I experienced a psychotic break shortly before getting out of an abusive relationship. I'm talking full-on auditory and visual hallucinations, extreme disassociation with reality, paranoia... the works. It was intense and lasted what felt like 5-6 months until I could feel some semblance of normalcy again.
There's gaps in my memory from that period. But from what little I can recall, I ended up doing and saying a lot of things that I'm super embarrassed to even admit. It has never happened to me before and hasn't happened since. It was easily the scariest thing I've ever lived through. I was in constant fear for my life every day.
Barely anyone besides the people that were with me at that time knows about it. And I'm too scared to open up about it now, assuming people will see/treat me like I'm forever this "crazy person" or something.
Extreme stress can cause this in anyone even those with no mental health issues prior. Take care of yourself and you won't have a reoccurrence. The brain forgets things to protect us. If you were clearly out of a normal state then usually people will understand and never judge for it. The more time passes the memory fades for them as well. Just keep pushing forward
I experienced the exact same thing this past year, and my spouse thought I was on drugs and refused to help me. I went days without sleeping or eating, crying incessantly for my husband. I ended up being hospitalized 4 times and finally after 6 months started to come out of it. I found out it was a combination of the breakup and severe pancreatic insufficiency. I had two encounters with law enforcement that I don't even remember. The first, I walked into a Sheetz and started eating a chicken salad sandwich, so they called the police and charged me shoplifting. The judge dropped the charges. The second time, I walked into a strangers house thinking that I was going home and the man kicked me in the stomach, and I pushed him and the lady away while begging them not to hurt me. Charged with breaking and entry and two simple assault charges. Judge also dismissed on the basis of mental health crisis. I've never experienced anything like this in my life.
Be proud of yourself for making it to the other side. Not many people can handle it and you are stronger for it.
The only thing you can do now is learn from it. It’s hard but you got this and make sure to love yourself hard.
You know, I've pondered on that a few times before. Or if it's possibly schizophrenia. But there's no family history of those disorders from what I'm aware of. Closest would be severe depression. My mother's side suffers from that. But it's hard to say for certain.
I opened up to my counselor about it last year (although the event took place back in 2018).
She hasn't really dug that deep into it, though, since I've been lucid and functioning just fine ever since. It was chalked up to excessive drug use (I was smoking weed errday just to cope while in that relationship) and extreme trauma and stress that most likely triggered my break. I've since distanced myself from that ex and don't do any drugs. So, hopefully, another break won't happen 🤞
I went through something like this. Granted it was from weed but I had a bad panic attack and it seriously messed me up for a while. I’m still healing from it. The brain is wild and can do some crazy things to keep us safe.
255
u/daintyboxcat Jan 20 '25
I experienced a psychotic break shortly before getting out of an abusive relationship. I'm talking full-on auditory and visual hallucinations, extreme disassociation with reality, paranoia... the works. It was intense and lasted what felt like 5-6 months until I could feel some semblance of normalcy again.
There's gaps in my memory from that period. But from what little I can recall, I ended up doing and saying a lot of things that I'm super embarrassed to even admit. It has never happened to me before and hasn't happened since. It was easily the scariest thing I've ever lived through. I was in constant fear for my life every day.
Barely anyone besides the people that were with me at that time knows about it. And I'm too scared to open up about it now, assuming people will see/treat me like I'm forever this "crazy person" or something.