Schizophrenia Psychotic Break with Headaches
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- A Personal Account: Debilitating Headaches, Psychosis, and Schizophrenia at a Young Age. My schizophrenia was preceded by debilitating headaches that led to psychotic symptoms. In this video, I address the question: "Can Headaches Cause Psychosis?" First, I discuss the onset of my headaches and psychosis. I then bring my dad on to discuss my medical history.
Today, I want to share a deeply personal experience that has shaped my life and mental health journey. Many of you know I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which has presented its fair share of challenges. However, you might not be aware that my schizophrenia was preceded by debilitating headaches that eventually led to psychotic symptoms. In this post, I will address the question, "Can headaches cause psychosis?" I'll discuss the onset of my headaches and psychosis and bring my dad on to discuss my medical history. My story began with a psychotic break in 2012 when I was 12.
The Onset of Debilitating Headaches
My experience with headaches started a few weeks before my psychotic break. At first, they seemed relatively benign. I didn't pay much attention to them and assumed they were stress-related. I took over-the-counter painkillers to manage the pain, hoping they would provide some relief.
However, within a short span of three weeks, my headaches escalated in both frequency and intensity. I began to have trouble concentrating and started feeling increasingly anxious. Soon, my mental state deteriorated, and I experienced a full-blown psychotic break.
The Emergence of Psychotic Symptoms and Hospitalization
As my headaches worsened, my mental health took a nosedive. Finally, I became psychotic and was admitted to the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. After a thorough evaluation, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It was a shocking and life-changing diagnosis, especially at a young age.
Research on the Connection Between Headaches and Psychosis
After my diagnosis, I researched the possible connection between headaches and psychosis to understand my situation better. While I discovered that headaches do not directly cause psychosis, evidence suggests a correlation between the two.
A study published in the journal "Headache" in 2018 found that individuals with primary headache disorders, such as migraines, were more likely to experience psychotic symptoms than those without headaches. The researchers suggested that the relationship between headaches and psychosis might be due to shared vulnerabilities in the brain, such as an imbalance in neurotransmitters.
Another study published in "Schizophrenia Research" in 2020 found that people with schizophrenia who also suffered from migraines were more likely to experience auditory hallucinations, a core symptom of psychosis.
Although these studies indicate a correlation between headaches and psychotic symptoms, they do not prove causation. Therefore, further research is needed to understand this connection better and how it may inform treatment strategies for individuals with both conditions.
My Dad's Perspective on My Medical History
I invited my dad to share his perspective on my medical history to provide additional context. He recalled the difficulty of grasping the connection between my headaches and psychosis, especially considering my young age. However, as he learned more about the potential link, he became a staunch advocate for my mental health care, ensuring that my doctors considered both my headache and schizophrenia symptoms when developing my treatment plan.
Conclusion
While it's clear that headaches don't directly cause psychosis, evidence suggests a correlation between the two. For individuals like me, who experience both debilitating headaches and schizophrenia, understanding this connection can be crucial in managing and treating our mental health.
By sharing my story, I hope to encourage others experiencing similar symptoms to seek help and prioritize their mental health. Advocating for the care and support you are essential in navigating the challenges of mental health conditions.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and please remember that you are not alone in your struggles.
#schizophrenia #anxiety #mentalhealth #depression
I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Your Videos are very interesting.🌺I got Corona last August. Then I became severly delusional and was admitted to a psychiatric Hospital. I firmly believe that physical illness can cause psychosis, like in your case, headaches. Sending you a hug from Germany🌸
Thank you so much Linda!
My debilitating headache started in my early 20's (1982) I wasn't diagnosed until I was forty with schizoaffective disorder with bipolar 1. Being in and out of hospitals through those years they just wrote it off as severe anxiety and panic attacks due to PTSD they said that's why I was having visual and audio hallucinations. On and off of different kind of medication. I thought the migraines where causing my confusion, memory loss etc. They also did a CT and there was nothing there no tumor, no blood clot, no abnormalities. Is what they're looking for.
