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Do I have Schizophrenia?

wademCasual Contributor30 Aug 2016, 7:41 pm AEST

Do I have Schizophrenia?

I am new to the forums and was just wondering what is schizophrenia? I have been diagnosed with major depression and anxiety as well as AD/HD and im in the process of being diagnosed my a psychiatrist through an MRI. I have seen a psychologist regularily and she says she does not think I have it. But when i get a doctors certificate from my doctor it says schizophrenia. I have had problems over the past 4 years with substance abuse and have experienced drug enduced psychosis but thats all I thought it was. I also have a mood disorder but both medications i have tried (Antipsychotic and a mood stablizer at different times) have made me feel considerably worse. Its taken me 2 years to get to this part of my diagnosis and seen 3 different psychiatrists with 3 different oppinions and I'v had enough. I just want to get better so i can be a better person and have a healthy funcitioning life with healthy relationships.

7 replies

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In response to: Do I have Schizophrenia?

Unknown userMember30 Aug 2016, 9:09 pm AEST

Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

@wadem, hello, welcome to the forums. I am sorry you have suffered and are confused about what exactly is wrong with your mental health, even after seeing so many health professionals.

Try not to place too much importance on labels, honestly, they are tools used by the Health system to categorise treatment and; funding options. Labels are not that helpful for us, the patients. Unless of cause you can get your head around researching the condition & asking questions. From the history you describe I suspect such concentration is difficult for you. Have you ever been admitted to hospital for Assessment?

I too manage symptoms depression and anxiety, BPD, Disassociative disorder. More recently I was treated for bipolar. Current psychologist thinks I have C-PTSD (not BPD) and Complex Grief. Ho humm 😕 I have not to date been labelled 'psychotic" - psychosis being the primary indicator for Schizophrenia.

MI is strong in my family, my mother has BiPolar and i have two brothers with drug induced psychosis and paranoia. In the mental health system and on DRs reports etc they also say schizophrenia. My brothers have suffered a lot and experience much stigma and loneliness.

One brother is under a MH treatment order, to have antipsychotic injections. He tells his case manager his GP is doing it, but he isn't. In my brothers mind this is proof that he does not have schizophrenia (if he can attend court ordered assessment meetings with a Psychiatrist, Legal Rep and CM and; none of them even notice he stopped his meds a year ago, is his rationale). If he was a harm to himself or others i would take action, but although thinking the neighbours are trying to k-ll him and none of us care - he's somehow managing & seems happier.

The other brother has dropped off the MH books but clearly not free of symptoms in his belief systems &paranoia & depression), but he too manage their own affairs OK, accept but getting re drugs & gambelling.

May I ask, what is the nature of your psychosis? (unusual beliefs, Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Paranoia etc?). I can't believe your Dr hasn't taken the time to explain this to you. Can you ask them to help you understand? Perhaps appoint a case manager to talk with.

If I were in your shoes I would
(1)/believe your Psychologist recommends, and work with their treatment.
(2) use the doctors to provide documents you need signed to get support you need.
(3) Negotiate the best medication & treatment plan for you. Take notes.
(4) Don't give up.

Have you watched the movie 'A Beautiful Mind' Based on a true story of John Nash with severe life long psychotic episodes (schizophrenia) who found a way to come to terms with it and distinguish between what was real and not.

Others are cured & don't relapse

Hope this helps. Hang in there, try live more in the moment. Read Russ Harris work with Mindfulness & Self Compassion.

One Day At A Time Wadem

In response to: Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

QueenieSenior Contributor30 Aug 2016, 9:41 pm AEST

Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

Hi @wadem I live with schizophrenia and am currently being hospitalised for the condition.

For me my illness includes an awful lot of paranoia (thinking people are plotting against me or somehow wanting me to be done away with... murdered and the like). I also experience (when acutely unwell) voices and visual hallucinations. I also have symptoms whereby where acutely unwell I have delusions and can also receive messages hidden in the everyday environment that nobody else understands. There are videos on youtube which are pretty close to what I experience, so close I cannot watch them now for fear of triggering my symptoms and paranoia off.

