Question:
I’m 18 years old and I keep seeing things out of the corners of my eyes when I’m in my house. No one in my family sees them and they call me crazy. I hear people whisper things, like when I sleep at night people whisper to me through the walls. I don’t understand what they are saying, it just freaks me out. I can’t sleep well or thoroughly. When I’m in my room I have to have all the doors around me closed and locked, and i only feel right when I stand in certain parts of my room. Also, I have a constant feeling that I am being watched and hunted. I have to run and jump to get on my bed, or else. No one in my family believes me about this when I tell them. What is wrong with me?
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Answer:
What you are describing are symptoms of a serious mental illness. Hearing whispers, thinking that you are being hunted, feeling as though you are being watched along with feeling unsafe fall under the headings of halluninations and delusions. In other words, hearing whispers when everyone else in the family hears nothing are a good indicator that what you are hearing occur in your brain and not in reality. You really hear the whispers, they are not in your imagination. Delusions refer to unrealistic thoughts such as believing that you are being watched and are being hunted. All of these indicate a possible psychotic illness.
There are many types of psychotic illnesses, ranging from paranoid schizophrenia and schizo affective disorder all the way to bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms.
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While these illnesses can begin at any age, they most commonly start at around 18 to 30 years of age.
There is always a question of what may be causing this type of illness. Taking certain types of drugs, such as marijuana and methemphamine, can alter brain chemistry and cause a drug induced psychosis. In many cases this type of illness runs in families. There are also certain types of medications that can cause these symptoms.
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In your case, whatever is causing these symptoms, they are to be taken seriously because they can interfere with your ability to function in life. You really need to speak to your family doctor or primary care physician and he may refer you to a psychiatrist. The doctor and psychiatrist will explain the seriouness of the situation to your family. My guess is that they feel frightened by what you are telling them and that is why they do not want to believe you.
Whatever may be causing you to have all of these symptoms, there is help for you but you must first visit your doctor, be honest in reporting this to him and that will put you on the path to feeling better. This is a sickness just like anyother.
Best of luck and do not wait to see your MD
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