When finally properly diagnose after being admitted to a psych hospital by EMT's for 6 weeks was actually a relief of sorts. To this day I have never told my family. I also have fibromyalgia and that's all they know about. I tried to tell them once and they literally laughed in my face and made jokes about it.
Call me all kinds of terrible names. It's sad how cruel people can be. Even family. (Especially mine)
Finding your channel has been a blessing to me along with following the story of the little girl from Wisconsin I mentioned before. I left home at seventeen got my GED got a decent job had a great boss he understood I wasn't feeling well and let me go home when needed to rest or too overwhelmed. I have lived on my own since even being on disability the last 20 years I manage fine being away from the hate and the stigma that's been placed upon me. Environment was keys to my psychosis. I'm proud of myself for having the courage to walk away, family or not. I live in a nice apartment overlooking a lake with my beautiful flower garden that I tend to all year round and my two amazing ESA 🐈🐈 ❤️
I have a great therapist and psychiatrist, to me that's all I need. Of course I have bad days, but I get through them with just a phone call to my therapist she's always there for me.
I know TMI but the silence has to stop, the stigma needs to end. The past eight years I've been an advocate for children and young people. I get it. I understand them and they understand me. I've come a very long way and I'm glad to say I did it on my own. 💪
Thank you for sharing your very inspirational journey Pauline! By doing so you are helping to break down the stigma.
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia thank you for having me Stephen this is a platform I feel comfortable talking. Your platform is helping more people than you know, as it is helping you and as it is helping me.
The stigma and the misunderstanding of MI and SMI has to stop. I feel people are starting to open their eyes about it. Going into a positive direction is key along with knowledge. Keep doing what you're doing you're getting the word out and you're helping people at the same time. You have a heart of gold 💛 you are stronger than you.
Thank you
I'm so sorry you don't have supportive family. It makes the diagnosis harder. But, you keep doing you and create your own supportive family of friends ❤️
Your symptoms of the beginning of schizophrenia is exactly what this little 11yr.old girl from Wisconsin was going through. Unfortunately she didn't have the parents that jumped on her symptoms of constant headaches as your mom and dad you're blessed for that. She told her mom she was seeing sheets of colors with the headaches her mom said oh it's just a migraine coming on. In a short time psychosis hit then unfortunately extreme tragedy struck.
Awareness of sudden onset childhood schizophrenia in children should be a top priority when symptoms occur. Support, love, kindness, and understanding is a number one priority.
Thank you Pauline! I completely agree with your comment. Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
Even if it were migraines-- very worrying in an 11 year old. Very young for this.
@@515aleon yes, untreated chronic pain is serious shit
I have schizoaffective disorder I didnt feel head aches tho I did get migraines when I was younger as a teen I was diagnosed when I was 29 I'm 42 now I had delusional thought first and went manic and stayed that way for about a year and I struggled with deep psychosis, I stopped eating and doing anything I stayed in my room n wouldn't leave for anything finally my parents called 911 and they took me to the hospital by a ambulance and I was totally out of it today I'm struggling again, I thought I had gotten this under control but now I know I cant tell how I'm doing anymore I'm manic right now n cant sleep tomorrow I'll call my doc again. Ur videos inspire me to keep fighting, but my future is looking pretty bleak right now thx for all u do
Thank you very much for sharing Lily! I hope you feel better soon. Have a happy and healthy rest of your day! And thank you for watching my videos, it means a lot to me!
I was just diagnosed with schizophrenia (at 49 years old), and I have been having horrible headaches every day for the last few months. I think this is an important diagnostic tool for clinicians to look out for, especially when someone is presenting with other signs of schizophrenia as well. Thank you for continuing to share your story and experience, getting this information out to as many people as possible is so important!
