What if?

not_so_insig · 13-08-2016, 06:28 PM

My diagnosis is schizophrenia. But I don't believe that I have it. I acknowledge that I hear voices but I believe that it's trauma related. That I have ptsd instead.

My voices started at the age of 22 when I broke up with my long term fiance and moved back to my parents. I quit my job (it caused me tons of stress and I was badly behaved at work). It caused me tons of flashbacks as I was badly bullied and sa.

Even though I had sa counselling I feel as though it hasn't cured everything. I feel as though I could benefit from cbt instead. I have a cpn and I have mentioned that I would like cbt in the past but she feels it's unnecessary and that's there's a 2 years waiting list in my area.

What can I do to convince my mh team that I don't have schizophrenia? I am on a depot and I am sick to death of being jabbed every 3 weeks. I would like to slowly come off psych meds but my cpn and psych says that I will end up in hospital if I don't have meds. I feel as though refusing my depot is the only way forward.

My cpn is coming to see me on Wednesday and I really want to not answer the door to her.

Diesel · 13-08-2016, 09:22 PM

How did you end up getting the diagnosis of schizophrenia? I know you said that you broke up with your fiance but what happened next for you to end up with that diagnosis?

Cacoethes · 14-08-2016, 06:47 PM

Maybe you could try and get a second opinion?
I was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when I was 15 but at 18 I went under a different team and psych and they changed my diagnosis.

Aubergine · 14-08-2016, 07:11 PM

You could ask for a second opinion. I've had a schizoaffective diagnosis since my early 20s (I'm 29 now), but I was once diagnosed with PTSD by an inpatient psychiatrist - it was removed soon after I was discharged because it was completely irrelevant to me. My CPN and outpatient psychiatrist, who have known me a good while, said it was a bit bizarre and they couldn't really understand it.

Do the people who gave you the diagnosis know you well? Sometimes it's a good idea to trust them, but there's still no harm in asking I guess. Does the medication help? Even if the voices were trauma related, antipsychotic medication can help in some instances so there's nothing to say that would change even if your diagnosis did.

I try to not get to hung up on diagnosis because it drives me up the wall. If the treatment you're getting is working, then stick with it. If you think therapy would benefit you, ask your CPN again. CBT has been shown to help with voices for some people, so it might be worth approaching it from that angle.

Ballerina123 · 14-08-2016, 07:49 PM

I have schizoaffective disorder and cbt was recommend for me. It's also recommended in the nice guidelines for psychotic illness.
My cc at the time (when I was under the psychosis team) say that cbt is highly recommended for psychotic illness.

Did your cc give a reason as to why you can't get it because according to the guideline set in the UK it is a recommended treatment for psychotic illness?

sherlock holmes · 15-08-2016, 10:28 AM

At the end of the day, diagnoses don't matter hugely in terms of your treatment. If you hear voices and have paranoid delusions (which you've mentioned in the past) it doesn't really matter whether you are diagnosed with schizophrenia, PTSD, bipolar etc because those psychotic symptoms are treated the same way. If being on the depot keeps you fairly stable and out of hospital then it's a good thing to continue regardless of your diagnosis.

I can't see how removing the diagnosis of schizophrenia will make them decide to stop your meds because you will get unwell and end up in hospital and they obviously want to avoid that.

not_so_insig · 15-08-2016, 12:09 PM

Aubergine I only found out that I had schizophrenia when I was discharged from hospital in 2010 and it was written on my copy of the discharge papers. Prior to that I had been told that I had schizo effective disorder. It was done by my current psychiatrist which I have had since 2007. Yes the meds do help but I feel that they are just stabilising me mood wise which I know antipsychotics are sometimes used for.

Ballerina123: I just keep on being told that I don't need it. Ever since I have been under a cmht (which is 12 years now) I have never been offered it. I have tried medication I think it's time to try other non medication methods. I am so sick of medication.