Finally after all these years, my therapist (Psychologist) is leaning towards a Schizoaffective diagnosis for me.
She was convinced that I suffered with Bipolar but today she admitted to me that she is heavily leaning towards Schizoaffective Disorder, because she feels that socially, I isolate too much.
She also went over my Hospital records which states a Schizoaffective diagnosis.
4 Likes
I guess we,as humans, have a strong need to fit ourselves into a category./group be it a mental illness one or something else.
However what is important is that you are getting the help you need via medication and/or other means. Do you think this is happening?
2 Likes
How do you feel about it @Wave
Yes I do @firemonkey.
The meds I’m on now are working even though I’m not 100 percent better.
I tend to agree with her.
I tend to isolate myself and am too paranoid to be considered "bipolar"
Also I am pretty sure that during my last Psychotic break I became Delusional when my moods were pretty stable (episodes)
You seem to be doing well, @Wave…
A while back there, you were off the paranoid rails I noticed. It’s nice to have the old calm version of you back with us 
1 Like
Wish I had a job like hers. So little certainty, yet so much money.
1 Like
sometimes we feel better as people to be clumped together with others. i didn’t understand my schizoaffective disorder when i was told that was my diagnosis. my last diagnosis was schizophrenia don’t know if i was given a sub-type. i hope this revelation helps in your recovery.
1 Like
So true. I’m still looking for the best fit.
3 Likes
i hope someday they can be definitive with you @firemonkey
1 Like
Oh man, I got a bad joke that I would love to post but it might be considered disrespectful.
1 Like
I think they think they are definitive. For me there’s a lot of unanswered questions. Unfortunately the lack of a holistic approach hampers things. They don’t look much beyond the diagnosis they decide to give you.
2 Likes
Therapists have no idea about diagnosing people unless they are a Ph.D. And even then it’s so difficult to make the distinction between bipolar and schizoaffective that I highly doubt this therapist is capable of doing it accurately.
I’ve had this for 15 years and doctors still don’t know for sure what it is. I’ve had doctors introduce me to their department heads at teaching hospitals to try to get a look at me. I present like at orally normal guy except I have massive psychotic breaks that are brought on by dysthymia and OCD. Most doctors say “atypical bipolar disorder”. But two hospitals have said schizoaffective.
1 Like
i had that problem when i was going to this one clinic, they said i had borderline personality disorder with psychotic NOS. i kept telling them i didn’t think i fit that diagnosis but they didn’t listen
1 Like
I think that’s a problem with quite a few mental health professionals; the inability to truly listen and do a comprehensive assessment.
I had a professional once when I asked for more help say I wasn’t qualified for it. I asked why as I supposedly had a bipolar/schizoaffective diagnosis ,to which she replied " All we’ve got down here is dependent personality disorder".
I quite the mood stabiliser as I thought why risk the side effects when mood stabilisers don’t treat dependent PD which is what they claim I’ve got.
It’s not always the patient being irresponsible, mental health professionals can be irresponsible too.
3 Likes
i had a diagnosis of dependent personality disorder too but the main diagnosis was schizoaffective disorder. i found out of all the psychiatrist I’ve had only one truly listened. he just told me schizoaffective that was it. but he also said i shouldn’t focus on diagnosis but the way the meds help me. i had to stop going to him because he got really ill and could only do work at one clinic in another town.
1 Like
Umm … to be Honest, I think that you are right but at least now she is open to Schizoaffective as well.
She is a PHD too.
Heck, my psychiatrist is having a difficult time distinguishing the two diagnoses.
I think schizoaffective has been a problematic diagnosis from when it was first conceived.
1 Like
I am not very social either @Wave but I tend to agree more towards the bipolar diagnosis because when I do get an episode I am more social than I naturally am.
2 Likes
my pdoc said if you have insight in your psychotic episode its bi-polar and if you don’t have insight into it its schizoaffective
2 Likes