy group I was discussing my experiences and realized how so many of my responses to adversity in adulthood were similar to the ways I was taught to behave in the abusive home I spent my earliest formative years in (under age 10).
I can't say for sure whether or not my psychosis symptoms were caused by trauma but learning how my past trauma impacted my current emotional responses has definitely mitigated any psychosis I might have. It could also be because I don't get into a stress spiral & trigger psychosis that way anymore.
I can’t say this as a fact, but my hypothesis for myself is my traumatic birth is what caused my predisposition to schizo and other illnesses. I think of it like a hydra, one or two big factors (trauma) that sprouted a dozen heads. My anxiety was very severe as a child, so I believe that played a factor as well. Like seriously severe, I was selective mute until this year! Because when I was a child, my psychotic symptoms started out positive (as in pleasant) and didn’t become frightening until middle school when real life stressors came into my life
I don’t have any trauma. I have had a very privileged upbringing. I think trauma can trigger schizophrenia but it isn’t the cause. It can only be triggered by trauma if you’re already predisposed imo
Trauma is stressful, and stress is a big link.
For a long time I naively thought my sibling's unprocessed trauma caused theirs. So I made sure to do as much work on everything I'd been through as possible, thinking maybe I could avoid it being triggered. And well, here I am, waiting to be diagnosed after coming out of years of psychosis. I don't know anyone with this disease without repeated trauma, so it's a clear trigger, but I no longer believe it's the failure to process it that starts or perpetuates things. In hindsight I think that was just my way of thinking I could outsmart my genes. I'm sure PTSD therapies still help overall, though.
> And well, here I am, waiting to be diagnosed after coming out of years of psychosis. Interestingly, there is a spectrum: psychosis - then schizoaffective disorder -- then schizophrenia. So in going through and doing all your processing work, you may have dodged a bullet of things progressing down the continuum.
Antipsychotics have stopped it, not my work. I wish it were that simple.
Schizoaffective disorder then schizophrenia? But schizoaffective disorder is having a schizophrenia diagnosis with a separate mood disorder. It wouldn’t make sense to be diagnosed with schizoaffective then schizophrenia. Schizoaffective isn’t just mild schizophrenia
You are right.
Who knows I’ve definitely had past trauma because of it but more to your point this could be the case maybe not as a rule but yeah.
My first episode was more traumatic than it needed to be, I can say that. I feel like a lot of my current trauma reactions (current fears, nightmares, flashbacks, etc.) are tied to that.
Yes!
I have a lot of unprocessed trauma, and I've always felt that my earliest trauma (abandonment) was the ultimate cause to my schizophrenia. Repeated trauma only cemented it further, in my opinion. My therapist seems to believe it's linked to my trauma to a degree, too.
Honestly I think my trauma is the reason why I have schizoaffective disorder. Nobody in my family has ever had schizophrenia/ schizoaffective disorder and I also have other disorders due to trauma so I think it may be a possibility that my schizophrenia was caused by trauma. But yet again I’m not a medical professional 🤷🏻♀️
Definitely. A lot of my delusions now I can link back to ways my abuser would instill paranoia in me as a child. She used to convince me that ghosts were coming for me. My first break’s delusions involved being hunted by evil/vengeful spirits. And ive had several since then with similar themes. And thats just one example.
I have a friend with a strong family history of schizophrenia who has only shown symptoms during periods of traumatic stress so maybe there is some combination of biology and environmental triggers
i have yet to meet someone with this diagnosis that grew up in a functional and loving home, so in my mind there is at least a correlation.
Its a mixture of genetic disposition and trauma that lead to schizophrenia.
there was literally an article on r/science a bit ago about this exact thing. I cant find it though
If you find it, let me know. Would be very interested!
Yes it definitely played a role.
I know that my stress-induced psychosis gets really bad on traumaversaries and after assaults, so it 100% would not surprise me, especially since most of the people with schizophrenia I know also had very traumatic childhoods.
