I was diagnosed with depressive disorder and anxiety for many years before I finally reached the diagnosis of Schizo affective disorder. The relief I felt when I received this diagnosis was so amazing, I have spent my whole life wondering what was wrong with me and never understood what was wrong. Anxiety and depression just didn't make sense for me. Finally, this diagnosis is one that made sense. Thank you for this video and explanation.
You have any psychotic episodes?? Is it delusions or hallucinations or both? What changed your diagnosis from anxiety & depression to schizoaffective disorder???
I have Schizoaffective disorder and With one of my more recent Psychotic episodes I had a few months ago at a hotel room with my wife, the police officer built up trust with me by talking about my hobbies with me. This helped calm me down. I was so agitated that I was scared of even my own reflection in a mirror.
My last intention would be for this to sound patronizing, because truly respect is what led me to reply to this even though in never comment on youtube videos. You should be proud of yourself for being able to post a comment like this, if more people with a mental illness had the confidence to share the way you just did we might not have the mental health epidemic were in. Lots of respect. I have been an RN in emergency psych for 10 years, and almost a psych NP its amazing what some respect and communication skills can do to avoid volatile situations. Stay well.
I had been reading the texts in DSM back and forth and not grasping the real difference between BAD 1 with psychosis and Schizoaffective. it's much clearer now. Thanks
I have schizoaffective. My advice is Take Your Meds! I say this because every time I've stopped taking my meds I end up in a psych unit. Right now I'm in a depressive dip. I don't know why and I hope it will get better soon. I'm taking my meds still despite this.
I respect this view a lot and your message is important for other struggling with the disorder. One thing that makes psychiatry difficult is the episodes of depression/mania will go away with time even without treatment but relapse of symptoms is common. That time it takes for symptoms to resolve can result in things like inpatient admission or even more dangerous situations. I appreciate the comment, bust of luck with everyhting
I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ocd and treated accordingly with risperidone, Lamictal, and Zoloft. However, after my dose of antipsycotic was increased (due to delusions of being spied on/watched though my phone camera) I gained enough clarity to suspect I may in fact have schizoaffective disorder. I have experienced "thought broadcasting", "subliminal messaging" from media, being stared at constantly in public, extreme withdrawl from reality and family members, voices "inside" my head and "outside" my head as well as a few fully formed hallucinations in the past. Additionally, I had very long episodes of disorganized speech (which I blamed on others interrupting me before I was medicated), cognitive difficulties, and degraded hygiene. My psychiatrist said the "spying" delusion was a symptom of mania but I didn't feel manic while it was happening. I don't know if a schizoaffective diagnosis would result in any alteration of my medication, however I would personally like to know if that is in fact a better diagnosis. I am very committed to treatment and recovery and I believe that clarity on this issue would help me maintain self-awareness and rational thinking. Honestly, I struggle to communicate my symptoms verbally and am wondering if you have any advice as to how I should proceed.
I was first diagnosed with bipolar but then redignosed with schizoaffective disorder. I quit my job due to phsycosis making it impossible to focus at work, going in and out of reality.
There is always hope that things can get better and possibly return to work in the future. Treatments do exist and I've seen people are massive turn arounds. This is a serious mental illness and can be difficult to manage. I believe in you
Wow. I was literally diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression with mania. And I grew up knowing it was more than what they gave me. I eventually found a therapist that diagnosed me with schizoaffective disorder bipolar type and now it’s easier to understand my brain because I know what it is. I was sidelined with many different meds, especially SSRI’s and I did not like any of them because of the side effects. They finally have me on meds for my anxiety and for my mania and I feel like that’s helped me more than SSRI’s. I experience hallucinations every day. As well as my mania or depression. This can be on top of the world or me in my head, fighting the other people. It does not help that I also have OCD, so when my compulsions are not “assured” my brain goes into a whirlwind and I plummet. I have really bad speech issues. It’s hard to get my voice out there when there is so many interruptions from the others. Sometimes they just take over and I lose spots or time slots and I do not remember specific things that other people say happened. But when it comes to my trauma, I am able to remember it all? Like it was yesterday. I ALWAYS think people can hear what I am thinking so I put myself in a box in my head and project a different thought just in case they are listening.
