Bipolar, and Schizophrenia, and Asperger's! Oh My!

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When I was 18 and moved out by myself it was clear that things were not well, so I went and saw a psychiatrist through my college. I was diagnosed with depression and social anxiety disorder to begin with. I was put on medication and continued to see a counselor, but over the next two years things only seemed to get worse. And after some incidents the same psychiatrist considered the possibility of bipolar disorder. I was sent to another psychiatrist. This psychiatrist suggested the possibility of schizophrenia. And then my academic adviser at school last term suggested that I get tested for Asperger's syndrome. My psychiatrist and counselor agreed that this would be a good idea.

I'm super confused.

When I just read the symptoms, I can see myself in all three. But obviously these are three entirely different diagnoses.

A lot of my symptoms overlap between all three of these diagnoses. I'm not sure what is wrong with me. But this is just getting ridiculous. I was wondering if anyone here has ever been through anything similar? Did any of you go through multiple diagnosis before they found the correct one?



You can skip this next part, I was just trying to organize some of the symptoms I was having, but it turned out to be longer than I thought.

A quick summary of my symptoms:

I do not have hallucinations (well, none that I have noticed), but I do have delusions. I have trouble differentiating between dreams and reality at times. I either don't sleep at all or sleep 24/7. I am very isolated and only talk to my family, and even then very little. I have a hard time putting my thoughts into spoken word, and a lot of the time people do not understand what I mean to say. I create huge elaborate fantasies in my head, and often just zone out. I'm incredibly disorganized. Sometimes I forget about hygiene. Apparently I walk awkwardly.

I feel like I never feel the right emotions. And I'm not much for personal contact.

I forget things very easily. At first I thought this might just be from the medications I was put on, but I have been off medications for over 3 months now, and the memory has only gotten worse. I have forgotten what I was writing multiple times just writing this. Yet at the same time I have a really good memory, if that makes any sense. I am really good at random trivia, and I can remember events of my life like I am watching a movie, down to specific details.

I most definitely have mood shifts. Someone will say something or something will go wrong that shouldn't, and I can go up and down very quickly. I can remember one or two times where my overreaction has scared the person/people around me.

I have always been awkward. In the 6th grade I refused to leave the house unless I was wearing this specific jacket, no matter how hot it was outside and how torn up the jacket was. I didn't even notice that this wasn't normal. I avoid social situations as much as possible. I have seemed to have obsessions throughout my life. And I seem to go into a type of zone when doing something I am interested in (for instance, last month I was building a website and worked straight without stopping for anything for 37 hours. It only felt like a couple hours.) While when I am doing something I'm just not in to, like an essay for a required class, I can't concentrate for more than a few minutes.

I've really only had 1, maybe 2, real friends my entire life.

I've lost any motivation I once had. I just don't feel like doing anything. I'm taking a leave of absence from college, which really probably won't matter anyway, since the past year and a half I've been there I've only managed to do about one semesters worth of work. I was a great student in high school, but it was all routine and really easy. I stopped playing music, which is the only reason I stayed in high school to begin with. I used to love to read, now I can't concentrate long enough to finish even a single chapter. I don't have a job because I'm terrified of the social situations it could put me in, plus I feel like I've lost touch with what is required in social situations.. I have no self esteem. From the outside I probably look like a lazy moocher. I hate myself.

I moved back into my parents house because I was scared of being alone with myself.

Sorry for writing so much. I kept thinking of more things.

Hello.

In my high school years, I started suffering from depression, severe social anxiety, and paranoid delusions. I was not very much aware that anything was wrong with me until my senior year in high school, so I sought help around that time. A year and a half later I was diagnosed with Schizo-affective disorder and OCD. After about another year I was re-evaluated by two different doctors, both of which acknowledged the psychotic symptoms, the mood symptoms, and the PDD symptoms. My main doctor reviewed the results and concluded with a diagnosis of Schizo-affective disorder and PDD-NOS/Asperger's syndrome.

Hi SilentDuck,
First off, know that you are not alone in your struggles, questions, or in life. I am diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. have a bachelor's degree in psychology, and a few years experience in the field. I understand what emotions you might be feeling and they are scary to have, but know it is okay to have them and it is okay to be scared, hate life. At some point though, you will want to start planning for how you can handle these emotions and life in general.

From your symptoms, I would agree with Abstract_Logic and say you probably have a schizo-affective disorder and are on the autism spectrum. It is important to keep in mind though, that your diagnoses are just the beginning of understanding how to get your life back on track (if you're ready). A diagnosis will not solve your problems, make the delusions go away, or allow school/life to be easier. It will however empower you to get educated and find resources to help yourself.

A lesson I have learned, in relation to my disorder, is that I need to engage in the tasks that bring me happiness and at times distract me from my symptoms. For example, when I begin to get thoughts of self-harm, I make myself of aware of other, safer options, like exercising, painting, baking, reading a book and then I go do it. Otherwise, I will probably self-harm and be in a much worse state mentally/emotionally.

So, what this might mean for you is getting back to the activities that bring you happiness (or whatever emotion you're seeking). Make a list of them or some visual representation. Also keep in mind, the goal is to start getting yourself back in the routine of doing them; just like anything else in life, it is okay to start off doing whatever activity for a short period of time and then increasing the amount of time you spend on it. Some items which already could go on your list (based on your post), playing music, website design, reading, spending shorter periods of time daydreaming.....

Another suggestion I have for you, is to look into dialectical behavioral therapy (also known as D.B.T.) This is a way of thinking which is primarily used with people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, but has worked for people diagnosed with bi-polar, schizo-affective, reactive attachment disorder, etc. It empowers you to be more aware of your emotions and how you can handle/understand them, without feeling overwhelmed.

Finally, I have never met your parents, but usually as parents go, they are probably supportive of you, so feel like you can talk to them about what is going on. Believe me, it might seem like a big step to take or it might seem like the last thing you want to do in the situation, but if they let you move back into the house, it sounds like they are probably there for you. Try letting them in, and remember small steps. Don't beat yourself up if you can't do it the first time you try. Keep trying.

I hope this makes sense, us bi-polars can have trouble conveying our thoughts at times.

Hey. I'm not a psychologist by any standards, but your symptoms seem to fit much more snuggly into the schitzophrenic catagory than into the ASD one. I think that that Asperger's Syndrome and Schizophrenia are for the most part mutually exclusive diagnosis's, as the negative symptoms of schizophrenic do mirror those of ASD's somewhat. A difficulty differentiating between dreams are reality is a hallmark of Schizophrenia and Dissociative Disorders.

A clearcut diagnosis is difficult, in these cases I think it might be useful to read up on all the conditions, and some case studies, and find out which group you can relate to most.

I hope that things to start looking up for you soon, I had a psychotic episode a year ago and it was very unpleasant. Just remember that no matter how isolated you feel, there are people who can relate to you.

Sounds more more ASD than schizo...either way treatments are similar. I would stay away from any amphetamines (adderral, concerta, etc.) as that usually agitates mood swings pretty bad. I think an SSRI like prozac or zoloft will help a bit and a mood stabilizer like gabapentin would help with the mood swings, as for social anxiety I think a benzo like Xanax would help short term (ie: 2-3 weeks) but during that time you need to learn how to handle the situations yourself. I'm no psychiatrist but I think the "vivid scenarios" are more imagination that delusions, people with ASD do have imaginations and as long as you aren't acting irrationally on these "scenario's" Im not sure you should jump to that diagnoses. Again I'm not a psychiatrist but I've been through the system a good amount and I'll be pre-med soon. Good luck. If you have any questions feel welcome to private message me, Im pretty good at figuring out others problems but not mine haha.