Managing Schizoaffective/Schizophrenia

[MunchBox]

I was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder - Depressive type last year and since then I've been in and out of hospital and very unwell. But since being discharged from hospital in May/June I've had little positive symptoms of the disorder. I don't have audible hallucinations or visual and I don't feel pain caused by the "Demon" inside me. I note that some of my ideas my seem delusional but besides that, no symptoms.

My depot dose has been changed and I'm now on Aripiprazole.

Am I cured? I see I'm still depressed but like I said, no positive symptoms of schizophrenia for two months.

Or will it come back?
Halp.

EDIT: Maybe my diagnosis was wrong, maybe I haven't got schizoaffective disorder.

[psychotic-44]

The diagnosis could easily be wrong, nothing is set in stone.

When did your depot dose change, how long ago roughly?

Usually things can get better, but 'cured' may be looking at things a bit black and white. There's a lot of grey, especially with emotions and therefore our perception of things x

[Ballerina123]

I feel the same. You're not alone.
I'm schizoaffective - bipolar type.

No symptoms for ages.
I'm cured. Thinking about stopping meds.
Maybe I'm diagnosed wrongly. Maybe we both are.

[Isoverity]

Personally, I believe in some basics of psychological knowing, but I think the whole field falls short becasue they get tangled up in "chemistry" and block out more human factors such as conscience, emotional damage caused at home etc. ( a kids parents can treat her bad but she end up being treated as "chemically imbalanced"). Some people are just bad and explaining them away "chemically" is to make an excuse. When you say "demon" I'm much more inclined to see it that way rather than an illusion. I've seen too much "demon" stuff here and other places. I do think there are dark and bright places in people's psyches. Bad influences of a metaphysical nature can do their monkey business. When little kids tell me they see things at night I believe them and don't call them psychotic etc. Some would call that unscientific but I don't care because every year we find things that are wrong after science said they were right.

[MunchBox]

The depot dose was changed about three months ago.
I felt very low last night and could hear music playing backwards.
I think someone was trying to send me a message. I don't know.
It really scared me, I thought I was done with allt that ****.

[Bellatrix]

I think it's important to remember that any messages are the result of mental illness and should be viewed as such.

I don't think it's helpful to encourage someone to believe in their delusions

[Pi.R^2]

^agreed

Mary, I'm so pleased to hear that you are experiencing less symptoms, it sounds like the aripiprazole is really working to treat your schizoaffective disorder. Consider this scenario. If you were diagnosed with diabetes (I think this is the second time I've used diabetes as an example today!) and started taking insulin and the symptoms of diabetes went away, which of these two options describe what your thought process would be?
a) hurrah! The insulin has fixed it, it must have been diabetes, I better remember to take this ALL the days so I don't get those symptoms back again.
b) oh, I'm better, probs wasn't diabetes after all.

I think the same applies here- the treatment for schizoaffective disorder made your symptoms better, so you probably have schizoaffective or a related disorder. I don't know how the technicalities of the diagnosis work, but I would guess that you probably still would be classed as having schizoaffective, but it is now managed by medication and is less of a problem.

With regards to thinking that someone was trying to send a message, it seems like your low mood triggered something of a reappearance of a positive symptom, but this doesn't mean everything will come back or that it will be as intense as it was previously. Did you learn any strategies whilst in hospital about trying to manage these thoughts? I think it would be a good idea to let a member of your team know about this experience, as hopefully catching this early will mean it doesn't escalate- they might be able to slightly alter the medications they are giving you, or give you techniques to challenge thoughts of this kind so that you can manage them without getting caught up in believing them and thus keeping you in a state of being "done with all that ****", as you put it :P

[MunchBox]

Thanks Jenna. I understand what you mean. I should really continue with taking the medication.

I'll let my team know about it.

[Steel Maiden]

I am 90% in remission from what used to be severe schizophrenia. Even though it meant above BNF doses of an antipsychotic for a few years. And I found a way to put me in control of the voices / Spies and not the other way around. I still see the Spies every day, I still hear voices every day, but I control them. Not easy at all though.

[MunchBox]

The voices and Demon are back.
The commands were so loud and intrusive, that during my therapy session I cut my thigh up pretty badly. My therapist had to go to A&E with me. Even after all that wahala, I still wished I cut deeper.

How do I manage the voices?
Please help.

[Ballerina123]

Audio books are reAlly helpings with the voices lAtely. Have you tried that? You can get an app on smArt phoness.

[MunchBox]

I'll have a look, loud music seems to help too.
I'm thinking that depot is poison again. I don't want to be controlled by the others. They're trying to make me Ill. I just can't have the depot.

[tamobhuuta]

I have had beliefs that my meds were poison but with support I was able to continue taking them until, thanks to the meds, I reached a place where I felt safe taking them again.

[MunchBox]

Thanks for the reply.
I'll take it for my parents but I still think its poison.

[Pi.R^2]

I'm glad you're going to take it. Are you able to rationalise that the NHS isn't allowed to give out poison? Or would it help to ask to watch the person giving you the depot when they open the packet so you know it's what it says it is?

[MunchBox]

Thanks Jenna. I'll try and rationalise my thoughts.