[rep97]

Hello I am haris and I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

I don't think I have it.. I think I have other issues like anxiety and ptsd(but that is another story)...

So basically I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and put on a form then later on community treatment order after I went through a really bad phase. I had extreme form of anxiety, I don't know what to even call it. Basically I was suffering from really severe form of anxiety for years and in the end it turned into something else.. It was terrible and I don't know what to call it. But then I was taken to psych ward and put on form and then later community treatment order and I have been on it for 3 years unfortunately.

I also think I had ptsd at that time(my current ptsd is from a different incident or series of incidents) which went untreated for years and my family doctor didn't mention or suggest therapy to me NOT EVEN ONCE. He did hook me up with an occupational therapist once but she wasn't a talk therapist and I couldn't go into issues, now that I remember, because that is probably how it didn't work and in the end she saw me having panic attacks and I ended it and she just said good bye and that was it.

Thing is I don't experience hallucinations or voices, NEVER have. So obviously my psychiatrist is a bad one.

I should mention I have aspergers, grew up with it ... but haven't mentioned it to my doctor so it is undiagnosed and I don't think it will go anywhere if I did.

I also have ocd which becomes really extreme at times that are related to stuff in my life and sometimes it bogs me down pretty terrible and I get anxious and stuff which is very tough.

I am in the process of ending the treatment and community treatment order but the lawyer I have is uncooperative and haven't talked to me and his assistant is very rude so I might have to fire him and get a new one which will be tricky since I don't know who is a good or bad lawyer in the list that I am provided with.

So yeah.. thx for reading and looking forward to constructive info.

[rep97]

I should mention my family doctor .. based on what I have described here.. this bastard is as incompetent and negligible as they come.. I might have to change doctors later on. so yeah..

[costello]

Originally Posted by rep97

Hello I am haris and I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Hi Haris. Welcome to PC.

I don't think I have it.. I think I have other issues like anxiety and ptsd(but that is another story)...

I tend to think psych dx's are mostly nonsense. They attempt to group people by symptoms, but they're not perfect. I really don't think it's all that helpful to get too caught up with the labels.

My son has been dx'd with sz (and psychotic disorder and bipolar, at different times). He clearly has symptoms that would put him on the sz page - specifically delusions. I think he's hallucinated in the past too.

However, the real problems in his life aren't the psychotic symptoms. The symptoms that create the most pain for him are anxiety, OCD (more obsessional that compulsive), depression, PTSD, and anger. Psychosis is just where he goes when the other issues overwhelm him.

So, does that mean he doesn't have sz? Not in my opinion. Even if he's not psychotic right now (and hasn't been for two years), I think/fear the problem is still there. It can re-emerge if life gets overwhelming again. Right now he's working on some of the other issues in a variety of ways, but under stress without support he'd likely go back to his delusional way of thinking.

I think you should address your other mental health issues. Sadly it seems like once you have that sz label, everything gets laid at that door. And for that they just give you meds. I found a pdoc for my son through an organization that advocates the use of psychotherapy for psychosis. This pdoc insists on talk therapy in addition to medication. He also has my son taking fish oil, exercising, getting light exposure and social contact, not ruminating, and one other thing I can't remember ATM.

Between the two of us, my son and I try an informal cognitive therapy. For example, he talked to me last night about the fact that he sometimes feels the need to think something over obsessively. He'll get onto a thought and can't stop thinking until he resolves it some way in his mind. For example, last night he was obsessively going over the route to his new house that he's moving to soon.

I guess the point is, IMO, don't get too hooked on the overall label. Focus on the specific symptoms you're having and see if you can cope with them or find ways to overcome them or understand their source. And try to find mental health professionals who will partner with you to work on your goals - both life goals and treatment goals.

[KUREHA]

Did they say why they think you have it?

Lol all those Ys

[rep97]

Originally Posted by costello

Hi Haris. Welcome to PC.


I tend to think psych dx's are mostly nonsense. They attempt to group people by symptoms, but they're not perfect. I really don't think it's all that helpful to get too caught up with the labels.

My son has been dx'd with sz (and psychotic disorder and bipolar, at different times). He clearly has symptoms that would put him on the sz page - specifically delusions. I think he's hallucinated in the past too.

However, the real problems in his life aren't the psychotic symptoms. The symptoms that create the most pain for him are anxiety, OCD (more obsessional that compulsive), depression, PTSD, and anger. Psychosis is just where he goes when the other issues overwhelm him.

So, does that mean he doesn't have sz? Not in my opinion. Even if he's not psychotic right now (and hasn't been for two years), I think/fear the problem is still there. It can re-emerge if life gets overwhelming again. Right now he's working on some of the other issues in a variety of ways, but under stress without support he'd likely go back to his delusional way of thinking.

