Seeking Help for OCD and Possible Schizophrenia Symptoms

That seems like a positive sign that you can recognize them as such. I dont have experience with that, just OCD. Are you planning on seeing a Psychiatrist that can diagnose you and go over your treatment options such as medicine?

i am diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and ocd and i really relate to your post. i agree with the other people who have posted their response so i am unsure what to add but i just wanted to validate what you're feeling lol. i would definitely bring it up when you see a professional, though - i cannot emphasize that enough. even if you don't have schizophrenia or a psychotic disorder antipsychotics are worth trying out, they saved my life. i wish you luck on figuring things out :)

Yes, it is absolutely possible that particularly your symptoms of delusions, hallucinations, and negative symptoms such as avolition & anhedonia could be caused by Schizophrenia or a different Psychotic Disorder. I am diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder and OCD. Your descriptions of the kinds of delusions you have had, sound similar to some of the things I have believed in the past. I altered my life greatly because of these beliefs. As for hallucinations, personally I experience hallucinations in all 5 senses (auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory), with the primary being visual and very detailed. It is more common for people to have primarily auditory hallucinations. In my teens, I had the experience of a therapist misunderstanding my descriptions of violent visual hallucinations I was having as “intrusive thoughts”. I have also read about a phenomena in which it is not unusual for some people with psychotic disorders to display subclinical symptoms of OCD, or to even have comorbid OCD as I do. I believe the rate cited was 25% for at least subclinical OCD symptoms. Sometimes healthcare providers are also afraid of diagnosing someone with a psychotic disorder because of the stigma associated with it and because it is often viewed as a “life-destroying” diagnosis. However as another person whose psychotic symptoms began at a very early age, there can be a lot of suffering and confusion created/allowed when professionals refuse to treat it, out of fear of “ruining” the patient. I have had hallucinations since the age of 6 and only began receiving treatment at 18, which at first they tried to call it “Insomnia” (I have never had trouble sleeping), then for years said I had “Recurring Psychotic Episodes of Unknown Cause” and then after several years of being on antipsychotics they updated it to Schizoaffective Disorder.