Why are bipolar and Schizophrenia mistaken for one another? I almost got diagnosed bipolar at the psych hospital before they noticed I was schizophrenic. I was always schizophrenic, so the bipolar suggestion puzzled me.
My sister in law is bipolar can work and do things, where I can barely function.
I’m both, maybe you’re both too
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I don’t think I am. I know it affects your mood, but I almost never get mood changes unless I’m on my cycle. My mood is usually very dry. I mean I am sensitive to criticism, but my moods don’t change constantly. If that makes sense??
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both same symptoms
but bipolar contain depression and mania in cycles
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its because symptoms overlap. you can be bipolar and have psychosis.
You might be on the line between more psychosis than mood issues, so one doctor might say your bipolar with psychotic features and another might label you schizoaffective, and another might just label you schizophrenia with mood elements or something.
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Hmm, that’s interesting. I mean I’ve almost always labeled as sz. Maybe it was because I was crying hysterically because I thought the military was at my house. 
The other times I wasn’t crying, just jumpy and creepy. 
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my pdoc labelled me bipolar with psychotic features because im too high functioning to be schizoaffective she said lol. she deals with some severe patients, like ones that end up in jail for stealing airplanes… lol
personally it doesnt matter to me what my label is as long as i get the help i need.
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Woah! Really? I stole a moped when I was in high school and drove it all over the rural area, before I crashed it. I walked home thinking a tornado was leadinge home. Let’s just say my parents weren’t prepared for the explanation. It was dark out. I couldve gotten into some deep Doo Doo. The reason I brought bipolar up because I would to hate having both. Or bipolar. Drastic mood changes sounds rough. How do y’all do it?
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yeah for real, she told me a few other ones but i cant remember.
yeah mood changes suck especially because they are for no apparent reason, you end up not knowing what a normal mood is and you also get very burnt out from trying to keep on top of it. but psychosis is also exhausting to deal with too
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I can see the burnt out part. Yeah psychosis is a pain to deal with. I live a constant lie because of it. My doc said, “it never really goes away, does it?” I felt sad because no, it’s a constant bain.
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I was bipolar for fifteen years, you basically get super sad and sometimes you have extra energy. Sza on the other hand has voices telling you to kill yourself and images of horrible things playing out in your head. It’s a big difference as far as I’m concerned, mainly because I didn’t hallucinate when I was bipolar. Also didn’t have any negative symptoms.
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Oh, I knew moods were involved, but didn’t connect the differences.
Were you compliant in what you told them? They have to get diagnosis from talking to you and if you’re not exactly telling the truth or withholding stuff then it might be a bit hard some times.
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I think I mentioned this to you once before but ive had all those sza symptoms you talk about. a lot.
but yeah thats why the label is so rediculous cuz the psychiatrist doesnt give me that label because I was able to function and work despite the symptoms.
like what you described my pdoc would say it was bipolar II with psychotic features.
mines bipolar I with psychotic features because I had major full manic episodes before
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Yeah I was trying to say as little as possible.
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Sz is, like, multiple “illness”. It’s not specific. Profissionals would like it more specific but it is not yet. I heard it from a psyhiatrist. With the knowledge that exists today, it’s not easy to diagnose precisely.
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Cici2,
At first, I was diagnosed with depression with psychotic features. It changed to my most current…
Schizo affective disorder with mixed bipolar rapid cycling, ptsd, gad w agoraphobia
When stressed, either good or bad, I get sza and bplr.
I hope this helps you. 
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Me too. I was mostly bipolar for many years. I was paranoid, but no hallucinations. My main problems were paranoia, and deep depression with suicidal ideations and detailed plans 24/7.
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I am diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but I barely function also.
There is a fine line between bipolar 1 with psychotic features and schizoaffective disorder.
It’s really a crapshoot when it comes to diagnosing.
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Because there is a lot of overlap.
This is the major problem with psychiatry - its lack of objective tests to validate the clinical impressions made by psychiatrists. Without objective tests, then psychiatrists are left guessing about the threshold required to meet the criteria of a mental illness like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Sure, the DSM-5 details the hundreds of disorders and lists the symptoms and threshold requirements in order to make the diagnosis, but these are still subjective.
I don’t know the stats — if they exist, but suspect that misdiagnosis is common. The criteria that determines one manic episode is vague and depends on the the story of the patient as reinterpreted by the psychiatrist. It’s an easy call for a psychiatrist, and a tough one for the patient. But do they really care? They have to fit you in according to the BOOK. The DSM bible.
The truth is… they don’t really know. They don’t know why the brain does what it does and so they throw massive medical artillery at it. Numb the pain, make it unpleasant, make it sound scientific. They pretend they know. But… How can you diagnose what you don’t understand? That’s the the real question.
There is no misdiagnosis. There is just ignorance disguised as physical science.
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