So I seen my actual psychiatrist today and decided it’d be a good time to sit down with him and discuss my actual diagnosis. So I guess at some point they took schizo-affective off the table and have settled on PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder (with schizophrenic tendencies) and Unspecified Bi-Polar Disorder. I’m having a hard time swallowing the bi-polar but honestly I think it’s just because of the social stigma of bi-polar being a “trash can diagnosis”. Something inside of me is screaming if they don’t take the diagnosis seriously than how are they going to take me seriously. Invalidation is a HUGE trigger for me and I’m desperately trying not to obsess on it. Your thoughts?
The medical team will and usually do take it seriously in ( in my experience ) but mental illnesses all carry social stigma but through awareness there is definately improvement.
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My experience is that you can talk to 10 different Doctors and each will have a different idea on whats going on, all we can do is take all the information we gather over time and call it what we really think it is. The label is not so important as getting the right treatment
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I agree and treatment wise I think I’m on the right path. They’ve got me on two mood stabilizers and an AP which is working out very well and on top of that I’m doing weekly therapy sessions as well as on the list for DBT. I’m hopeful for the future but needed to vent my thoughts before my mind obsessed on them.
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This is one of my diagnoses.
Bipolar Unspecified.
Definitely a Trash can Diagnosis.
Some professionals think that Schizoaffective is also a trash can diagnosis (my other DX)
They honestly don’t have a clue really
Are you serious @Wave? 
To be honest i also think it depends on how well functioning you are the way they look? Do you think?
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My current Psychiatrist is leaning heavily towards Bipolar.
She feels that I don’t function as I should because of my added OCD symptoms.
But yes doctors will many times diagnose someone with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective based on their functioning levels.
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What I meant was in my experience with my schiz diagnosis I didn’t feel like I was a taken seriously. Not now either. I think it depends on your level of functioning. I don’t function well. I Just feel I hide it well
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That’s kind of how I feel. I’ve been fighting this for so long that I feel like I’m a master at hiding my problems; aside from when I’m in a delusional state of course. I have this overwhelming feeling that these people don’t really know me well enough to be diagnosing me but again that’s partly my own fault.
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It’s not your fault never think of it like that. I hear you though.
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I wouldn’t worry too much mines ■■■■■■ off too… Sz other PTSD DID and psychotic something or other… Just a jumble of letters…lol… meds are the same mostly across the board…