To elaborate, Iposted this also in Schizophrenia and Psychosis:

I am noticing a pattern with myself. I will be depressed for a period of time, and once it lifts, I become paranoid and anxious and have thoughts such as worrying that friends of mine will drive by the house and stalk me, or that people in cars I don't recognize are spying on me.

These things only happen once a depression lifts. The last time, it lasted several weeks and included an episode of hearing a voice say, "Hey," and another two voices whispering something I couldn't understand before I went into a hypomanic state. I also start to be able to feel the "energies" almost to the point of being able to feel people's feelings and can almost tell what their thoughts might be according to those energies and what I would be thinking if I was feeling those things within myself. I can feel "energies" and can tell the mood of a househole simply by driving past or looking at a house. It's not all houses, but some of them feel strong to me. I noticed I was starting to feel house energy again today.

Then while I was in (hypo) mania I was wishing for those voices to come back and tell me what I was put on Earth for. I was having revelations and amazing thoughts and I thought I had the key for curing all mental illness and creating peace in the world.

I went down from there into a vulnerable and very raw feeling state and dropped into a depression. While in that depression I went through several med changes to the combo I am on now. My depression has lifted as of this week, but I started feeling anxious and paranoid again last night.

This seems to me to be a pattern of schizoaffective disorder. I read about it and I would have to fit the criteria of bipolar, which I do and have been diagnosed with, and fit two or more of Criteria A for Schizophrenia. The ones I recognize in myself are the delusions/hallucinations (although I have only ever had that one episode of voices and one when I was a child, I have had paranoid and grandiose delusions throughout my life) and the lack of motivation.

I know I shouldn't diagnose myself and no one here can do that either, but what I want to know is how you were diagnosed as schizoaffective and what was it that the diagnosing doctor thought was your hallmark sign. Was it a clear and obvious diagnosis, or was it somewhat of a mystery until your doctor went digging?

It's important for me to know so that I can make sure I am being treated correctly and effectively.