Dialectical behavioural therapy works well for bipolar and EMDR for trauma and psychoanalysis treats schizophrenia...there is a you tube channel called " Doing well with schizophrenia" currently she is on keto diet and decreased her medication's dose substantially. I recommend you to search for a metabolic psychiatrist.
I also side with you, believing Schizoaffective does progressively get worse like Schizophrenia... I am diagnosed Schizoaffective, bipolar type and I'll tell you my experience is that these last 2-3 yrs I've noticed I am less and less able to take care of my basic needs.. I am getting worse... but I also haven't been on medication in quite a while.. so I've just started Aripiprazole a few days ago... so maybe in 3 months or so, I might be doing better? 🤞
That has been my clinical experience. When we look at schizophrenia the biggest problem is the cognitive deficits that it causes, given the overlap with schizoaffective disorder I think we see some of those cognitive deficits there as well. I need to make a video on aripiprazole because it’s a misunderstood medication, it’s really a modulator of dopamine activity. As far as medication choice goes, it depends on the primary symptoms. If they are mostly mood symptoms like mania, then a mood stabilizer would be a good choice. If the symptoms are primarily psychosis, then the dopamine blocking medications like aripiprazole are best. There has been a large movement away from mood stabilizing medications in bipolar disorder which is unfortunate IMO. Improvement should start to be seen in as little as 2 weeks, but you need a full 6 weeks at an adequate dose to be sure and the use of a scale to track progress would provide an objective measure. Hope this helps
Yea I see your profile pic and pot doesn’t help with our disorder… so maybe stop doing that. I’ve been progressively getting better since I quit smoking pot. One day you have to stop kidding yourself. If you just grow and don’t smoke then I apologize and you can just ignore this comment.
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but I’m seeing signs of schizophrenic symptoms in the way of delusions and most recently audible hallucinations so I feel as tho I’ve progressed into more schizophrenic symptoms this is very overwhelming and scary and just all around confusing
Where, in your opinion, does Aripiprazole (or Abililfy) fit in the treatment of Schizoaffective Disorder? I was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder (Bipolar type) back in the summer of 2020. I have often questioned this diagnosis, wondering whether it was a particularly extreme "psychotic feature" of what I was originally diagnosed with (Bipolar disorder) some thirty five years ago. Having stated that, I have to admit that the Aripiprazole is working wonders for me, and I have more clarity and ability (intellectually, and cognitively) than before. I have been treated with a variety of drugs over the years, including Valproaic Acid, Risperidone, Carbamazepine, Fluoexetine and much, much more. I should add that I continue to take Fluoxetine alongside Aripriprazole, and so long as I continue to imbibe these medications, thankfully, there have been no further episodes. (In the past, my episodes have occurred regularly, at about the four yearly mark). I would appreciate hearing your thoughts / comments. Thank you
Hello my son was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder about 2 years ago when he was 18 years old. He has been hospitalized 8 times in the last 10 months because he is in denial that he has it we struggle with him taking his meds he thinks its poisoning his body because he has put on 60 plus pounds since his diagnosis. As his mother I dont know how to help him he is about to be 21 years old he cant hold down a job and depends on my husband and I for all of his care. Any advice? I dont want to lose my son to this illness.
This is an erotomanic delusion where the persons believes that a famous or high status person is in love with them and it can present in both disorders although it can also present as just delusional disorder not in the context of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
It can be difficult to get the timeline correct, so history is very important in this diagnosis. I also sometimes see this diagnosis given to people when you ‘providers’ have no idea what is going on with a patient. Basically, you can cover all your bases with this diagnosis and open any medication option up. I do like the way you put it in your comment as “schizophrenia with a mood disorder”
My psychiatrist wrote my diagnosis as schizophrenia and bipolar type II. He would not write schizoaffective as insurance does not consider that very serious and won’t cover that. Crazy as that may sound.
Hey, I stumbled upon your channel and your content is really good. For whatever reason, I need to know the science of these conditions to help my own self-treatment. Your videos are great for that. I have schizoaffective disorder and have thankfully been in remission for the last eight years. I have a question about a medication I take. My remission is partly due to a change in medication to Invega. Over the years, that med has changed form from the oral pill to the injection. About six years ago, I started with Invega Trenza - a form that is injected every three months. Since then my symptoms have stabilized quite a bit. I'm now working part-time and feeling much less anxious. My question is about Invega Trenza. It is a relatively new medication from what I know. Do you have any thoughts about the medication, whether from your own research or through prescribing it? I don't know anyone else who takes the medication and just want to know a bit more. Thanks.