I also experience a lot of apathy and a feeling of disconnectedness and detatchment from people in social settings. I also seem to others as being lazy, but it is like my 'care factor switch' is dysfunctional at times. These are parts of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Like Tawney has said, it is important not to focus on labels. They are nothing more than fulfilling diagnostic criteria for statistical purposes and the pharmaceutical benefits scheme for medications. What is much more important is treating yourself as a human being with experiences rather than a label from the DSM-V (the shrink's bible).

@Former-Member has also raised a valid point, 'A Beautiful Mind' is a brilliant film which portrays what it is like to experience schizophrenia and also, more importantly, how life is possible despite the illness.

Take care.

In response to: Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

wademCasual Contributor30 Aug 2016, 11:15 pm AEST

Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

Tanks for the replies guys. As far as i know iv never had visual or auditory hallucinations whilst sober. Paranoia, delusional thinking and disconnectedness are some of the things I experience. As for auditory i have many inner voices and conversations but the voices are all internal and not external. Just out of curiousity is drug induced psychosis permanent? Since i went to drug diversion I have relapsed twice the last time being during the weekend just gone and whilst i realise cannabis plays a huge part in contributing to my mental health, and am no longer in denial about the effect it has on my mental health even in the 3 months without going back to it i felt no better and have made little progress with my diagnosis. All its done is confuse the hell out of me and make me doubt everything.

In response to: Do I have Schizophrenia?

GlennContributor03 Mar 2017, 3:05 pm AEDT

Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

Hi Wadem. I'm brand new here. ..so, here goes! The post here is quite tricky, being on Diagnosis. Generaly, I feel there is going to be some sort of break through and the psychotic symptoms will be adressed seperatly from the affective deficit ones. For decades I'v struggled with a burden of Not haveing/remembering any psychosis at all- This raised the question in my mind as to what I DID have. Well I recon I have Schizophrenia. When I stumbled across a new article on it the list of Affective symptoms was impresive. Low motivation, dysphoria, poor planing, etc. But...now I know what I need to adress. I just need to find out How. Each problem is a solution, waiting to happen...Cheers..Glenn

In response to: Do I have Schizophrenia?

Unknown userMember03 Mar 2017, 3:28 pm AEDT

Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

Hi @wadem, and @Glenn, I see you've resurrected an old thread from last August. I have two brothers with 'drug induced psychosis (delusions) but don't think that's in the DSM so they use the label Schizophrenia formality. Every soul mate s so very different. Try not to put too much weight on 'labels' and keep those stress levels down (not with drugs lol). Don't want you to get lost here so gonna tag a couple of people:
@Appleblossom, @NikNik, @Queenie, @Former-Member
xox

In response to: Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

Unknown userMember03 Mar 2017, 3:31 pm AEDT

Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!

In response to: Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

QueenieSenior Contributor03 Mar 2017, 5:03 pm AEDT

Re: Do I have Schizophrenia?

Thanks @Former-Member for tagging me in this thread, otherwise I am likely to have missed this post.

Welcome @Glenn and @wadem. I have the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder bipolar type (which is in layman's terms schizophrenia with a mood disorder). I've found that, for me anyway, psychosis is on a spectrum with several diagnoses in between. As Tawney as mentioned, try not to stress too much about specific psychiatric labelling, rather focus on what is individually happening for you.

For me, I live with a range of 'psychotic' symptoms like paranoia, false thinking and beliefs (delusions), hallucinations (visual and auditory plus also unusual affect (I show 'blunting' where I might not act appropriately for example, I might be severely depressed but seem baseline or I could be ecstatic and be the same). I also show inappropriate emotions at times, I can laugh at a funeral hysterically. I also have disjointed and paranoid thinking. It takes a lot of effort for me to put together a simple sentence at times.

My illness started as drug induced psychosis (even though I first heard voices 10 years before that). Since my psychosis has lasted greater than 2 years (a decade last September), I fulfill the 'criteria' from the DSM V for schizophrenia. I have recently also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder on top of that, making my diagnosis schizoaffective disorder.

Welcome both of you to the forums. I hope you find this online environment both informative and supportive.

Cheers, Q

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