Scared - Changed Diagnosis - LONG

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-18-2006
Scared - Changed Diagnosis - LONG
3
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 8:12pm

Hi Everyone - My name is Jena. I come here every once in awhile when I need some help. Well, I really need some encouragement. Just to give you some background...I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2000. My psychiatrist recently changed my diagnosis to Schizoaffective Disorder. We really didn't have time to get into detail with it and I was in such shock that I wasn't sure what questions to ask. I think she changed it because of all the paranoia I am experiencing and have been experiencing for about a year or year and a half or so. For example, when I take my dog for a walk I am scared that other dogs will come and kill my dog so I take my cell phone with me and am constantly looking around for other dogs, sometimes I feel spiders crawling on me when I am trying to go to sleep and look at the wall and think they are on the wall too and then when I flip on the lights all is well in the world, no spiders. I am scared to leave my hairdryer plugged in because I'm scared it will set the house on fire. If I cook something in the slowcooker I can't leave home because I'm scared it will set the house on fire. And sometimes I think people are staring me down and judging me. ANd to top this all off I have to deal with major Bipolar symptoms on top of all this. It has not been a good time for me. I am setting up a meeting between my parents, myself and my psychiatrist because I would like to know for sure why she changed my diagnosis, what symptoms did she base that change on, is this disorder progressive (i.e. - will it go into Schizophrenia?), will she have to change my meds, do any of the medications I'm on cause paranoia?

Am I the only one in the world who has experienced this? I don't know what else to do. I looked up the description of the illness on www.nami.org and it said people had hallucinations, delusions and psychotic symptoms along with Bipolar symptoms. I don't think I'm delusional, but at this point who knows?

Jena

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-27-2006
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 8:23pm

The Schizoaffective disorder that you have going along with your bipolar isn't uncommon with many people with bipolar. These affects ( paranoia, hallucination, delusions) can and usually do intensify during mania when you have Schizoaffective disorder. It can be treated with anti-psychotics. Does your pdoc have you on one?


I know this is scary. I would hate to go through having the paranoia like you are having. I used to get paranoid at times and feel spiders and actually see them at times. I used to get scared someone was going to break in and rape me and kill my family. I have to admit I was lucky and with some meds this went away and then after finding a decent combo of meds I didn't have this happen much anymore, but I do remember how real it all seemed in my head. No one could tell me it was all going to be ok and me feel they were 100% right. I still felt like things were going to happen.


So, did your pdoc adjust any of your meds? That was not good to spring this on you and then let you leave without explaining what was going on with you. Just have the paranoia will give you a dx's of schizoaffective diorder when you have it on a continuious basis.


Hang in there.


Tina

     ~ Tina ~

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 10:07pm

Jena,


I think Tina gave you a good idea of how it interacts and is not an

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-15-2006
Thu, 08-02-2007 - 12:16pm

kcisis,

When you said "whatever it's called...." that sentence really opened my eyes. I have been spending way too much time worrying about the labels being thrown out at me: things like BP,psychosis,etc. We are just people & whatever we are experiencing is real, so we ought to just face it & not focus so much on our "labels" & what others may think of us. Although I do think that some the names like "schizoaffective" & "schizophrenic" sound too much alike, when they are really quite different illnesses...that only serves to scare patients. Anyway, thanks for the insight.

Wonderbread77