I was just wondering how other people received a diagnosis of sz or sza? I was told it was a possibility during my last hospital stay, then my psychiatrist confirmed it recently and it all seemed to fit.
But now I’m back in hospital with a different consultant psychiatrist who seems to doubt the diagnosis and has had a psychological assessment done haven’t got full results yet but apparently it strongly suggests a personality disorder, don’t know if it includes sz as well. Feel so confused and like the rug has been pulled out from under my feet
Has anyone else had these experiences? How do I cope? Has anyone ever sought a second opinion?
After a few sessions she still didn’t give me a diagnoses but I started on aps I started feeling better and we realised due to my history and a few other things I had SZ
My care coordinator said I might be suffering pseudo psychosis but I thought that meant hearing voices inside your head (mine are definitely outside) and didn’t include delusions?
I got diagnosed within a day of ending up in the mental hospital and everyone confirmed it. I think it’s because of how I ended up there. I had called the police to arrest me claiming I had cheated (which I did not) and they took me to the campus psychologist during which time I opened up and explained I had to kill myself to go to Heaven because I had started ww3 and that I was hearing voices
Uhhhh basically over my time in the mental health system I started getting more and more honest about the full extent of things I experience, I used to censor out and hide a lot out of fear of being locked up or forced on meds. So it went from “oh this is just a stressful time for you, but it will pass, this is a stressful time in life for everyone!” to “um ok definitely some sort of anxiety and psychosis problems” to major depression with psychotic features to and then eventually schizoaffective bipolar type.
Do I think I’m schizoaffective? I don’t really know. I don’t really fit in well with any DSM category. Sza is just the one I’m closest too I guess, and the doc needs a diagnosis for insurance purposes.
Btw sz and sza are not personality disorders. Schizotypal is. From what I heard it’s basically a person who is paranoid and avoids social interaction.
ive still not really gotten a solid clear diagnosis outside of “you have some psychotic symptoms and lots of anxiety”. my nurse practitioner just treats symptoms without ever really diagnosing anything or telling me atleast. when i went to this clinic right before i turned 18 they gave me the diagnosis of aspergers, agoraphobia, ocd, panic disorder, and schizophrenia, but the paper said schizophreniform instead of schizophrenia even though the doctor only ever said schizophrenia. the only difference is duration of symptoms i guess. ive asked the nurse practitioner what i may have and she said outside of anxiety disorders i may be schizoaffective (i think that fits best) and has also mentioned me possibly having thought disorder
I don’t want any mental disorder but I have one so in that case I want my diagnosis to reflect what I experience and so far it feels like schizophrenia fits best my symptoms; it worries me that I might get misdiagnosed and therefore not treated appropriately.
I often wonder if I hadn’t have had an eating disorder when younger and self harmed then personality disorder wouldn’t get mentioned…
My psychiatrist is constantly bringing up weight gain or loss with meds or how important it is to me and I’m like…yeah I don’t barf anymore, it’s a non issue…but he still always says it. That’s the stigma. Once you show people a side of you they never forget.
I have been given a few different diagnosis over the years. Sza is a relatively new one for me as it used to be bipolar 2 and then 1, also bulimia and panic disorder.
I don’t think it really matters tbh. Our treatments are all very different yet very similar. People with sz, bp, or epileptic, have sleep disorders etc will all take similar types of medication but each one will react differently for each person as well as amounts. There’s a good chance that members on this forum have a slight misdiagnosis including myself but if the treatment is working who really cares.
@SkinnyMe I don’t want a diagnosis of something I don’t have but I agree with the doctors who said I was sz and not the doctors saying it’s a personality disorder because there are treatment options for sz I feel I need - medication specifically clozapine
personality disorders are common in people with psychosis. The same money with depression and drug abuse. The diagnosis does not matter that much. It is about how you go further. The diagnosis is a desperate attempt to predict the course of a disease that nobody understands. How do you proceed? do you have a goal in your life? What makes you happy?
I totally agree except for one issue - antipsychotics i have been on all the atypical and lots of typical sand they either don’t work or send my prolactin ridiculously high. I have been offered clorizal but only if my diagnosis is sz
I’m quite scared about getting the psychosis under control anyway and even more so without ‘last chance saloon’
