Other Psychotic disorders

[Marcella]

Anyone else out there diagnosed with disorders with psychotic features, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder?

I have bipolar disorder, and I often wonder if my PTSD symptoms feed into my psychosis (cause hallucinations/paranoia/etc.)

Is there anyone else like me out there?

 

[Reclusive]

I have the 'with psychosis' tag on my diagnosis, so I'm not sure if I qualify, but it and my PTSD definitely feed each other. The hallucinations and voices get worse when I'm stressed, which makes me more paranoid, which feed the hypervigilience, on and on and so forth. Does that count?

 

[catjudo]

I have bipolar disorder. There have been two times in my life when my depression was so severe that I began experiencing psychotic features (auditory hallucinations). It has ONLY happened when at my very lowest, worst depressive state.

 

[Marcella]

Reclusive,
In my mind, that counts. The voices, the paranoia, I'm familiar with it.

I was diagnosed with BD 6 years ago, and at least twice a year, I get psychotic symptoms: paranoia, hallucinations (auditory, visual, and tactile), and delusions.

I find these symptoms crop up more around the anniversaries of my traumas.

 

[Reclusive]

Yeah, I find mine are more active when I'm stressed out and sleep deprived. But they're always there a little to remind me not to forget them.

 

[anthony]

Anyone else out there diagnosed with disorders with psychotic features, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder?

Did you have this diagnosis prior to your trauma?

 

[Marcella]

Yes, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder before my trauma.

 

[anthony]

No worries.. just checking. Many get diagnosed with it after trauma, which invalidates Bipolar at all, as most of it crosses over with PTSD.

 

[Marcella]

Nope, was diagnosed with BD at 18, and first sexually assaulted at 19. I think I can safely say I have both.

 

[Gcat]

I have wondered a lot about possible crossover between bipolar and PTSD. Apparently my grandfather, brother, possibly mother and me have bipolar, although there's been variation from Bipolar I (more extremes of mania and/or depression) and Bipolar II (hypomania, more anxiety & depression). I was Dx with BP before PTSD, and everything got worse after my 2002 trauma (brother's death due to Zyprexa side effects). It took some perseverance to overcome that and get some balance, which I'm still working on.

 

[cakey]

I was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, refused the diagnosis though. Cuz I really am not like crazy and yea I have had hallucinations but they are really rare and probably normal(under the circumstances), and in retrospect all related to trauma. I have always been 'nervous' or 'weird' pre-traumas, but it really got amplified post trauma.

So your not alone in that...

 

[Brontie]

I’ve been living with and dealing with what I call my stuff for a long time. It seemed to gradually build up until it was really bad, the depression, the voices, the imaginings, the extra mental activity. I was too afraid to tell anyone about it because I thought I was going mad. When I finally got up the courage to mention it to psych-doc he said, “Is that all, we can fix that.” I never felt so relieved in all my life. That was a serious turning point for me.