The Overlooked Role of Sensitivity in Schizophrenia, Mental Health, and Trauma
Mental Health Series — Sensitivity Part 3
Sensitivity Part 2
Illnesses Increase Tactile Sensitivity (physical)
Illnesses are often cited as risk factors for developing schizophrenia, such as chickenpox. As mentioned earlier, both my sister and I contracted chickenpox in our teens, and it was a particularly challenging experience for her. Another intriguing example of how illness affects sensitivity occurred about six months ago when I contracted COVID-19 for the second time. For me, it presented like a typical flu, with a couple of days of sickness and an extreme increase in tactile sensitivity on my skin. Interestingly, I can often feel when I’ve been exposed to a flu or cold virus, as it causes heightened sensitivity on my scalp, arms, and thighs. The more sensitive my skin becomes, the greater the exposure I’ve had. I often notice this sensitivity on Thursdays after commuting to the office on Wednesdays, as I only go in one day per week.
When I am exposed to the flu (not a cold), I experience a dramatic increase in tactile sensitivity. My scalp, arms, and legs become highly sensitive to touch. For instance, when I take public transit, I often develop mild sensitivity on my scalp and sometimes experience a minor sore throat, indicating that I’ve been exposed to a virus.
Chickenpox was a difficult experience for both my sister and me. We contracted it as teenagers, and it lasted a full week. It was rough for me, but my sister had to be taken to the hospital to help relieve some of the itching because she couldn’t bear it.
Internal Sensitivity (physical)
As a child flying to the Caribbean with my parents, I developed the ability to equalize the pressure in both of my ears by voluntarily moving my eustachian tube muscles, similar to how you might adjust your glasses. Every time I activate these muscles, I equalize the pressure and hear a clicking sound in both ears — first in my left ear, then in my right ear in quick succession.
During my bout with COVID-19, after performing this pressure equalization at night in silence and hearing the clicking noise, I also heard a distant “boom” noise, akin to a drum, which I had never heard before or since. It was clearly repeatable and only occurred after I used those muscles in my ears. After recovering from COVID-19, I could no longer hear this secondary “boom” noise. I suspect it was caused by increased sensitivity to the noises in my inner ears.
UV Sensitivity (Environmental)
In my mid-thirties, my wife and I went on a winter vacation from Canada to the Dominican Republic in March. On the last day of the vacation, I didn’t wear a shirt and didn’t use sunscreen, and we took a long walk by the ocean. I have fairly dark skin, so it had never been an issue before. However, that night, I suffered from severe sunburn that blistered and itched, preventing me from sleeping. Upon returning to Toronto that spring, I realized that I had developed a sun allergy (solar urticaria). My skin had become permanently reactive to UV exposure. I began using SPF 60 or 120 sunscreen and wearing clothing made of synthetic fibers that are 99% UV-proof to prevent red rashes from breaking out on my exposed skin. Now, 15 years later, I’ve significantly reduced that reaction by drinking Kefir milk daily, which has helped lessen the autoimmune inflammatory response triggered by UV exposure.
Tactile Sensitivity (Physical)
A common experience for highly sensitive people (HSP) is that shirt tags can irritate the skin, so we often remove them. In my family, I am extremely ticklish almost everywhere, as are my children. My sister is also very ticklish and becomes angry when tickled. In contrast, my wife is not particularly ticklish anywhere.
Chemical Sensitivity (Physical/Biological)
I have long known that I am very sensitive to alcohol. While I never particularly enjoyed drinking, I would do so in social settings. Recently, I discovered that as I age, even a couple of canned alcoholic beverages, like a Schöfferhofer Wheat Beer Mix, can lead to diarrhea the next day. On the day I consume it, I feel very sleepy and lethargic.
I’ve also had lactose intolerance since elementary school. As an adult, I have to be careful about the types of dairy products I consume. Some cheeses are fine, while others cause severe bloating and gas.
Lastly, I recently discovered a new sensitivity. My last year has been filled with work and financial stress, something many can relate to. During this time, I developed a near-constant eye twitch that seems to migrate between my eyes. The frequency and duration of the twitching have been increasing. As a result, I’ve become more diligent about therapy sessions (which I have a benefit for), diet, exercise, and vitamin supplements. I initially assumed the twitching was due to stress or perhaps eye strain. My concern grew when I learned that eye twitching is often either a benign issue if it resolves in a few weeks or a potential early sign of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), which is fatal.
Recently, we went on vacation, and the twitching decreased slightly, which I attributed to a reduction in stress. However, upon returning home, the twitching worsened, spreading to my legs, torso, and even my foot. Sometimes it felt like a twitch, and other times like a vibration. I was planning to see a doctor when I came across a forum discussing Vitamin B6 toxicity. I realized that I had stopped taking all my supplements during the vacation and resumed them upon my return. I have since stopped all supplements, and within a week, the twitching has reduced by about 80%. I also started drinking more water to flush the B6 from my system and reduced B6-rich foods in my diet.
The supplements added 1 mg (2x0.5 mg) of B6 to my diet, which already included a lot of B6-rich foods like bananas, avocados, and various meats. The recommended daily intake for a 50-year-old is about 1.5–1.7 mg, and it typically takes consuming over 100 mg of B6 daily for the side effects of excessive B6 or B6 toxicity to become noticeable. I assume that I am much more sensitive. The twitching results from B6 levels being too high, which can cause nerve damage in the muscles.
Here’s a story that illustrates the potential dangers of B6 toxicity.
Here is my detailed story of what I believe may be B6 toxicity for myself.
Here is the follow up story explaining my sensitivity to neurotoxins like MSG.
