Hallucination

One symptom of schizophrenia that I have experienced is hallucination. I do not know how the brain can affect what a person perceives; I can share my experience of hallucinating.

When I was delusional I believed that I was a genius. My "memories" included having won 3 Pulitzer prizes when I was 21. These prizes I received were for a book I wrote, scientific theory and politics. I also believed that I became seriously brain damaged shortly after receiving these Pulitzer prizes.

One of my delusional thoughts I had was that I had a rat in my brain. I believed someone had unscrewed the top of my skull and put a rat in there. This left me unable to continue functioning on the level I did when I was younger. It explained to me why I could no longer write books or develop scientific theory.

When I was 27 I was admitted to a psych hospital. The doctor at the hospital ordered a cat scan. I asked to see the picture of my brain after the CAT scan was finished. Just as I expected I saw a rat skeleton in the picture.

Years later I still was delusional. I reminded myself in times that I had doubt about my delusions that I saw the rat in my brain. This reassured me that I had been a genius and that I wasn't crazy. This experience perpetuated my disbelief that I had schizophrenia.