Have you ever felt hopeless and had some strange hallucinations?
Do you hear people telling you what to do and no one is around?
I had hallucinations and other symptoms of depression but I thought I was just different.
I never thought I had psychotic depression symptoms. My girlfriend was the one who talked with her mom who was a nurse about my strange behavior. Her mom came over one day and after dinner and a movie, she was afraid for her daughter. That was enough for me and I listened to what she asked me to do. She wanted me to see a doctor.
I felt that everyone was going to get me. I felt like people were talking about me all the time. I even felt like I was falling and going to die. I now know that what I experienced was psychotic depression.
It was hard for people around me to accept but I was getting treatments and learning how to adjust to a new lifestyle. I knew that what was happening to me was a part of the disease and that I could overcome it with the help of a doctor and medication. I am living with my girlfriend yet and doing very well.
Please do not confuse psychotic depression symptoms with schizophrenia, because it sounds the same, but I knew what was going on and what was happening to me. Others with schizophrenia do not. I have received treatments and am working at a job I like and have more to live for now than I did before.
I am thankful that someone cared enough to help me. That has made our bond firmer than it was before. I have my girlfriend and her mom to thank. Some people go without treatment and live this way until they listen and believe the voices.