My son also had severe headaches. My grandmother and a brother suffered from migraine headaches. In the grades 6 through 8. He was under severe stress at home and school from other known diagnoses. It wasn't until he was, I think, 22 or 23, that he had a psychotic break. I saw paranoid symptoms since 7th grade and shared them with his pediatrician. He has a family history of schizophrenia on both sides of the family. His doctors were a tremendous help to him and us. I will continue to learn so I can best assist him. I appreciate what your family is doing to raise awareness, too. In God's grace and love. Thank you. The police and fire department were great as well. I was really worried because of his massive agitated state he'd be restrained and incredibly hurt by them because he almost died in an accident just a couple months prior. One officer at my house told me, he was aware of his accident because he was present at the accident that nearly killed him. He was flown via hospital helicopter to a trauma center in Boston.
I used to get severe headaches when I was about 8=10 years old, and I would often vomit as a result. I would have to sleep in a darkened room for a few hours for them to go away. They would often be accompanied by flashing lights in my vision & other effects. At the time, my parents described them as migraines. As far as I'm aware, there was no psychosis or any other psychiatric conditions connected with them.
It sounds familiar to me. When I was a kid i could walk around and see nature and enjoy it. Then around 12 alot of stress came. And i remember that summer I couldnt "see" nature anymore. It was heavy and a low grade headache. Everything was in colour but still black and white. Then I ate a hamburger and I felt atleast I can eat a hamburger and feel taste. This continued heavyness from 12- 19 at 19 I had psychosis one year that started after a dream about schizophrenia. With constant pain and voices. Then it gratually dissapeared. But the heaviness never left. Last 3 years now this headache has sometimes dissapeared and come back at different time. And when it dissapears the colours comes back and it gets easy to think.
Thank you for sharing Kristoffer! Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
I was misdiagnosed with bipolar with psychotic features. I just found out I have lesions on my brain from chronic migraine- and I only got an MRI after I lost my balance, not once during the 48 hospitalizations I had beforehand. My "hallucinations", in hindsight, we 100% neurological. I would end up in the ER every couple of months with migraine and psychosis- and would be vomiting and telling them I had a migraine. They would write, in my files, that I was purging when I was throwing up from the migraines.
It only switched from psychosis when I opted to have my ovaries removed- because I knew these hallucinations were cyclical. the "psychosis" stopped immediately- but then the dizziness started and I had a thunderclap headache.
My daughter was complaining two months before psychosis started about feeling dizzy and tired. Of course at that time I didn’t know what was going on and I was worried and took her for a doctor check up where everything seemed fine. Two months later psychosis started. So I don’t think head aches leads to psychosis it’s actually the other way. Before psychosis starts people start feeling unwell. She was also sad and didn’t like social gatherings much at that time.
Thank you Dania! That’s very interesting, it’s very possible that you are correct. My headaches started before my psychotic break, but the early stages of my psychosis may already have started then. Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment! Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
I love your videos. I have schizophrenia as well and I want to say how lovely it is your dad joins you on your channel. I love the insight from both of you and I wish you all the best. I am still going through all your videos and look forward to new ones as they come!
Thank you very much for watching and commenting!
You two are wonderful for taking the time to share all your information! Thank you!
For my daughter it was a very similar story she had complains but doctor said she is totally fine. But honestly at early stages of psychosis it’s not easy to diagnose and confirm it.
Hi Dania! Thank you for sharing! It is not easy to diagnose at the early stages unfortunately.
How old is she? Do you have anyone who have any mental illness in the family?
@ashleyriblet2326 no we don’t have anyone. She was diagnosed at age 11.
When did the headaches cease? Headaches are a difficult symptom to diagnose
Your videos really mean alot to me. Thank you
That makes me feel so very happy Theresa B!
I had migraines leading up to my psychosis. I’m Bipolar 1.
