People diagnosed with schizophrenia, how has that affected your work life and do any of you have successful jobs/careers?

Sure.

I'm 22F, currently in graduate school studying theoretical astrophysics. I graduated from 2 degrees and 3 majors (BSc in physics+maths, and BPhil) with a cumulative 4.0 GPA. I got my first first-author publication in theoretical physics in my freshman year, and have presented my work at international conferences and national science events. I was awarded over $90,000 in scholarships and over $7,000 in prizes for physics, with my mental health struggles probably making a compelling story. Before that, I was valedictorian of my high school, ranked in the top 1% in the nation. I participated in a few sports over the years and won some medals for karate tournaments too. And at 16 I was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia, although the symptoms had been noted starting around 4 years old. I hallucinate constantly, and at my worst, I can get confused and hurt myself.

I was left without treatment for so long because I was handling things fine. It was only from about 15 onwards that things got overwhelming, probably due to hormones and teenage drama. I was put on medication at 16 after a severe breakdown. It did help me out of the worst of it, but it wasn't conducive to how I liked to work and think, so I withdrew from medication again at 18.

Once I started university, I tried to pretend the diagnosis didn't exist. I wasn't attending therapy, I wasn't taking medication, I didn't list it on any forms for anything, and I didn't apply for disability accomodations. That was a mistake. Luckily I stopped being an idiot before too much damage was done to my grades, and I got the accomodations to allow me to sit exams in a quieter room and to have spacings of at least a day between exams. I provided my professors with the note from the university disability services that specified what accomodations I was given, but I didn't tell them a diagnosis. For all they knew, I could have had epilepsy, anxiety, depression, ADHD, narcolepsy, TBI, or anything else. Accomodations are about allowing people to demonstrate their understanding; for instance, if someone is legally blind, you wouldn't make them sit the same written exam as everyone else. Just because they can't do that kind of exam well, doesn't mean they don't know what they're doing.

This year I disclosed the diagnosis to one supervisor and one other trusted academic. I only did that because this year is slated to be the most stressful of my life, and they may need to know warning signs. It also allows me more freedom/flexibility in working hours if they know the seriousness of what I'm dealing with, and since I've been a good student for 3 years already, I think their impression of me has actually improved. But I also do not use it as an excuse. I'm currently attending sessions with a psychologist and doctor every single week to be assessed for mental health, and I'm incredibly aware of potential stressors. I know that sleep is a big trigger for me, so I've scheduled nearly every class for after 11am, and I'm staggering my work to allow for that. Mental health is a responsibility, and whilst it is not fair to be chronically ill, you don't get a free pass from responsibility, nor do you really want sympathy/pity.

That kind of control and planning took a long time to figure out, and it really comes down to experience. I've done enough semesters, classes, and exams now to know how I work best.

/r/schizophrenia Thread