How do you deal with a stolen youth?

Health and Recovery
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This illness hits us when we are in our prime. I can’t work or study, nor do I think I can find a gf.

I’m glad I’m not blind, or sit in a wheelchair. But still, being psychotic isn’t exactly a picknick in the park.

I was 26-27 years old when I started having symptoms.

How do you guys deal that this illness robs you of what should be the best years of your life? How do you deal with a stolen youth?

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I’m just thankful for what I still have. Got sz at 22 years old now I’m 33

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I was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 22-years old but have experienced negative symptoms since I was 20-years old. I had a promising career with “Big Blue a.k.a. IBM” after graduating from a 2-year technical trades school. All the “could have been’s” with my youth (early 20s) stolen from me due to psychosis, hospitalization stays, psychiatric therapy, thoughts & plans of suicide, medication side effects…etc… This mental health disease is extremely disabilitating.

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It did not “hit me in my prime” technically. I was in early 40’s when I was diagnosed.

But I still lost an electrical job, quit a security job because of psychotic thoughts, SO I lost my 2 jobs because of it, lost a house because I no longer had the income to maintain. Lost years in psychotic episodes traveling and trying to escape and such.

Even though I was diagnosed early 40’s I probably had my first major symptom around 40. I will admit that IM glad it didnt happen sooner with me but it still damaged me significantly. It just means that i recovered that much later in life.

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My answer would be to try to build back your stolen youth if possible. That’s is what I am doing.

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It’s rare to develop schizophrenia after your 40’s. Interesting that you did.

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I was going to post the same thing. After 40s psychosis & schizophrenia diagnosis is rare.

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I want to start working out again. I’m going to join a Thai boxing gym.

But I’m scared because I’m terribly out of shape, I’m on 4 different drugs and I’m old. Lol.

I hope they don’t kill us the first few classes.

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The human body degenerates starting in your 30s, 40s and 50s… One has to face the facts that you are not as youthful, strong with enduring stamina & strength. My youthful time stolen from me due to schizophrenia. Time wasted on suicidal thoughts & planing, psychosis, hospitalization and whatever else is included in the “schizophrenia prize package”. No “normal” or “average” or “regular” person would behave, think, act or go through what we have.

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I got sick when I was 30. I was prodromal from the age of 26-27. Before that I suffered from anxiety and Depression.

I’m 43 today and I feel a lot better thanks to meds. I’m stable, I have less negs etc.

But I’m also pre-diabetic and I’m overweight.

So much time wasted on to nothing!

I need to start building up my stamina, endurance and flexibility. Sure, I’m not expecting to be as fit as when I was in my 20’s. But something can be done.

There are 50-60 year olds doing marathons and competing in CrossFit. Being in your 40’s doesn’t mean it all ends.

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@Speedy I am in my late 40s. You grow white hair and notice that the once youthful self has gone and passed. High school classmates are married with kids, raising their families whereas we, schizophrenics… well most of us are stuck single. I am a diabetic and need to take make metaformin as well as Ozempic. Just filling myself with all these medications when a normal person is healthy enough to no need these prescriptions. As for stamina, endurance and flexibility… I am sure you could get back into your physically healthy self but it won’t be the same as if you were in your 20s.

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I was severely ill from ages 19-21, I didn’t think I’d ever get better, I suffered horribly while hospitalized for 8 months in 1982. My first three years with the disease I often felt hopeless, suicidal and like giving up. By some miracle I got out of the hospital and started getting better. I started working and went to college and made friends. I figure everything after that 8 months in the hospital is a bonus and I’m lucky I’ve been able to do what I’ve done. Before I got sick I wasn’t doing much, just working low paying jobs and doing drugs and my car got stolen and I abandoned my friends so I didn’t really lose much. I suffered but my life was going nowhere anyways. I went downhill for a few years after getting diagnosed but pulled out of it.

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I was also 26-27.

Fortunately I didn’t develop hebephrenia in teen years.

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I passed my early adulthood struggling with school and anxiety

What I give myself sometimes to enjoy life is travel

When I travel it makes me anxious but I’m usually glad in the end traveling

I enjoyed youth life to the fullest when I was in French Caribbean during my gap year

I went to parties, eating outside, to the beach

It was a good time

Weirdly when I travel I’m so motivated I could work in a farm like that when I traveled in Italy (when it’s usually difficult to just work 2 hours per day)

I think you could try to go to parties,enjoy every celebration (wear a costume and go outside during Halloween for example)

One of my dreams is to celebrate Halloween in the US

I would like to go to Thai New Year too(people throw water to each other in the streets to celebrate)

I’m interested by the Tomatina in Spain(throwing tomatoes at people and receiving tomatoes on you), seems fun

Try to put some charming childhood like activities in your every day life like watching anime, listening to openings/musics from your childhood

I’m still a kid in my head, I listen to music for children sometimes, it makes me happy

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i do boxing, i heard it helps rewire the brain. because you have to learn all types of combinations

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I have not known much different tbh

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@Speedy i was diagnosed at 38. It’s rare to be diagnosed later but I guess not super rare.

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My life turned out completely different to what I expected it would back in high school. My sza changed my life, made it mediocre. Dreams gone, my life is very ordinary now. But I’m content. I have a lovely husband, a lovely little house by the sea, my parents and siblings and food and books. So I can’t complain much.

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My life was very wild in my youth,drugs drinking messing with gf’s.

I’m glad i I’m medicated,and this illness was warning for me to stop doing sh…

Don’t feel like anything was stolen from me ..

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Boarding school 8-18, bullied, no friends, poorly coordinated,socially awkward, shy then socially phobic, moderate to severe executive dysfunction, academic underachiever, young for my age re being independent, There were no wonderful teenage years.

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