Thank you very much for sharing Shelley! Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
Congratulations on bringing him back! I think the headaches could be something biological, physiologically moving pieces and nerves out of place. Have you had your head examined? I know you had EEG, but it could be something that got an into your brain ( via nose, ears,, just a thought. You could have an infection from the ool poop so check it out,!eyes)
Hello Stephen today I had stressed that caused much anxiety and then headache and then I started to interpret events very differently I could not complete my job I came back home I slept for 3 hours and I came back to normality. So this is correct in my case.and this video came to my suprise.
Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry to hear that. I hope tomorrow is a better day!
Thank you and I hope you’re having a good day:)), too!!❤⭐️🌟✨🌜🌛🌝🌞🌸🌼🌸🌟⭐️🌸🌸🌸✨✨
Headache's a normal situation with schizophrenia. Mine feels like it's a type of energy electrical type of forcefield energy. I agree it feels like something is pushing a red hot spike into you. Only it varys in intensity. I also have tinnitus where the auditory problem arises from. If you also find you suffer from a guilty conscience situation it makes your psychosis so much harder to deal with.
Interesting! I know an individual who is diagnosed with schizophrenia who also has experienced severe headaches. She sees a neurologist, as well as a psychiatrist, and is prescribed a medication for her headaches from the neurologist. She also has memory loss from time to time.
She is prescribed Trokendi for the headaches.
Thank you Melissa for sharing!
yes I think headaches and poor sleep quality is a part of it
I definitely agree John! Thanks for commenting. Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
Hi Stephen. You look so much like your dad. Anyway glad you figured out what was going on. Headache for me was a brain tumor non malignant so surgury cured it.
Did a CT find the tumor or did it take an MRI? 8:04
@@ovhome6841 Several mri because it was a benign cyst on the pineal gland. A few years later my symptoms were worse. I had double vision, headaches, and vertigo. They saw a change with another mri. Then i had surgery and am fine.
Hey Stephen and Steve, great video, and thank you for sharing. 🙂 I'd be very curious to know the chronological order of what you went through Stephen. I went through what would probably be defined as psychosis some years back. In my case I was having a lot of internal dialogue, and then the dialogue turned 180 degrees, my thoughts were also narrowing my focus from what was going on around me to more of a focus on the inner dialogue... This caused me issues, but this is my story, others may well be completely different (I haven't been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but I'd like to think I have a little understanding of the psychological impacts the affliction can have on someone). In your case I would be curious to know if there were any hallucinations prior to the headaches, was there any internal dialogue going on. I know you mentioned you were having headaches first, then you had psychosis, but may I ask when did the headaches actually stop for you, and do you ever have the odd bout of a similar nature today (I hope you don't mind me asking, and obviously whether you reply or not is your privilege). Regarding your headaches I wonder if Mercury was ruled out as a possible cause to them (I'd imagine you were given blood tests). Thanks once again. 🙂
I had a few strange visual issues that may be considered hallucinations prior to the headaches. They occurred rarely throughout my childhood. I went into detail about this in an earlier video called, “Schizophrenia Hallucinations” that I posted April 19th 2022. I don’t recall having any internal dialogue prior to the headaches. The headaches stopped about a year after my psychosis started. I don’t have headaches anymore. There was no mercury or other metals or drugs involved as the tests showed. Thank you and have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia Thank you Stephen for your thoughtful reply. 🙂My psychosis (if that is what it was), was fuelled by a belief/mind-set that took me down a rabbit hole. In my case I was having somewhat internal dialogue. I have seen a similar pattern from other people's accounts too where it is a belief set that has taken them down rabbit holes. Now we are all different, but I wonder if your psychosis was also formed from a belief that you were investing time and thought into, perhaps of a religious nature or otherwise. If so I wonder what were the triggers for that (in my case it was dialogue, in others it could be intrusive thoughts, visual hallucinations etc). I share this as a means of perhaps identifying if the on-set was formed by the headaches, something else, or perhaps a combination of things. PS: I wouldn't go ruling out Mercury as a link to the headaches (our biological make ups are all different, we only have to see how one person's diet can have one effect on one person, and a different effect on someone else, perhaps worthy of further research)? Again thank you once again Stephen for sharing all that you do, much love and respect to you. 🙂
I don’t think my psychosis was formed from a belief I had, but did lead to false beliefs about religion.
were you on a tetracycline antibiotic for acne or anything? Can cause intracranial pressure.
or were you on any other medication at that time?
