I'm asking because some of the issues I'm having, even while medicated, sound a lot like ADHD symptoms. I definitely have schizophrenia though, and some of my (admittedly brief) research has suggested you can't have both because they're caused by opposite problems (too much vs. not enough dopamine). So. Is my schizophrenia not being managed as well as I'd thought, and that's why focusing is still so difficult (and might be getting worse, I can't keep track of what my brain is doing when the main problem is it refuses to do)? Or can you actually have both, or...? My psychiatrist doesn't think I have ADHD, but apparently the test he used is unusual for ADHD in that it's a reaction test. On the other hand he works at an ADHD clinic too, so I'd assume he must know something about it? My talk therapist thought I did/might have ADHD, but accepted the psychiatrist's judgement. If you can't have both, does anyone know of ways to make a schizophrenic brain focus better? I don't know what to do, and thinking is hard lately so I'm not sure how to attempt figuring out what to do either.
are you on any antipsychotics perchance? i'm not a doctor but i know from personal experience a lot of them can majorly fuck with your attention span/overall focus, especially over time (because most of them take time to work).
yeah, I am, have been for a long time by now (several years). I get weird without them though, so I don't think cutting them's a good option either. :|a ETA: Abilify, if that makes a difference.
oh, no no i didn't mean stopping them, i just meant if it was that you might consider weighing the cons of not being able to focus with how you feel without them, or considering trying another medication/dosage (basically just repeating things i was told when my focus issues were exacerbated when i started taking medication -_-). if you've been taking it years and this is more recent it probably isn't that. but again, i'm not a doctor. sorry i couldn't be of more help!
Oop, no, didn't mean stopping without my doctor's say-so, do not be worried. |D Thank you for the advice you could provide! :)
From the DSM-V for ADHD: " The symptoms do not happen only during the course of schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder." I'm not a doctor, so grain of salt and all, so I'm assuming this means while you're untreated/not on meds. But if the meds can cause ADHD-like symptoms it's tough to say. Definitely a professional opinion is needed. Also, looking at the criteria for ADHD, the symptoms needed to have presented in childhood, at least some. So maybe try to think about your behavior when younger? For reference: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html
Ah, thanks for the link! Also for the clarification that the symptoms needed to be from so early on, the symptoms I've noticed are notably not how I was when I was young, they're a more recent development. And getting back to the link, a lot of the identifying symptoms don't fit great even now-- I've got more sorta 'anecdotal-level' symptoms, if that makes sense? Like "I used to be able to read a lot, now reading anything is really hard, why". So whatever's going on with me is probably schizophrenia or med related. I'm going to bring this stuff up with my psychiatrist at my upcoming appointment, and the extra information (like the ways ADHD doesn't fit) will be very useful! With my current trouble braining, I don't think I could have figured out where to look for this info on my own, so thanks once again for the link. :D
