SakuraLi: I originally thought he might just have manic depression because he'd have months when he'd really be amazing and great then he'd have months of intense obsessions and he’d feel so low he didn't know if he wanted to live anymore and that would go on in cycles of about 3-4 months each of good and bad times, for the 4 pre-treatment years.

It may be helpful to know that labels are very slippery-slidey things. This is because, in spite of the hype, experiences like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are not specific illnesses like diabetes. There is no diagnostic test that can be done (like a blood test or brain scan) that will deliver a conclusive result that so-and-so has schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, etc. Rather, diagnosis is based on the presenting, troubling symptoms and because these can change, the diagnostic label can change along with it.

I know many people who have gone from being schizophrenic, to being bipolar, to being schizoaffective to being DID. In my own child's case, the initial concern was that they were schizophrenic. Then it became bipolar. Then it became schizoaffective/bipolar. At our most recent meeting with their psychiatrist however, their psychiatrist shared that they're not sure if any of those labels are appropriate because my child is doing so well. They think that maybe it was just the challenges of Life stressors as combined with my child's use of cannabis. The stressors have since been reduced, the cannabis use has been stopped and my child is doing well.

They are, incidentally, engaged to marry someone who carries a diagnostic label of "schizophrenia". Like your boyfriend, that individual is very high-functioning, capable of working, going to school and maintaining intimate, emotional relationships. My child is happy and does feel they have found a remarkable person to share their life with. I share their sentiment. They have found a remarkable person -- someone who is good for them, someone who has demonstrated they can hang on during the tough times, someone who is skilled, knowledgeable, intelligent, capable of developing and following through on their goals, empathic, kind, and strong. I have no objection whatsoever to my child marrying someone who is considered to be schizophrenic in this culture/society. I feel they have chosen well.