I was diagnosed with schizophrenia or a "schizophrenia like illness" some time ago and have now been reasonably stable on medication for a few years. My question is in the form of an observation which I want to know if you think has any relevance. The observation is this: that when ill I seemed to go through various phases or states. Sometimes I would have what I think is referred to as flat affect. At other times I would be more emotional, in a more excited state and to some extent delusional. Now associated with these two states I think I can sense a difference in my thinking where in the former I would interpret only symbolic meanings ie denotation where the symbol has an arbitrary relation to the signified in the latter state my mind seemed to work overtime attaching iconic or indexical meanings often quite inappropriately. Everything meant something else in a more or less metaphorical way. My question is Is this observation significant.