Psychotic depression or schizophrenia?

Hi,

I wonder if any of you can help me. I just wrote a long post about my friend, but this is something I wanted to add.

I know this website is aimed at people with Schizophrenia, but maybe some people who have been diagnosed with psychotic depression are here also.

Please, I am interested in any stories or examples from people about either their Schizophrenia symptoms or their psychotic depression symptoms. I'm looking to find examples of the "types" of delusions/hallucinations typical to each of these disorders. I can't find anywhere on the net that really gives any good examples!! (please post if you know anywhere).

Is there even a diagnostic criteria for psychotic depression, other than "major depression"?

How would a psychiatrist go about distinguishing between the two disorders, does anyone know? It must be very difficult.

I mean, if someone presents to you depressed and psychotic, they could either have schizophrenia and be depressed because of the thoughts and confusion they are having OR they could be depressed, and so depressed that they've gone psychotic.

So how does a pdoc differentiate? Are there any "things to look out for" for either of the illnesses? Is there anything that makes them think "aha, we are talking about schizophrenia!" or maybe the other way, "aha, this is clearly psychotic depression"??

I know that generally, psychotic depression involves mood-congruent delusions (ie: death, guilt, disease, responsibility for some awful disaster), but what about if you have all that but then you have ONE totally mood-incongruent delusion, like, "my mum is trying to kill me". Does it stay as psychotic depression because the majority of delusions are mood-congruent? Or does one mood-incongruent delusion mean it's probably schizophrenia?

Anyway I'd be very interested to read about your experiences!! Thanks a lot to anyone that can help!!

Schizophrenia is one of the most written about subjects out there. Not being able to find any clear cut examples of schizophrenic or psychotic symptoms doesn't suprise me. In the last 27 years I have sat in many groups of schizophrenic patients and discussed "symptoms" and they are never the same. The "one size fits all" theory doesn't work.

Please note there is no known cause for schizophrenia and there is no evidence that it is caused by bad brain biochemistry either.

It's very unclear what schizophrenia is! From my perspective, I am skeptical on all norms and beliefs held by people from my culture. Because of my skepticism I have had to fight many people over the years on many fronts. At one stage my peers seemed to believe there must be something "wrong with me" because I would not conform. I was forced to see psychiatrists (I was diagnosed schizophrenic) and forced take medication. For six years my life was turned to hell. I managed to disappear from all those people and that $#%^ medication/shrinks and I have lived happily as a hermit in the hills for the past 20 years free from psychiarty and punishment.

I hope that helps a little in explaning a diagnosis of schizophrenia is very broad.

My brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He is living in hell. On some medication that is the equivalent of a chemical labotomy and not able to lead a productive life.

I have a real feeling that the Medical Community uses this diagnosis as a bandaid for very broken spirits. My heart aches for my brother. He is not the man he was. I wish he would seek treatment else where. For the sake of his children.

When I am in a very depressed state I also experience psychotic symptoms which includes hearing voices and sounds.....but that's about the only time I experience the psychotic symptoms.

Sweetngentle

Rillin wrote:My brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He is living in hell. On some medication that is the equivalent of a chemical labotomy and not able to lead a productive life.

I have a real feeling that the Medical Community uses this diagnosis as a bandaid for very broken spirits. My heart aches for my brother. He is not the man he was. I wish he would seek treatment else where. For the sake of his children.

This site might be some interest to you.
http://www.jungcircle.com/Schizophrenia.html
Take care.

I am currently under a psychiatrist as i had a psychotic episode in hospital. However, their seems to be some debate as to what i've got! Among the theories are steroid induced psychosis, depression with psychosis or schizophrenia. I think there is a fine line between criteria. I've been told if i was younger i would have been diagnosed straight away with schizophrenia. I am in my early 20's.

I heard voices, saw things moving up the walls and thought i heard the nurses plotting against me. I also experienced hallucinations, however the nurses on the ward i was on repeatedly kept sedating me as they don't understand mental health issues which made my hallucinations and voices 10 times worse. So you have to bear in mind that the tablets may have caused things to get worse!

I'd describe a lot of the hallucinations as if i was on a drug trip (although never took drugs in my life). I kept 'seeing' a man who didn't exist. The voices convinced me i was dying and i planned my own funeral. They were initially 'good' voices who told me to stay in the hospital and they were looking after me. I had them constantly refering to me in the third person, providing a running commentary of my thoughts, speaking through the tap water and observing everything i did. A lot of things i'm still unsure of as to whether or not they were real or hallucinations. I'd get dressed at night ready to leave the hospital with the 'man'. I could see him but he looked distorted and kept speaking in a funny voice. I also had the feeling that the beds were moving and cotton wool was coming out of the walls.

I could 'hear' the whole ward plotting against me and nearly walked out of the hospital. (I had gone into hosp for something different but came out with this. The staff were not trained in mental health matters so generally they treat me as if i was mad, which put me under more stress).

hi,

The way that a doctor seperates Schizophrenia from Psychotic depression is like this:

The person with psychotic depression will only have psychosis durring the time that they are depressed. A person with schizophrenia can also suffer from depression, but they will have psychosis with or without depression being present. Also, Schizophrenia is a Thought disorder, and those with schizophrenia will usually show problems with their thinking, such as: disorganized thoughts/speech, mind blocking, trouble concentrating, poor memory,problems analyzing what others are saying to them, etc.

Also, schizophrenic's often have what are called Negative symptoms, which include: low energy, low motivation, poor hygiene, social withdrawl, flat affect, Alogia (trouble speekining), etc. Of coarse, these symptoms can make it appear like the schizophrenic person is depressed. But the Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are not caused by depression.
This is how i describe negative symptoms: It's like having all the symptoms of being depressed, minus the actual depression.
...hope that makes sense.

I was diagnosed with psychotic depression before being diagnosed with schizophrenia. I tried doing research on it too, but there is never very much information about psychotic depression. I think that a person with psychotic depression will usually experience scary and hurtful hallucinations and delusions, such as: hearing scary voices telling them to kill themselves, or that they are a bad person, etc. Believing everyone is out to hurt them, or believing they have commited some kinds of terrible crime.
People with schizophrenia can also have these types of nightmarish hallucinations and delusions, but they can also hear voices that are comforting/friending, or have grandoise delusions, like that they are a famous person, or a genious or something like that.

hope this helps

-Becka