My new therapist is a licensed clinical social worker and she has worked and continues to work with severely ill psychiatric patients in a hospital setting.
I spend about 40 minutes with her each session.
So far I saw her once a week for five weeks.
She immediately with lots of confidence and no hesitation diagnosed me with schizoaffective disorder.
My current psychiatrist has seen me for nearly 9 years, once a month for 15 minutes max each session.
She is stumped as to my actual diagnosis but leans towards bipolar disorder with severe OCD.
She recently diagnosed me with schizoaffective disorder after I questioned the bipolar diagnosis.
She told me that schizoaffective fits me as well.
Go figure.
In the meantime I’m on powerful antipsychotics and the only symptoms I’m experiencing are OCD symptoms and some paranoid ideation.
I’m getting fed up with the whole mental health scene and how pathetic these disorders are diagnosed.
Honestly the reason why I became psychotic 5 years ago was because I came off of risperdal too quickly and was placed on Vraylar which probably made me manic.
These meds are very difficult to come off of safely.
Antipsychotic withdrawal can cause psychosis in itself.
Rapid discontinuation of an antipsychotic is not recommended when switching meds.
It should be done over a span of a couple of months if not more.
Not saying it’s a losing battle. I have found things subsided recently. Like coming off these meds I have in the last month, usually I’d make myself ill with worry, but somehow it has been avoided.
Hope you can find a way around this. I wouldn’t worry too much, as you’re you, and no dx will change that!
Maybe they can try and get their ■■■■ together, as I do understand your concerns, as you want to be treated properly for what your condition is
I have been dealing with these doctors for a long time now like I am sure you have too.
Last time I spoke to the pdoc he was telling me how ‘wise’ it was to be on an AD.
I agreed, but after the call I decided the side effects were not for me. I am not dead yet! Trying to keep upbeat about it all as I am sure you’re also trying to be despite the circumstances we find ourselves in.
I obsess over my dx too. I think I’m the most unworthy person on Earth because of my diagnoses.
It feels like, since the society does not love people like us, I shouldn’t love myself.
It doesn’t matter what I think about myself because the society is going to hate us anyway. So I see absolutely no point in loving myself or treating myself fairly.
So I just like to beat the ■■■■ out of myself and I don’t care if I died or not…
i try to not obsess over my dx… it happens when i do but these days not so often anymore… i just try to put my mind on other things… it’s like you say, it’s just labels really huh. What matters the most is that you get the right meds and improve that way.