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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Angela2 on June 26, 2014, at 13:46:30
I have a diagnosis that doesn't make sense to me. I don't agree that that is what I have most of the time, because I feel normal. It's called schizoaffective. I dunno. I have strange thoughts when I'm stressed or out in public sometimes, like, I feel like I'm being stared at. And I want to crawl into a safe hole. Even though no one is really staring at me. I have paranoia sometimes. As a reaction to things that actually happen. And I have mood disorders. Depression, and anixety. In 2006, I did have a psychotic episode though. I was under a LOT of stress and broke down. I didn't have any coping mechanisms. Lots of paranoia, delusions, and funny behavior.
If I had to diagnose myself, I'd say I have social anxiety, anxiety, depression (at one time I had a diagnosis of major depression), possibly ADD, and delusional disorder. The weird thoughts / "delusions" (scary word alert! lol) I experience are things that in fact could happen in real life, and do sometimes.
I dunno. Maybe it is not important what I "have." Maybe it's no big deal really. I'm just thinking about it.
This all started because I was wondering if I have ADD. It's hard to get motivated. How do you know if you have it? I have never in my life been diagnosed with it. And I have seen a lot of doctors. Maybe this doesn't matter either, lol.
I have a lot of time on my hands today.
My therapist says I should not focus on my diagnosis. But on just me as a person. :)
I guess I worry about telling people too. About my diagnosis. Most people don't seem to know what schizoaffective is. And it sounds scary. So I guess I'm going out on a limb posting this. I worry I may lose credibility, that people may not trust me to do the things they'd normally trust me doing if they didn't know my "diagnosis." I worry about being treated differently.
I don't know what I'm looking for from you all in this postat first I wanted to know about ADD. Then I was wondering possibly what people thought about schizoaffective. But I don't think I want to know, lol. I thinkjust writing this has helped me process my feelings. I wasn't going to post this at first, but I think I will. Perhaps it is no big deal :)
Posted by alexandra_k on June 26, 2014, at 15:45:59
In reply to Processing possible diagnosis, posted by Angela2 on June 26, 2014, at 13:46:30
I haven't found much on schizoaffective in my travels. Richard Bentall has some stuff on it in his book "Explaining Madness" which is worth a read, I think. He talks about the very start of classification in psychiatry... When it was actually a rather new idea that mental illnesses might come in a certain number of distinct kinds or types rather than different individuals all going nutso in their own unique ways... The very first distinction was between mood disorder on the one hand (later broken down into those with mania and those without) and psychotic disorder on the other. Kraeplin thought that the first was episodic in course whereas the second typically deteriorated over time...
The trouble with that classification... Is that there are a number of individuals who present with features of BOTH. So... What to do with them? Bentall uses this to argue for a dimensional classification system rather than a categorical one...
Anyway... Point being that when I hear 'schizoaffective' what I hear is someone who has some kind of affective issue (sometimes) like depression. Maybe some mania sometimes... And someone who has some of (and one can't tell from dx which) of the symptoms of schizophrenia... Probably delusions / hallucinations in times of stress... I'd say that would probably be most likely...
But that is something that is more common a bit more widely... For instance, I have psychotic episodes during times of intense stress. It is a feature of borderline personality. Apparently it is a feature of autistic spectrum. And so on... So...
There are a bunch of reasons why a person is given a dx... One major reason is so that they can access services. For instance... I get disability for my neurodevelopmental disorder. I learn that I was only ever dx'd with borderline personality because that was what I needed in order to access DBT treatment and they thought I'd benefit from skills training... Maybe they also thought that I would buddy up with a couple of the younger borderline girls who were lonely... That I might... Inspire? Them to return to university... Who knows what they were thinking...
Another major reason is to do with self-conception. Though I've never heard of anyone being dx'd with schizoaffective for that... Because there aren't really communities of people with that one all... Standing up and being inspiring or whatever...
I don't know.
Dx is... Rather arbitrary. I think... I think they were fairly wrong with their whole 'kinds of people' thing. Kinds of madness or whatever. But it's an industry now...
Posted by alexandra_k on June 26, 2014, at 15:46:40
In reply to Re: Processing possible diagnosis, posted by alexandra_k on June 26, 2014, at 15:45:59
Posted by Phillipa on June 26, 2014, at 18:49:44
In reply to Processing possible diagnosis, posted by Angela2 on June 26, 2014, at 13:46:30
Angela have you googled schizoaffective disorder? There are a lot of sites NAMI is one and you will be able to see if you feel that it applies to you. Phillipa
Posted by Angela2 on June 27, 2014, at 20:22:22
In reply to Re: fixing link, posted by alexandra_k on June 26, 2014, at 15:46:40
Just wanted to say thanks for the responses, Alexandra and Phillipa. Thanks for the link Alex, looks interesting. An old therapist of mine told me the same thing. Also, that when they have gotten bad, or worse, to examine what's off in my life. Am I stressed at the moment? Did I get enough sleep? Am I eating well? etc.