I like this medication a lot and I like long acting injectables in general as they eliminate the need to take medication daily and offer more sustained plasma levels. Invega is not all that new and it's the active metabolite of risperidone. It has a well established history of efficacy in the literature and IMO works well. You may be happy to know there is a new version that only required 1 injection every six months, I think that so call to be able to take medication only twice a year. invega hafyera check it out. I appreciate the comment, all the best
You seem to be a nice guy. But 99.5% of you shrinks on youtube have your delivery backwards, in where you incessantly throw psychiatric words around, instead of providing actual examples that people can relate to. When you all on youtube sound almost exactly the same and are communicating terribly, maybe you all should start to think about focusing on presenting helpful examples instead of focusing on constantly tossing about vague psychiatric nomenclature.
I was diagnosed with depressive disorder and anxiety for many years before I finally reached the diagnosis of Schizo affective disorder. The relief I felt when I received this diagnosis was so amazing, I have spent my whole life wondering what was wrong with me and never understood what was wrong. Anxiety and depression just didn't make sense for me. Finally, this diagnosis is one that made sense. Thank you for this video and explanation.
You have any psychotic episodes?? Is it delusions or hallucinations or both?
What changed your diagnosis from anxiety & depression to schizoaffective disorder???
Just accepted my 'schizoaffective bipolar type' diagnosis. I'm scared and also sad that I have gone this long in denial.
I have Schizoaffective disorder and With one of my more recent Psychotic episodes I had a few months ago at a hotel room with my wife, the police officer built up trust with me by talking about my hobbies with me. This helped calm me down. I was so agitated that I was scared of even my own reflection in a mirror.
Sometimes a little talking can go a long way, I'm glad the officer was trained for these situations. I appreciate the comment
My last intention would be for this to sound patronizing, because truly respect is what led me to reply to this even though in never comment on youtube videos. You should be proud of yourself for being able to post a comment like this, if more people with a mental illness had the confidence to share the way you just did we might not have the mental health epidemic were in. Lots of respect. I have been an RN in emergency psych for 10 years, and almost a psych NP its amazing what some respect and communication skills can do to avoid volatile situations. Stay well.
😊
@@jeffreypanko8440ok Noctor.
I had been reading the texts in DSM back and forth and not grasping the real difference between BAD 1 with psychosis and Schizoaffective. it's much clearer now. Thanks
I have schizoaffective. My advice is Take Your Meds! I say this because every time I've stopped taking my meds I end up in a psych unit. Right now I'm in a depressive dip. I don't know why and I hope it will get better soon. I'm taking my meds still despite this.
I respect this view a lot and your message is important for other struggling with the disorder. One thing that makes psychiatry difficult is the episodes of depression/mania will go away with time even without treatment but relapse of symptoms is common. That time it takes for symptoms to resolve can result in things like inpatient admission or even more dangerous situations. I appreciate the comment, bust of luck with everyhting
what meds are you on?
YES!!!!
I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ocd and treated accordingly with risperidone, Lamictal, and Zoloft. However, after my dose of antipsycotic was increased (due to delusions of being spied on/watched though my phone camera) I gained enough clarity to suspect I may in fact have schizoaffective disorder. I have experienced "thought broadcasting", "subliminal messaging" from media, being stared at constantly in public, extreme withdrawl from reality and family members, voices "inside" my head and "outside" my head as well as a few fully formed hallucinations in the past. Additionally, I had very long episodes of disorganized speech (which I blamed on others interrupting me before I was medicated), cognitive difficulties, and degraded hygiene. My psychiatrist said the "spying" delusion was a symptom of mania but I didn't feel manic while it was happening. I don't know if a schizoaffective diagnosis would result in any alteration of my medication, however I would personally like to know if that is in fact a better diagnosis. I am very committed to treatment and recovery and I believe that clarity on this issue would help me maintain self-awareness and rational thinking. Honestly, I struggle to communicate my symptoms verbally and am wondering if you have any advice as to how I should proceed.
