Coping Skills for Psychosis: Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features and Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type
My diagnosis for ten years was Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features. Once I started working full time and got private insurance Kaiser evaluated by and changed my diagnosis to Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type. I remember telling my psychiatrist “Oh my God! That sounds worse! And I wrote a book titled Bipolar Girl: My Psychotic Self. I can’t change the name now. Should it be Schizoaffective Girl:My Psychotic Self? That does not flow as good.” She said treatment would remain the same. The difference between Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features and Schizoaffective, Type is that with Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features you only get psychosis when you are manic. With Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type the psychosis is the primary part of the mental illness and the mood disorder comes secondary. Some people believe schizoaffective disorder is a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. My psychosis can be very challenging to cope with. I hear scary