Posted by undopaminergic on October 7, 2021, at 12:12:18
In reply to Re: Beginning to think I have schizophrenia » undopaminergic, posted by SLS on October 6, 2021, at 22:06:47
> Hi, UD.
Hi SLS.
> I'm glad the manual offered you meaningful information that might enhance your ability to differentiate between symptom clusters and better identify treatments with better chances of success.
>From the point of view of treatment, (unipolar) depression would seem to be the most useful diagnosis. With schizophrenia, there's a risk the clinician will overemphasise antipsychotics, and likewise with bipolar and mood stabilisers.
> Yours is not an easy case to characterize. Have you already discounted schizoaffective disorder, particularly the bipolar subtype?
>Not entirely. But the schizoaffective criteria require that a mood disorder be present for most of the time of the illnesss. A major depressive episode has to include depressed mood, not just anhedonia. I don't suffer much from a depressed mood, and haven't for some years. Moreover, my delusions are not associated in any apparent way with depression, only with mania. And delusions have far outlasted my manias. Taken literally, I might qualify, because I have had (mild) mood symptoms before, and the criteria don't state explicitly that the depression has to be the *cause* of the delusions. I don't think I qualify if we consider the "spirit" of the criteria. What do you think?
-undopaminergic
poster:undopaminergic
thread:1117083
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20210723/msgs/1117186.html