I have schizoaffective - bipolar type, and I appreciate this video. I'll share it on my FB page dedicated to the education of this illness.
I appreciate it, if you have any question I'm always happy to answer them.
I was first diagnosed with bipolar but then redignosed with schizoaffective disorder. I quit my job due to phsycosis making it impossible to focus at work, going in and out of reality.
There is always hope that things can get better and possibly return to work in the future. Treatments do exist and I've seen people are massive turn arounds. This is a serious mental illness and can be difficult to manage. I believe in you
Wow. I was literally diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression with mania. And I grew up knowing it was more than what they gave me. I eventually found a therapist that diagnosed me with schizoaffective disorder bipolar type and now it’s easier to understand my brain because I know what it is. I was sidelined with many different meds, especially SSRI’s and I did not like any of them because of the side effects. They finally have me on meds for my anxiety and for my mania and I feel like that’s helped me more than SSRI’s. I experience hallucinations every day. As well as my mania or depression. This can be on top of the world or me in my head, fighting the other people. It does not help that I also have OCD, so when my compulsions are not “assured” my brain goes into a whirlwind and I plummet. I have really bad speech issues. It’s hard to get my voice out there when there is so many interruptions from the others. Sometimes they just take over and I lose spots or time slots and I do not remember specific things that other people say happened. But when it comes to my trauma, I am able to remember it all? Like it was yesterday. I ALWAYS think people can hear what I am thinking so I put myself in a box in my head and project a different thought just in case they are listening.
Thanks for sharing your experience, hope the video was helpful
Dialectical behavioural therapy works well for bipolar and EMDR for trauma and psychoanalysis treats schizophrenia...there is a you tube channel called " Doing well with schizophrenia" currently she is on keto diet and decreased her medication's dose substantially. I recommend you to search for a metabolic psychiatrist.
The best way to get a diagnosis is quit guessing and do a full psychological evaluation done with testing.
What type of testing?
I also side with you, believing Schizoaffective does progressively get worse like Schizophrenia... I am diagnosed Schizoaffective, bipolar type and I'll tell you my experience is that these last 2-3 yrs I've noticed I am less and less able to take care of my basic needs.. I am getting worse... but I also haven't been on medication in quite a while.. so I've just started Aripiprazole a few days ago... so maybe in 3 months or so, I might be doing better? 🤞
That has been my clinical experience. When we look at schizophrenia the biggest problem is the cognitive deficits that it causes, given the overlap with schizoaffective disorder I think we see some of those cognitive deficits there as well. I need to make a video on aripiprazole because it’s a misunderstood medication, it’s really a modulator of dopamine activity. As far as medication choice goes, it depends on the primary symptoms. If they are mostly mood symptoms like mania, then a mood stabilizer would be a good choice. If the symptoms are primarily psychosis, then the dopamine blocking medications like aripiprazole are best. There has been a large movement away from mood stabilizing medications in bipolar disorder which is unfortunate IMO. Improvement should start to be seen in as little as 2 weeks, but you need a full 6 weeks at an adequate dose to be sure and the use of a scale to track progress would provide an objective measure. Hope this helps
Yea I see your profile pic and pot doesn’t help with our disorder… so maybe stop doing that. I’ve been progressively getting better since I quit smoking pot. One day you have to stop kidding yourself. If you just grow and don’t smoke then I apologize and you can just ignore this comment.
@@ShrinksInSneakers thanks!
@@Mpxyzm2by it doesn't help these symptoms but it helps my chronic pain as well as my PTSD symptoms
@@ShrinksInSneakers aripiprizole has helped me tremendously!
How can I cure my schizoaffective disorder I'm tired of it
Thank you for you video my son have just been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder
No problem I appreciate the support, and I'm happy to answer questions
Hi Joanne. How is your son doing today? Hope all is well
@@mjmoody3796 he has he’s good and bad days as he won’t take he’s meds thank you for asking
I have a similar story/situation with my 21 yr old daughter...she's in denial@@joannemurphy7967
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but I’m seeing signs of schizophrenic symptoms in the way of delusions and most recently audible hallucinations so I feel as tho I’ve progressed into more schizophrenic symptoms this is very overwhelming and scary and just all around confusing
those symptoms can present in bipolar disorder as well, it will depend on the context (psychotic symptoms within the context of mania?)
