I have been thinking now for a while that maybe perhaps I actually have bipolar (diagnosed with schizoaffective, bipolar anyway) because of such a long period of remission from psychosis. Can diagnosis’ change and do they?
It really depends on which type of Bipolar you have - If you have Bipolar type 1, especially with psychotic features or mixed episodes, the remission rates are not that much better than lets say, Schioaffective Disorder - Bipolar type.
But I am pretty sure that the remission rates are worse with schizophrenia/schizoaffective, but it depends on the type of bipolar and on the individual.
For example, although I am not chronically psychotic, I have a lot of mood symptoms like mania, depression and mixed episodes - anxiety, panic disorder, OCD etc…
Some people think that having Bipolar is a walk through the park compared to Schizoaffective - but with Bipolar type 1 with psychotic features, there are very few differences - some doctors like my current pdoc thinks that they are actually the same illness in certain individuals.
The diagnosis should not change, but the symptoms do - It gets very complicated after a while
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