Is this schizoaffective disorder? i know its impossible to say!

sorry its long!
my sister has enduring delusions or memories of past lives and experiences with demons and generally believes in all this as her extraordinary spirituality and the spirituality of myself as a schizophrenic and our middle sister who had unremitting schizophrenia, believes in our previous delusions being real

she is a very heavy drinker and in fact most likely quite long term alcoholic already having 2 bottles of wine every evening over 10 years ago and since

she has severe post traumatic stress from childhood and isolates herself in her room at mums

one thing she knows she has is pretty extreme depression
but would not try again with meds
for the past 5years she has been too unwell to work has been self injuring to extremes like nothing i have seen

she has been very suicidal all this time
she refuses to trust anyone to help her
no trust in doctors, mental health services, peers as in self help or aa people, therapists, and refuses to consider any of these as has become positive about a photography project (she is one of the best portrait photographers in the world)

she is able to have conversations
travel for a few weeks in europe
go to the shop
cook
care give mum when she was hit by a car 5 months ago
these are significantly better than i was in psychotic episodes
i need to know if you can be like this and still be diagnosed with schizoaffective
i dont see any way forward for her
unless spontaneous remission is possible
she has this unremitting psychosis at a slightly less extreme level than frank, acute psychosis and would be released from any attempt at hospital within days

she has extreme mistrust in any form of medications

with no medical options available to confirm - is this schizophrenia? schizotypal personality? schizoaffective?
mostly post traumatic stress from childhood?

my mum ignores attempts to diagnose because she has daughters not conditions for children
but knowing i have autism and schizophrenia has helped me frame my life

First of all i want to say good luck. Sounds like your family hasn’t been dealt the best cards.

I’m still learning a lot as i am a new Dx somewhere on the spectrum, probably schizoaffective the way it looks.
However, i would say that i would suspect her to have one of the diseases you already listed. Sounds like it is probably expected.
I do recommend trying to get her assessed by a professional. Don’t pressure her, because as probably everyone on this forums knows… Things can get nasty if delusions are challenged and its going to not do much good. I assume you have a set of healthcare providers that you seevon a regular basis, ask them for advice. Maybe you could also motivate her to go to a self-help group if you yourself go and ask her to accompany you as support for you. So she can learn about things and hear perspectives of others, and than when the times she can choose her on path.
But remember to take care of yourself first, before helping others. I have a tendency to have a bleeding heart and ti destroy myself trying to help others

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thank you for your beautiful reply
it certainly aint easy is it
no idea how to go forward but on the other side (friends and family) they have experience of people who do not want help

No its not easy, good luck

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