What was your diagnosis before schizophrenia?

They gave me the sz moniker right away in 1977 during my first break at school and scared my parents I think.

I tried to reassure them and told them, “believe in me, not the doctors!” I was sorta bluffing but what good did it do to tell my parents there was no hope and " would never graduate from college?"

Later on I had to pick a doctor myself and she wrote psychotic disorder NOS. I kinda respected that she gave me a fighting chance. But later had to lower the boom with the scarlet S. Well I tried to appear normal to no avail. :wink:

Hm. Don’t remember I was 15/16 when first diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Since then severe depression and anxiety came into the mix, I also have a low vitamin D problem. I was told by my current doctor instead of strait Schizophrenia I have Schizo affective Disorder which includes the mood problems I have. I’m 33 now, and seriously don’t remember any diagnosis before 15…

Having observed a bunch of psychiatric pts since I learned the DSM III in the late '80s, I gotta agree with Kerome… and add that “diagnostic fluctuation” seems to be the norm as time marches on.

If one was able to work with consistent diagnostic parameters over time (we aren’t), one would see symptomatic “creep” that seems (to me, anyway) to reflect “adjustments” (for better or for worse) to current circumstances in the pts’ internal and external environment.

Adjusting and changing meds is one of the obvious reasons, but living arrangements, family behavior, stress (or reduction thereof), age, other medical conditions, etc., all influence the way the blind men “see” the elephant in front of them.

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Hmm…
-major depression with psychosis NOS
-borderline
-dysthymia
-major depression
-schizoid personality disorder
-schizoaffective/bipolar type

Seems that with a change of pdocs or therapists I get a new “title.” This upcoming week I’m set to begin with a new clinic, after having seen my current pdoc for eons. Changes(!!).

When I was 14 I was diagnosed with anxiety and ocd (without the compulsions as that doctor said)
then when I was hospitalized at 17 it was psychosis nos
then I was 19 and diagnosed sz disorganized
i think the disorganized part is dropped now tho cause i dont think there are subtypes anymore??

From what I hear, it counts.

Went straight to manic schizophrenia so my mum said … I was happily ignoring all the labels and pdocs in those days. (I was 19).

I was first diagnosed with mild depression. Then it was major depression, recurrent and severe. Then, I got a diagnosis of bipolar. Then, somebody diagnosed me with schizoaffective, bipolar type. Then, generalized anxiety was added to the mix. Then, my diagnoses were changed to schizophrenia, anxiety and depression. After more than 25 years of being in the psychiatric milieu, I no longer trust the medical profession and their so called expertise in diagnostics. Psychiatric diagnostics is more of an art than a science anyway and it really means nothing more than educated guessing.

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That makes sense. Irritability is part of the picture because it is negative thinking, like depression. Thanks.

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diagnosed as demonic possessed by my dad, who hears voices :frowning: …then psychotic with mood swings by a doctor when involuntarily taken to a mental institution, then schizophrenic, which is basically psychosis.

At least you are aware.