red7204

I don't know if I fully agree, with high self awareness, you can know something is wrong but not know what it is. I think in the initial stages people might think something is wrong, but as time goes on they forget.
Unfortunately some of the symptoms of schizophrenia are also done by normal people
like spending a lot of time alone
worrying what others think, that they are conspiring again them, or talking about them

People spend lots of time alone when stuff bothers them, and people do worry what others think Someone might watch a scary movie, and leave the lights on or think they see stuff out of the corner of their eye. Is that to say that everyone who does this has schizophrenia. If everyone was diagnosed with mental illness the first time they daydreamed or let their fears create scary stuff a lot of people would have it. Think about it, daydreaming you can see things that aren't there or get caught up in your mind. If you ever saw a person with full-blown schizophrenia going through a episode, you would definitely know whether you had it and then you might decide you don't ever want to have it and talk yourself out of thinking you have it.

If you think you are developing it, reseaching NIMH - national institute of mental health they have sites that describe symptoms and finding psychiatrist.

If people get help and get mental illness under control, why do they need to tell anyone else, I agree that many people won't understand the illness, and the way movies, books, and games depict mental illness many people won't know the real thing. I am amazed at how I notice this now, that so many books or games that have psychotic killers, or weird stuff happen they say somewhere that they were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The only other movie I have seen that depicts schizophrenia as more of what it is, is the A Beautiful Mind movie that was made about 10 years ago. If anyone is familiar with this, in the game Doom 3 they say the people were developing schizophrenia before being possessed by the evil forces in the game. Some people might see this and think that is what the illness is, not consider there is more to it and many sides of it.

I'll add this, anti psychotic medicine is not cheap it can be 200 to 300 dollars a prescription, do you really want to get diagnosed with it and have to pay the money for treatment and medicine, deal with worry of how others treat you or whether you can trust them, etc.

If you think you have symptoms try to combat them, go places where you are around people and not alone, or feel safe. Going to a park, mall, etc.
Spending time with your friends or family. Doing things that take your mind of this. If it actually gets worse then think about going to see someone.
But for now researching how to find a good psychiatrist or learning about the illness might help or need be prepare you for it, if you really do have it.

Good Luck!