schizophrenia and schizoaffective get all the attention.
but anyone else here:
schizotypol
schizophreniform
there are 1-2 others.
they call it the schizophrenia “spectrum”,
i guess “schizoid” is a personality disorder.
just mentioning this is giving me a headache, lol…the names they use for these are confusing
Yeah it boils down to treatment anyways and you’ll find that most psychotic disorders may change over time. If your on antipsychotics your in the realms and shizophreniform is a term usually used early for a schizophrenic type disorder that hasn’t presented over time…6 months is the usual diagnostic criteria for confirmation of sz. So symptoms over time are part of the process…
I was originally DXed as Disorganized and not expected to improve. When I did improve I was “upgraded” (cough) to Paranoid Schizophrenia. I don’t think the needle will move much from there.
I’ve been thinking, about what you said. With just my first episode, recent psychosis in 16 yrs, I *might have even gone more towards bipolar 2, from schizoaffective. …hence my name i’m using here on the forum. I’m having “rapid cycling”. and hypomania. for the first time, almost ever.
my medical doc has me down as “bipolar 2”. i was just on the cuspid (?) of having a complete break a week ago, but it didn’t happen, thanks to AP, and bipolar 2 usually does not go into psychosis.
I don’t like the little “categories” even the spectums, like where does Schizoaffective fall. obviously not a medical issue which is more black and white.
i’ll admit, the hypomania and feel a little intoxicating at times
I guess it’s originally about treatment. You change doctors there’s a history and guide to treatment. There used to be like 4 or so variations of the sz diagnosis in itself but that has fell out of favor as more knowledge and history came on board.
Simply. Sz aff is sz with a mood disorder and that, I’ve found can change where you are. More likely to use in the US than here in Australia but it’s still about treatment anyways.
Early on if I had gotten a diagnosis it would of probably been schizoaffective. But im high functioning and didnt get a diagnosis till years later. I have bipolar 1 mixed type with psychosis as my current diagnosis.
I dont really care what it is though. Id rather it be something cool like cookie monster disorder . Cuz cookies are good 
my (adopted) cousin has bipolar 1. she’s 51 yrs old and won’t take her meds. this is the worst state she’s been in, ever, right now. I can’t even desribe what’s going on with her in such terrible condition…it’s beyond shocking. i think she has borderline or hysteria, as well.
sigh, if only this could have been addressed, properly 35 years ago, it’s so sad
i’m almost glad my aunt and uncle passed away before it got to this point, with her
Ah yeah its too bad. I have a bipolar uncle (undiagnosed) hes in his 50s. Hes haywire and will never get help cuz he doesnt believe anything is wrong.
my cousin does not think anything is wrong!!
Its fairly common actually for people to go many years not getting help
for sure, she was always a hard worker, was high functioning. stress, though…
My dx history has been schizophrenia 1975-1983? schizo-affective mixed type, 1983?- 2005 personality disorder nos, 2005-?, ?-2018 paranoid pd ?- 2018…- now.Since 2018 it has swung between schizo-affective and schizophrenia. It’s been described as ‘episodic’.
A little while back I was reckoned to be ‘In remission with some breakthrough psychosis’. Partial remission would have been a better descriptor.
Have been having some paranoia re my neighbour(s). Thinking they’re going to break into my flat. There’s no rhyme or reason to it as the very little actual interaction with them has not been in any way unpleasant.
Too good. Makes the battle of the bulge more of a battle.
I think of this forum more as an antipsychotics-support forum.
Yes, I’ve been diagnosed sequentially with only paranoid schizophrenia, only schizoaffective, ony Asperger’s, and even, by a psychologist, as just having a “nervous breakdown” over a decade ago and recovering from it.
I think I still benefit from this forum and benefit others on it because I’ve been on antipsychotic medication for most of the last 14 years. That is an important shared experience.
It is a recovery oriented forum. There are a very small number of members who HAVE been able to go off their APs under medical supervision and they are still welcomed and supported. It’s when you’ve got users who are obviously extremely delusional that are telling others their APs are not needed when there is pushback. Most of us need the meds for life. It’s just not recommended to go cold turkey from the meds on your own – that can actually be quite dangerous.
Yeah, I was instructed by a psychiatrist to go off my medication for a few months once, when I was having trouble swallowing my food and losing a lot of weight. Not a pleasant experience.
Like it or not, though, much of the discussion here is going to be about side effects of antipsychotics, withdrawal from antipsychotics, and other things about antipsychotics, because so many of us use them. They are a big part of many people’s recovery.
Side-effects are a massive hindrance, that’s for sure. I choose to live with some positive symptoms from the SZ because I have the insight to deal with them and they are LESS UNPLEASANT than side-effects from the head meds. Too high a dose of APs and I start to lose my cognition. Can’t function at work.
Speaking of people who recover while avoiding meds, where is that fellow who was avoiding meds and treating his symptoms with novel ideas like wide-brimmed hats? Did he recover? That would be a nice story.
(Edit) Oh, I see. @Chess24 . His last post seems to have been July 2021, and he seems to have been getting better. Nice. (/Edit)
my current diagnosis i think is schizoaffective bipolar type and anxiety disorder.