Join a Community That Understands You

Get answers from those who share your health journey

Left Image 1Middle Image 1Right Image 1
avatar

stormysundays

Updated 11mo ago

Diagnosing Bipolar I or Schizoaffective Disorder: Personal Experiences Needed

my psychiatrist treats me on symptoms alone - because of this, he told me that my symptoms were somewhere in between bipolar i and schizoaffective disorder. he said that treatments were the same so he wasn't focused on finding which one suits me best. for people with experience, how did you get diagnosed with one or the other? how should i go about figuring out which one i have? i'm a bit confused about the difference between bipolar i with psychosis vs schizoaffective disorder when i google it lol. so i would love some personal experiences

Can you help? Connect today

Your Alikes say
AI-generated answer based on the text from previous posts and comments

"Someone with bipolar only experiences symptoms associated with bipolar disorder. Whereas someone with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type experiences both symptoms and meets the criteria for diagn...See More

avatar

JohnLocke

1y

It may have to do with length of the manic episode or when psychosis occurs
avatar

stormysundays

1y

thank you, i hadn't thought of that for some reason. my psychosis is constant when i'm unmedicated and more mild when i am
avatar

JohnLocke

1y

Also, you can ask your psychiatrist. He may not know enough about your symptom duration to diagnose you
avatar

stormysundays

1y

i may take time to explain my symptoms further to him because even though he's not particularly interested in the answer i definitely am
avatar

CatherineDerry

1y

The basic difference is this: Bipolar 1 w/ psychosis means that you only experienced the psychosis while also having either a manic or depressive episode. Bipolar Schizoaffective Disorder is just a fancy way of saying you have both Bipolar and a form of Schizophrenia, meaning you can experience psychotic symptoms at any time - even if you're not having a manic or depressive episode. And to receive an official schizophrenia or schizoaffective diagnosis, you must have been experiencing at least two symptoms of psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, etc.,) for six months or more. Not sure if you know what the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual version 5.0 (DSM-V) is, but it's basically the psychiatry bible. It lists mental illnesses and the criteria required for a diagnosis. I think most libraries have a copy.

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

feed-footer-0

Free unlimited access

to all community content

feed-footer-1

Find others who are

medically similar to you

feed-footer-2

Pose questions and join

meaningful discussions

pp-logo

Alike is a transformative platform that goes beyond just bringing together patients; it meticulously connects individuals based on multiple critical factors, such as age, gender, comorbidities, medications, diet, and more, fostering a community of knowledge, support and empathy.

appStoreBtngooglePlayBtn

© 2020-2024 Alike, Inc