Where, in your opinion, does Aripiprazole (or Abililfy) fit in the treatment of Schizoaffective Disorder? I was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder (Bipolar type) back in the summer of 2020. I have often questioned this diagnosis, wondering whether it was a particularly extreme "psychotic feature" of what I was originally diagnosed with (Bipolar disorder) some thirty five years ago. Having stated that, I have to admit that the Aripiprazole is working wonders for me, and I have more clarity and ability (intellectually, and cognitively) than before. I have been treated with a variety of drugs over the years, including Valproaic Acid, Risperidone, Carbamazepine, Fluoexetine and much, much more. I should add that I continue to take Fluoxetine alongside Aripriprazole, and so long as I continue to imbibe these medications, thankfully, there have been no further episodes. (In the past, my episodes have occurred regularly, at about the four yearly mark). I would appreciate hearing your thoughts / comments. Thank you
Hello my son was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder about 2 years ago when he was 18 years old. He has been hospitalized 8 times in the last 10 months because he is in denial that he has it we struggle with him taking his meds he thinks its poisoning his body because he has put on 60 plus pounds since his diagnosis. As his mother I dont know how to help him he is about to be 21 years old he cant hold down a job and depends on my husband and I for all of his care. Any advice? I dont want to lose my son to this illness.
I have been diagnosed but it is unspecified what does it mean
can you be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and still be looped in with this mental health isssue?
It makes me feel awake strangely.
Does a hallucination of a Love interest fall into categorization of schizophrenia or schizoaffective.
This is an erotomanic delusion where the persons believes that a famous or high status person is in love with them and it can present in both disorders although it can also present as just delusional disorder not in the context of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
My niece has schizoaffective bipolar type and her psychotic breaks seem to be getting closer together.
Why is it confusing? You have both Schizophrenia and a mood disorder... either depression or bipolar.. I don't understand how people don't understand
It can be difficult to get the timeline correct, so history is very important in this diagnosis. I also sometimes see this diagnosis given to people when you ‘providers’ have no idea what is going on with a patient. Basically, you can cover all your bases with this diagnosis and open any medication option up. I do like the way you put it in your comment as “schizophrenia with a mood disorder”
@@ShrinksInSneakers I definitely believe they give that diagnosis as a "catch all" as well..
#wellness
My psychiatrist wrote my diagnosis as schizophrenia and bipolar type II. He would not write schizoaffective as insurance does not consider that very serious and won’t cover that. Crazy as that may sound.
@@19MadMatt72 that is crazy!
Hey, I stumbled upon your channel and your content is really good. For whatever reason, I need to know the science of these conditions to help my own self-treatment. Your videos are great for that.
I have schizoaffective disorder and have thankfully been in remission for the last eight years.
I have a question about a medication I take. My remission is partly due to a change in medication to Invega. Over the years, that med has changed form from the oral pill to the injection. About six years ago, I started with Invega Trenza - a form that is injected every three months. Since then my symptoms have stabilized quite a bit. I'm now working part-time and feeling much less anxious.
My question is about Invega Trenza. It is a relatively new medication from what I know. Do you have any thoughts about the medication, whether from your own research or through prescribing it? I don't know anyone else who takes the medication and just want to know a bit more.
Thanks.
I like this medication a lot and I like long acting injectables in general as they eliminate the need to take medication daily and offer more sustained plasma levels. Invega is not all that new and it's the active metabolite of risperidone. It has a well established history of efficacy in the literature and IMO works well. You may be happy to know there is a new version that only required 1 injection every six months, I think that so call to be able to take medication only twice a year. invega hafyera check it out. I appreciate the comment, all the best
Read the book brain energy very transformative and helpful
I believe a simple break through in mental health is on the horizon.
Just got diagnosed last week I don't like this
You seem to be a nice guy. But 99.5% of you shrinks on youtube have your delivery backwards, in where you incessantly throw psychiatric words around, instead of providing actual examples that people can relate to. When you all on youtube sound almost exactly the same and are communicating terribly, maybe you all should start to think about focusing on presenting helpful examples instead of focusing on constantly tossing about vague psychiatric nomenclature.
I agree.