Quote:
Originally Posted by EducatedAsylum
I was diagnosed as schizoaffective and was inhoused and able to collect SSD because of this.. However I am taking pretty much the same drugs as those with bipolar (a mix of seroquel and lamictal)..
Schizoaffective disorder is essentially a cocktail of mood disorder and schizphrenic symptoms.. however the shrink I'm seeing now is treating me mainly for mood disorder (bipolar), and I think he's even trying to shift my diagnosis to bipolar because he thinks bipolar disorder by itself can cause distortions in perception and self-identity as well as marked social dysfunction. I wonder how much of this is true?
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I agree it is true. Scientists have even found there are overlapping genes - not just between schizophrenia and bipolar but autism as well. I guess that's why some doctors refer to the collective as "schizophrenia-spectrum disorders"???
You might want to read
this article although in addition to just the genetic aspects, I cannot help but think about the emotional and developmental fallout from having the illness (bipolar/schizophrenia or schizoaffective) itself. The diagnoses are given when brain function is being grossly affected. Having one's mind messed with that way may in turn affect self-perception, cause social dysfunction, etc.
I guess the truth in what your doctor says can only be determined in retrospect. If he can stabilize your moods - truly and
completely so you are symptom-free - will the distortions and social dysfunction disappear? I suspect that it may, IF it is indeed all mood-related (ie bipolar) with the caveat that some emotional problems may have accumulated during the intervening years simply from the trauma of having to deal with your symptoms and the type of coping strategies people use to survive these illnesses.