Hard to focus on studies

[Das]

• Hi All,

I was diagnosed with schizophrenia 3 years ago and I’m stable now , taking my medication for schizophrenia and anxiety.

But I m studying at the moment and it is so hard to focus and have motivation to study. Is this something related to negative symptoms of shizofrenia?

[Messylife]

@Das
Study is so so hard with brain issues.
I feel your pain.
I'm taking a bit study hit this time. It snowballs.
What are you studying?

[Ruby26]

@Das I have schizoaffective disorder. I also have the same problem. You are correct that this is a negative symptom of schizophrenia. It makes things harder, but I did manage to successfully complete my course in the end. I'll write out a list of things that helped me and I hope something works for you. 

1. Check in with your treating doctor. It may be possible to change medication in a way that could help. 

2. There are certain types of supplements that can help with focus. Always check with a pharmacist before taking anything though, as some things can interact with anti-psychotic medication. Ideally, your doctor can give you advice about what supplements to take, but you can also check in with an allied health professional such as a naturopath, Chinese herbalist or osteopath. Always keep your treating doctor in the loop about what you are trying. Beware of stimulant type drugs (including those found in "natural" over-the-counter tablets and powders) as they can cause a psychotic episode.   

3. If you find you can't focus, have a stretch and get a glass of water. Keep doing this every time you can't focus. If you find you are losing focus more than once every ten minutes, then take a break. 

4. Make sure you are getting enough sleep. A lack of sleep makes this so much worse for me. 

5. Make sure you do some movement every time you have a study break. Walk, dance, and yoga were all very helpful in helping my brain to recharge. Reading and social media time during study breaks made my brain fuzzier. 

6. Nibbing on some fresh veggies and fruit. Having something light in my stomach helped me. The crunch in raw veggies and fruit can also signal to your brain to wake up. 

7. Sometimes putting on music and some scents in your study space can help. Lavendar and peppermint scents can help with focus and memory. 

8. Set realistic goals. I found that I could only concentrate for 20 minutes at a time. So I would take a break every 20 minutes. I found I could actually get 3 hours of study done a day, all in 20-minute blocks. 

9. Consider if part time studying would be better for you. Most courses have to provide a part time option for people if they have a medical condition/disability. I could only cope with part time. 

10. Give yourself credit. The fact you are even attempting a course while dealing with schizophrenia is a huge achievement. You should be proud of yourself for giving this a go. 

[Das]

Hi @Ruby26 

Thanks for your comments.
I thought that I was being lazy with this course, because I’m so behind. But I started reading about the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and it makes sense that I am experiencing some of this during my studies.

[Ruby26]

@Das my doctor once showed me two brain scans- a neurotypical brain and one with negative symptom schizophrenia. The neurotypical brain was brightly lit up everywhere while the negative symptom schizophrenia brain had huge dark patches with tiny threads of bright light. The dark patches are parts of the brain are in 'sleep mode' when trying to do goal directed activity. So, you're trying to study with tiny threads of light activity when the course is assuming you have a whole brain full. 

So, no wonder you are falling behind, you have to work so much harder to get through the work. My doctor told me that those tiny threads of light are enough to still achieve things, I just have to understand that it is going to be much harder for me. And I did get through my courses in the end. It is possible to still study, it is just a lot of extra hard work. You are the opposite of lazy; you are making your brain work extremely hard. Just do your best and be proud of yourself.