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Dedicated Gaian

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First off I need to tell you that I have many different mental disorders but the worst is the Paranoid Schizophrenia.

I have a friend at school that used to be my psychology teacher. We are just friends, he knows me and what I go through and genuinely cares for me and wants me to keep him updated with my mental status every so often. He is married and I must say that nothing is going on between us. He just cares.

I can't smell. I never have. I remember in first grade my teacher would pass out some scratch n' sniff stickers. I always thought mine was broken. Another student would come up to me complaining that they don't like theirs and asked to try mine. I said yes but mine did not work. They tried it anyways and said that they liked it. So we traded. Thinking that I had the better hand I tried theirs and still did not smell a thing.

Anyways, what I am getting at is that I was born without being able to smell. Some people say I'm lucky and others feel sorry for me. My friend that used to be my teacher did some research and found that Schizophrenics may not be able to smell. I must also note that my friend has a PhD.

Now I must explain what is really about this post.

My hands are extremely sensitive. I can't touch certain things because it bothers me so much. I don't know how to explain it. I hate it.

I thought that since you don't have one sense then another will become stronger. So, I am guessing that since I can't smell my sense of touch is stronger...but my friend said that not being able to smell was because of the Schizophrenia.

My questions now are:

What do you think?
Do you think that my friend is right about the smelling issue?
Do you think my hands are extra sensitive because I can't smell?
Or, do you think or know that since I have Schizophrenia that my sense of touch is altered as well?

Any helpful advice and helpful answers to my questions are extremely appreciated.

Shameless Man-Lover

You need to go to the doctor and get a brain scan and figure out what the heck is going on.

Tipsy Lunatic

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Well your friend does have a phD...but is it in psychology? Anyway, symptoms of schizophrenia include sensory hallucinations, that includes smell and touch. Do you really not smell anything at all? Not that I don't believe you, it's just that sense of smell and taste are strongly linked, so I feel like that would mean you don't taste food very well, either. It could be an olfactory hallucination, and your sense of smell actually does work, you just believe you're not smelling anything. Touch sensitivity wouldn't be directly linked to your sense of smell but rather linked through the fact that it's stemming from your schizophrenia. This is not taking into account your other disorders, though, so it could be from another disorder. It's hard to say, but if you don't already, then it's something better discussed with someone in your treatment processes, such as a psychiatrist or therapist. They'd be better equipped to help you understand your particular set of disorders.

Dedicated Gaian

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Letta
Well your friend does have a phD...but is it in psychology? Anyway, symptoms of schizophrenia include sensory hallucinations, that includes smell and touch. Do you really not smell anything at all? Not that I don't believe you, it's just that sense of smell and taste are strongly linked, so I feel like that would mean you don't taste food very well, either. It could be an olfactory hallucination, and your sense of smell actually does work, you just believe you're not smelling anything. Touch sensitivity wouldn't be directly linked to your sense of smell but rather linked through the fact that it's stemming from your schizophrenia. This is not taking into account your other disorders, though, so it could be from another disorder. It's hard to say, but if you don't already, then it's something better discussed with someone in your treatment processes, such as a psychiatrist or therapist. They'd be better equipped to help you understand your particular set of disorders.


I really can't smell and yes, it does affect my sense of taste but that is not what I am really worried about. It's the feel of things. So you think that my sense of feeling also has to do with the schizophrenia?

Oh and yes, my friend does have a PhD in psychology. He actually helped write a psychology book that students use in the General Psychology class.

Enduring Associate

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There's psych, and then there's neuropsych, and then there's neurology (and other medicine). Your friend might know a lot about psychology, but if he didn't specialize in the more traditional-medicine parts, he might not know what he needs. Allodynia is a thing, as are sensory processing disorders, and people who just have sensitive hands. Who knows what it is? If you are concerned about this, talk to a doctor (Not your friend; he can't ethically treat you anyway). There's nothing wrong with going to get more information, especially about your health.

Inquisitive Rogue

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I think you should seriously go to the doctors and get an M.R.I or a cat scan..

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