Hi Noreen! No I was not on any acne medication or any other medication at the time or before. Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
Thank you for the video. Early detection and diagnosis seems key for a successful treatment and recovery in schizophrenia, would you say that the prodromal phase is not very well known or the symptoms can vary so that is not easy to detect for the doctors? Do they have enough data and knowledge to improve this?
Thank you very much Yoga for your excellent questions! I absolutely agree that early detection and diagnosis is key for successful treatment and recovery in schizophrenia. I also think that the symptoms do vary so much that it is hard to detect or diagnose until later stages of the illness beyond the prodromal phase. The CAPPS program I was in at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute focused on the prodromal phase, but agreed to take me into the study upon discharge from my hospitalization which was after the prodromal phase because of my early onset of my psychosis. Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia it's good to know they are putting effort in that direction. Happy new year Stephen!
Hi Yoga! I wanted to thank you for all of the excellent comments and support you have given Stephen! You have helped him in a very profound way. Love to read and discuss your comments with Stephen. Excellent food for thought! Tons of growth! Huge insight!
You wrote several months ago: " . . . [T]hat video felt very honest and vulnerable. It shows the reality of facing a very misunderstood and stigmatized diagnosis, the fears and the uncertainty that brings... That recovery is a messy and non-linear journey that takes time, effort, appropriate medical support, educating about the illness, and learning through the process by trial end error... And emotional support and unconditional love!
This is a "messy and non-linear journey . . . ." (Quoting, Yoga etxean.) We do need to be careful as Stephen makes incredible strides here. Stephen and I have talked extensively about this and other of your comments, and what sage advice you are providing us and Stephen's community here. This year, the goal (or journey) is to have fun, reduce stress, and live. Thank you for helping all of us recognize this important aspect of surviving life. Also, you are absolutely right that the prodromal phase is not well understood. I fear that we're not much further along in the last 10 years. I hope to change that in my lifetime. Steve
@@SchizophreniaSurvivor thank you for your words Steve. I have struggled and still struggle with mental health issues myself, so in any extend that I can help, I know how valuable words of understanding, comfort and hope are. And thank you for sharing your journey with us, it's so valuable. Happy new year, I wish you joy and fun for this 2023 indeed!
Antidepressants, gabapentin, lyrica can trigger psychosis.
Why didn't they do an MRI and a spinal tap(lumbar puncture)?
Did you experience anxiety or perfectionism prior to headaches?
I did not have anxiety, but I think I did have some perfectionism
Perhaps eyesight test
Very interesting. Obviously not any direct relationships. Or many more people have headaches. But there is a correlation-- I just looked this up something between 28-58% of schizophrenics have headaches. But what about brain inflammation? ERs are pretty useless for serious illness, unless they hospitalize you. I had a recent severe seizure, and he ER stuff is gibberish. They hospitalized me. Thing is severe headaches could be a brain tumor, head trauma, migraine, very high blood pressure, etc etc. It sounds like they didn't want to hospitalize him, so why they almost wrote it off I think. That's what they did wrong basically, imo. Though sounds like this hospital would have been out of it's league anyway, UCLA was a way better choice.
Did you have a MRI or brain image
He said CT scan, this is just a quick image, doesn't tell much. My neurologists said nearly useless.
Do you think it had anything to do with bullying? Like I think stress/ acetycholine and circadian rythym dysfunction has a lot to do with it but perhaps bullying issues can maybe be a “cherry on top” of the psychosis. Don’t know it’s probably different for everyone?
Although that was happening at the time, I don’t think bullying was the reason. That is a great question though! Thank you very much!