Posted by Beckett on July 3, 2014, at 3:24:45
In reply to Processing possible diagnosis, posted by Angela2 on June 26, 2014, at 13:46:30
I've thought that my father dealt with schizoaffective disorder nos if there is such a thing in psychiatry. It has bipolar elements such as some cycling, often triggered by stress, and possibly dipping in and out of delusional thought or paranoia.
I think just about anyone can have a psychotic experience given the right input and circumstance. That said, I understand it can be a reoccurring issue.
I simplify my umpteen MI issues when talking to people and admit to recurrent depression and anxiety. People can understand this. Simplifying is good for me because I undo the tangle of dx's given me. The terms social anxiety, cyclothymia, and ADD (inattentive) are helpful. I can focus on medical treatment for what I cannot change, and direct therapy more towards what I can. (That sounded a bit like the Serenity Prayer.).
About ADD, I've decided to go to a doc that specializes in ADHD and see what s/he might suggest. After many years I've decided that treating it may be the key to getting the entire picture into focus.
I recall you like music. I found a band new to me, though they have been around and have even completed some soundtracks.
(p.s. I agree with your therapist.)
Posted by Angela2 on July 3, 2014, at 19:04:17
In reply to Re: Processing possible diagnosis, posted by Beckett on July 3, 2014, at 3:24:45
Hey Beckett, that's a good song :) I've never heard of Royksopp before.
Posted by Christ_empowered on July 9, 2014, at 20:59:59
In reply to Re: Processing possible diagnosis, posted by Angela2 on July 3, 2014, at 19:04:17
I've heard schizoaffective called the "poor man's bipolar," since psychiatry seems to have class, race, and gender issues in how diagnoses are issued and treatments are given. Sad times.
On the other hand, I may have schizoaffective, lol. My parents are behind me. They're not rich, but they have clout and they're somewhat affluent, so...I'm "Bipolar I w/psychotic features." I'm also white and male and lucid on meds, so...that helps :-)
Enough about me. Truth is, schizoaffective is a tricksy diagnosis. The limited stuff I've read about it is that the manic subtype has a better prognosis than the depressive subtype. The manic subtype has a better prognosis than schizophrenia, not as good of one as bipolar. Then again, if schizoaffective really *is* the "poor man's bipolar," then maybe the prognosis is also a result of resources and socioeconomic status. Who knows?
Diagnoses, at their finest, are used to cluster symptoms together to guide treatment. I'm sure you knew that already, lol. For instance: I'm "Bipolar I." OK. What does that mean? For me, it means high dose atypical and 2+ mood stabilizers. If I was "schizoaffective," treatment may or may not be the same. "Schizophrenia," the focus is usually on the neuroleptic, but increasingly docs are doing stuff with mood stabilizers, antidepressants, even stimulants on occasion (it seems, from my reading, that interest in mood symptoms of schizophrenia waxes and wanes).
Try to just focus on your life. That's all anybody can do, really. You may or may not "really" have schizoaffective disorder...but a neuroleptic may be a good idea, and/or a mood stabilizer. See what I'm saying?
Posted by sleepygirl2 on July 14, 2014, at 8:58:24
In reply to Processing possible diagnosis, posted by Angela2 on June 26, 2014, at 13:46:30
Every single person is different.
I only see diagnoses helpful as describing some set of symptoms, they could be chronic or more episodic, but everyone is different. Thanks for sharing this, I relate.
Posted by alexandra_k on July 14, 2014, at 16:25:51
In reply to Re: Processing possible diagnosis, posted by Christ_empowered on July 9, 2014, at 20:59:59
> I've heard schizoaffective called the "poor man's bipolar," since psychiatry seems to have class, race, and gender issues in how diagnoses are issued and treatments are given. Sad times.
I have never heard of that. Psychiatry does seem to have class, race, and gender issues in how dx are issued and treatments given...but you don't get much cheaper than a naturally occurring element...
(responsivity to lithium used to be considered defining of bipolar)
so... i don't understand.
Posted by alexandra_k on July 14, 2014, at 16:26:40
In reply to Re: Processing possible diagnosis, posted by alexandra_k on July 14, 2014, at 16:25:51
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT5o8s4VKXg
that music vid was interesting. i'd only encountered them in a trentmoller remix. which... had a fairly different sound about it...
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