Do you feel more bipolar or more schizophrenic?

I guess most ppl dx with schizoaffective disorder in this forum are between bipolar and schizophrenia, but I'm also interested in the opinion of those who are between depression and schizophrenia. So please forgive me the title of my topic in that case.

I'm interested if you feel more bipolar or more schizophrenic and with what group do you come along better?

In my case, even though I suffer most from my mood symptoms, I still identify most with ppl on the schizophrenic spectrum. Because my bipolar symptoms are just mood symptoms, but my schizophrenic symptoms is a way of thinking and experiencing the world.

I don't know because its a bit hard for me to describe things about myself but I know when im stressed or had energy drinks or fizzy pop my symptoms tend to get worse. one case being the weird hearing thing I described before. but that one was a first and I hope a last

Hope this helps

Before I was medicated, it was hard to say. I felt a little more bi-polar, mainly manic, with all my homicidal rage I had inside me. I'd go through a stage of mania that lasted for a couple weeks, get off of it for a day or two, maybe three, and be back on another one. I don't go through depression at all anymore, unless something intense triggers it. Now, on my medication though, I feel more schizophrenic than anything. I don't really have homicidal thoughts that often at all anymore, though they still peak through from time to time. I still have negative thoughts, like "I strongly don't like that person at all", but nothing like "I want to kill that person". That was the first thing my psychiatrist targeted with my treatment. I still hallucinate quite frequently, but it's nothing bad. The voice in my head talks to me, or just rambles on. It's never anything negative (except for one time), and he's more of a friend than anything. I do hallucinate visually from time to time as well.

originally I felt mainly bipolar, and for a while that was my DX. Long periods of mania-depression and then the hallucinations got serious as did the delusions and paranoia. I had talking in my head all the time and couldn't function so I guess that was more schizophrenia. So I definitely feel that schizophrenia is more that I would identify with rather than bipolar. Also of note the meds for bipolar did not help my schizophrenia. As well, as the schizophrenia progressed I developed a clearly define paranoid schizophrenic persona.

Jasper wrote:I guess most ppl dx with schizoaffective disorder in this forum are between bipolar and schizophrenia, but I'm also interested in the opinion of those who are between depression and schizophrenia. So please forgive me the title of my topic in that case.

I'm interested if you feel more bipolar or more schizophrenic and with what group do you come along better?

In my case, even though I suffer most from my mood symptoms, I still identify most with ppl on the schizophrenic spectrum. Because my bipolar symptoms are just mood symptoms, but my schizophrenic symptoms is a way of thinking and experiencing the world.

This is all still new to me, and whenever I seek help trying to understand it, I have little to no luck doing so. Bipolar is an odd thing, while I can definitely feel the bipolar spectrum states, generally speaking I am mostly just hit hard by depression -- unless I take stimulants such as coffee or medication, and I have only experienced mania a handful of times in my life -- almost every case under stimulant medication.

Typically, I experience severe depression much more easily. I have to really fight to not feel overwhelmed by it when not on anti-depressants (or again, stimulants to raise my mood), and it has gotten progressively worse to the extent that I would not be able to get by without medication pushing it back. But then again, that could just be the state of my life right now.

On the other hand, I am constantly feeling intrusive thoughts and other various schizophrenic symptoms (little to no visual hallucinations typically though) even while under the anti-psychotic medication I am on -- it helps but it's not entirely effective. Rather than go into detail and make myself feel awkward, I will simply say that I feel that I am more schizophrenic than bipolar.

I definitely agree, though, that the schizophrenic symptoms effect the way I think and perceive the world, where as mood symptoms just effect, well, my mood. However when severe enough (for instant, stimulant induced mania) can have even stronger delusions and hallucinations than schizophrenia. I guess it varies.

PS: Sorry I haven't been around, I suppose I've felt too awkward to come back for a while. It's nice to be able to share this with someone however.

I feel depression much more than schizophrenia. Sometimes I even believe I haven't schizophrenia.

-- Fri May 09, 2014 2:15 pm --

I feel depression much more than schizophrenia. Sometimes I even believe I haven't schizophrenia.

When I have mood symptoms its more likely to be depression. My predominant symptoms overall have always been schizophrenia.