I think you should address your other mental health issues. Sadly it seems like once you have that sz label, everything gets laid at that door. And for that they just give you meds. I found a pdoc for my son through an organization that advocates the use of psychotherapy for psychosis. This pdoc insists on talk therapy in addition to medication. He also has my son taking fish oil, exercising, getting light exposure and social contact, not ruminating, and one other thing I can't remember ATM.

Between the two of us, my son and I try an informal cognitive therapy. For example, he talked to me last night about the fact that he sometimes feels the need to think something over obsessively. He'll get onto a thought and can't stop thinking until he resolves it some way in his mind. For example, last night he was obsessively going over the route to his new house that he's moving to soon.

I guess the point is, IMO, don't get too hooked on the overall label. Focus on the specific symptoms you're having and see if you can cope with them or find ways to overcome them or understand their source. And try to find mental health professionals who will partner with you to work on your goals - both life goals and treatment goals.

Agree. I don't believe in labels as well. It is just a reference point to other people so they would get an idea .. otherwise I don't believe in them. Also I don't exactly know what psychosis is and is it exclusive to schizophrenia. I remember getting caught up in the whole extremes of my condition(dono what to call it.. anxiety or what.. but it was awful) and thoughts to take steps on certain things and talk to certain people etc. and it made me quite bogged down, obsessive, sad, despondent, on edge and a little angry on and irritable... so if that is psychosis .. then is it exclusive to schizophrenia? But I don't think I have schizophrenia and the reason I am talking about is because I am on a community treatment order(I don't know if you are familiar with that or not) and have been on it for 3 yrs unfortunately. So I am in the process of terminating it. But the only reason I remember given by my doctor that why I do have schizophrenia is that I have irregular thoughts or something along those lines. To which I responded a lot of people may have irregular thoughts and deal with anxiety and they aren't schizophrenic but they(including his assistant and my family members) insisted I do have it. It is a grim situation but I am fighting and trying my best.

Originally Posted by rep97

Also I don't exactly know what psychosis is and is it exclusive to schizophrenia. I remember getting caught up in the whole extremes of my condition(dono what to call it.. anxiety or what.. but it was awful) and thoughts to take steps on certain things and talk to certain people etc. and it made me quite bogged down, obsessive, sad, despondent, on edge and a little angry on and irritable... so if that is psychosis .. then is it exclusive to schizophrenia?

I can't say whether you have schizophrenia or not, but I might be able to explain what psychosis is. Psychosis is not exclusive to schizophrenia as it can occur in mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar mania. Indeed schizoaffective disorder is thought to be a combination of schizophrenia symptoms with a mood disorder. It's described as 'losing touch with reality' by experiencing hallucinations of things that aren't really there, the most common of which is hearing voices, and having delusions, unusual beliefs of things that aren't true but that one cannot be convinced they aren't true. Also thought disorder, which can range from feeling that one's thoughts are sped up or slowed down, to being incomprehensible when speaking to others ('word salad').

I hope this helps

*Willow*

[rep97]

Originally Posted by WeepingWillow23

I can't say whether you have schizophrenia or not, but I might be able to explain what psychosis is. Psychosis is not exclusive to schizophrenia as it can occur in mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar mania. Indeed schizoaffective disorder is thought to be a combination of schizophrenia symptoms with a mood disorder. It's described as 'losing touch with reality' by experiencing hallucinations of things that aren't really there, the most common of which is hearing voices, and having delusions, unusual beliefs of things that aren't true but that one cannot be convinced they aren't true. Also thought disorder, which can range from feeling that one's thoughts are sped up or slowed down, to being incomprehensible when speaking to others ('word salad').

I hope this helps

*Willow*

Thanks for the reply. It clears up stuff to see that psychosis is not exclusive to schizophrenia. I think I had severe ptsd with anxiety disorder etc etc etc. All of them together created a complicated and scary combo. I don't know if it was psychosis but I don't wanna get caught up in labels.

But it is clear that I don't have schizophrenia as I already have mentioned I haven't experienced hallucinations ever or experienced voices. So obviously my psychiatrist is messed up. I also didn't experience losing touch with reality or anything like that or had thought disorder or had my thoughts sped up or slowed down. I was angry and a little agitated at times and for a good reason because my anxiety was so severe that it was palpable and feelable(lol yeah it was quite something.. quite terrible).

I have started the process to challenge the treatment and am caught up a little bit in stuff but I will be speaking to the office that takes care of this soon.

I also should mention as I have mentioned in a different thread that I am on a waiting list for therapy. Now I think therapy is very important specially for me and that will be important. So yeah...