From the UK: i have this problem that i have been dealing with for 1 year now and it has not worsened and during times when i am occupied with my education or work it seems to get better (and basically stop). I see things in my peripheral vision for a split second and then they disappear. I dont know what it is that i actually see and its different every time and i am not saying this in the sense that i cant describe what i saw but in the sense that i actually do not know as it was my periphary or an area in my feild of vision where i was not focusing.
The problem is that whatever i see it doesnt appear as real as this laptop with which im typing this post so in essence i dont see it as real as reality and i know it isnt real. But at the same time it feels like this is more then just a figment of my imagination because in my periphery for a split second i did see something.
This internal conflict is eating away at me and i have been taking antidepressants for more than 6 months and have currently started getting therapy as well. I am afraid to bring up this topic to my therapist in detail because i feel like i will be locked up in a mental facility and i have no idea what to do about this. i went to my GP and described this only to be dismissed as having a vivid imagination and that if i really had schizophreina then i wouldnt have the insight to be having this conversation.
I suffer from anxiety and the antidepressnts have really helped but never the less i would like to know what would be the actual medical term for this phenomena that i am experiencing. this phenoma also happens when i switch my feild of vision such as blinking and turning my head. In most cases it seems like a shadow or somethng dark. I dont know how to actually describe it because i dont really know myself. All i know is that during this phenomena i do not see whatever i see as vividly as real objects around me but at the same time it feels too real than just my imagination and in my memory it does seem real.
Please do talk to your therapist about this. It’s not likely you’ll be “locked up”. You aren’t threatening to hurt yourself or others. You are functioning in your daily life. Your therapist is an important support and resource for you but a professional can only do their job if they know what is troubling you.
One of the first questions I would ask you if you were my patient is how much sleep you are getting. What you are describing is sometimes a consequence of disturbed sleep patterns or not getting enough hours of sleep. If that’s the case, the “fix” is to deal with that directly.
Then again, it may be a symptom of your depression or stress or something else. Your therapist will help you figure it out and what to do about it.
I wish you well.
Dr. Marie
