Saw my therapist today. We had a long chat about my diagnosis, she has been my therapist three and a half years now. In any case she said about the one doctor who said that “what does he know”. Ask her why I lost my mind at one point and the answer is not clear I guess but she says I just worry too much. I don’t know, she is 65 year old social worker and I think when she retires I’ll be done with therapy and just see the doctor, who I am also going to discuss this with. I have never in my life had auditory hallucinations of voices outside of my body just at one time sort of voices in my head and I told her that too. Well I’m not jumping for joy, just one more different opinion. Ask someone else they may have another one. Well hope everyone has a good day.
That’s good news in a way though it doesn’t change anything. Are you on antipsychotic drugs?
She may not be the most knowledgeable about the science and diagnosis of schizophrenia. And of course - people’s diagnoses frequently change and professionals will differ on opinions sometimes.
I wouldn’t listen to her. Like my doctor says, the wording of the diagnosis doesn’t matter. What matters is what is being done to treat you helps.
I find the diagnostic words help me, but only because when I am telling someone else (like a family member or a friend) what is going on with me it gives them something to go off. Like instead of having to name every symptom of sz I have or could have I can just say sz.
I agree with the admin, therapists aren’t taught to diagnose. I had a therapist lead me down the DID path for two years when it was really sza all along. Only a trained Pdoc can properly diagnose you and it takes time.
Therapists do every thing in their power to make sure clients are seen as “fit for work”. 
i hope this is the case for you.
take care
My current therapist has not diagnosed me with schizophrenia or schizoaffective - but she dxed me with bipolar disorder she told me. My current psychiatrist who has a research/neuroscience background and is board certified in 3 different areas of psychiatry diagnosed me with schizoaffective disorder, so did my last psychiatrist and psychologist.
Professional opinions and dxes differ with every doctor or therapist. My current therapist is not too far off the mark, because I do have bipolar disorder as well as schizophrenia. I am stable with Risperdal and so she is not actively seeing my schizophrenia side currently for some reason.
The psychiatrists diagnosis usually carries more weight than a therapists diagnosis, even when the therapist is a PHD
I totally agree with this statement
Yeah my aunt was a mental health social worker, she said since she knew me from birth she knows I have nothing. Well…I found out the hard way.
Dear Judy,
I’m sorry that this therapist’s assessment caused you discomfort. Most of us, by the time we have been to five psychiatrists, have gained three different diagnoses.
Jayster
So true!!! I was first Bipolar, then Schizoaffective, now I’m schizophrenic! But I believe the ones that say I have SZ because they observed me for weeks in hospital five times and came to that conclusion.