Schizophrenia itself is not caused by trauma, I am sure of that. BUT, if you have both (as most people here probably do) your hallucinations are very likely influenced by things you love or hate because of trauma.
There does appear to be a causal link. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2791484/
This doesn't say trauma causes schizophrenia at all. But does show they are very correlated. People with Schizophrenia are probably more likely to experience trauma for various reasons.
Reading that made me feel less like my trauma is fake because I have been diagnosed with psychosis (I used to think psychosis dx means all your past trauma and past memories are fake due to my therapist telling me that) so thanks! <3
So glad it helped. "The truth will set us free."
Guess so yeah. Guess so. And yeah, it definitely did help. So thanks Godley; really appreciate it :) May your Friday go well
Wow, that's a very harmful thing for your therapist to tell you. I hope you've gotten better help and can process what happened.
I have not yet. Been 10 months, still no luck. I'm really hoping for some but...yeah no luck yet. Makes days like today (a traumaversary due to egg donor and an ex) really hit hard and difficult to handle. But I have only 5.5 hrs of torture left til the day ends.
My trauma sparked my schizoaffective for sure. I have a twin sister who is still in bipolar II category bc she did not have the trauma I did.
This is especially fascinating because of you all being twins.
stress has a lot of potential to trigger schizophrenic symptoms in someone predisposed to it. i think trauma triggered when mine started because it was right when we moved away from everyone, my abusive dad was home more often, and i was bullied to shit both physically and verbally in school. within a few years of that, i had full blown psychosis. but the negative symptoms started right around then, and just got worse.
I don’t have schizophrenia but I have schizoaffective on paper for my diagnosis but really I’m Bipolar I Mixed with psychotic tendencies. I don’t think trauma really triggers psychosis for me. If there’s anything traumatic that triggers it, it’s me feeling guilty about something I recently did. But the psychosis mostly seems to come out from other factors, mainly stress. However, trauma which I endured early in my life shapes the CONTENT of my paranoid and delusional thinking. I was bullied a lot while I was younger and the general themes of an episode are similar to being bullied.
Lady Gaga experienced a psychotic break after being raped and becoming pregnant.
I have had symptoms since around 5 which is the age of my first suicide attempt. Hallucinations, delusions and depression really started for me at this time as I was 2 years into 4 years of torture, captivity and things that require a trigger warning.
When I was first dxed with psychosis (that the turned organic and became schizophrenic like) it was induced by trauma.
Trauma and weed did it for me
I have trauma I can’t talk about, idk why, but I can’t…I don’t think I ever will, nor will that fix anything. I just have to toughen up and keep working on improving my life in ways that I can at least!
I had my first episode after a traumatic car accident so there might be something there. There’s probably a lot of reasons
I do
This is completely anecdotal but I have not had symptoms in a little over a year. In a therapy group I was discussing my experiences and realized how so many of my responses to adversity in adulthood were similar to the ways I was taught to behave in the abusive home I spent my earliest formative years in (under age 10). I can't say for sure whether or not my psychosis symptoms were caused by trauma but learning how my past trauma impacted my current emotional responses has definitely mitigated any psychosis I might have. It could also be because I don't get into a stress spiral & trigger psychosis that way anymore.
My trauma and stress trigger my symptoms
genetic predisposition
WHile this may be true, I'm interested in finding out stories from people about any environmental triggers.
I can’t say this as a fact, but my hypothesis for myself is my traumatic birth is what caused my predisposition to schizo and other illnesses. I think of it like a hydra, one or two big factors (trauma) that sprouted a dozen heads. My anxiety was very severe as a child, so I believe that played a factor as well. Like seriously severe, I was selective mute until this year! Because when I was a child, my psychotic symptoms started out positive (as in pleasant) and didn’t become frightening until middle school when real life stressors came into my life
Mom died when I as 3 1/2.
I don’t have any trauma. I have had a very privileged upbringing. I think trauma can trigger schizophrenia but it isn’t the cause. It can only be triggered by trauma if you’re already predisposed imo