psychotic features and bipolar disorder

Well there is a gradation between bipolar and schizophrenia such as bipolar with psychotic features (where a person experiences psychotic symptoms specifically during moodswings) and schizoaffective disorder, as was mentioned as I have where if untreated a person experiences psychotic symptoms at all times. Bipolar in some people can worsen over a life time, certainly if untreated and there are many subtypes of bipolar, including bipolar with psychotic features.

This does not mean that all Bipolar I patients have psychotic episodes and that a Bipolar II personality cannot have a psychcotic episode. There are too many factors involved to accurately determine who will and will not have an episode. I'm diagnosised as Bipolar I with psychotic features but I'm not in a constant state of psychosis. Actually, most of the time I am not.

My question is what is the difference between Bipolar disorder with psychotic features and Schizoaffective disorder? And which one sounds closest to what i am experiencing, if it's possible to answer?

Hypomania is distinguished from mania by the absence of psychotic symptoms. In other words if there are psychotic features its mania. BP2's can get psychotic features in mania the same as anyone does. Is this what you are referring to on the Black Dog Site ?

My second question is how do I (and of course, my psychiatrist) differentiate between whether I am bipolar with psychotic features or schizo-affective? I definitely have the cycles of mania and depression, starting about three years ago, would have auditory and visual hallucinations when severely depressed. Recently with this batch of mania, I have begun to have the auditory hallucinations too, as well as visual. I also am having some problems with disorganized thoughts and speech and delusions.

ve just been incorrect to start with and as the others said, bipolar disorder can have psychotic features and you could develop schizophrenia symptoms down the road alongside the bipolar disorder, but that would be schizoaffective disorder. Also, in the new DSM-V they have currently decided to totally deleting all the subtypes of schizophrenia and just going to diagnose solely schizophrenia.

Is anyone else like this and what can be done. And which the psychotic features am I on my way to having a breakdown of some sorts?

When I was younger before my diagnosis I had similar psychotic features and I was treated for major depression with psychotic features. I was treated with anti depressants and anti pyschotics. Unfortunately the anti d's triggered rapid cycling and lithium was then added to the mix. If it helps I no longer hear voices, it stopped around age 20. Now during an episode I have classic bipolar features.

I believe that Bipolar Disorder can have a consistency with the psychotic features. I have Bipolar 1 and as Xila31 said mine seems to have gotten worse as I age. I have psychotic features when I am depressed and when I am manic. I tend to be paranoid and have all sorts of hallucinations. Perhaps you should ask your or your ex's doctor for their view on it. Hope this helps some.

I know of four bipolar 1 with or without psychotic features, bipolar 2, bipolar nos, and cyclothimia. With bipolar 1 you get full blown mania and major depression, with bipolar 2 you get hypomania and major depression. cyclothimia fluctuates between minor depression and hypomania. Bipolar nos is where they put you when you obviously show some symptoms of bipolar disorder but they do not know which classification to put you in.

I was diagnosed with Depression with psychotic features, not any Bipolar disorder Anyway I was on Prozac with Wellbutrin, then had a relapse and they took me off both and started me on Abilfy only. Is this a normal procedure or should I also be on some low dose antidepressant in your opinion ? Thank you very much for your time.

There are so many different varities of bipolar as well from cyclothymia (mild bipolar) to bipolar with psychotic features to schizoaffective which is schizophrenia with aspects of bipolar (what I have and have recovered from). Too complex to discuss in a post but I'd answer specific questions. Go to "Depression Central" (for all mood disorders) for more comprehensive information. Its a great resource.

It could also take some time to find the medication which is right for her because not every medication works the same and as effectively for every single person but chances are that one of them will work for her eventually. It could be bipolar disorder with psychotic features like ILADVOCATE said or some psychotic disorder since 120 conditions can have psychosis as a symptom.

ANYWAY, can you have psychotic episodes during mania/depression and it not be bipolar with psychotic features or is that actually what is? Example - I have had times when my mania has been described by my pdoc as a psychotic break.

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, has nothing to do with anxiety. One CAN have an anxiety disorder and also be bipolar but the two conditions are not linked.

You could have depression with psychotic features or schizoaffective disorder. I have schizoaffective disorder and the mood disorder aspect is bipolar. I am recovered now with an antipsychotic in Phase II FDA study glycine as I've said on other posts but I know what the experience is like. But there are other forms of schizoaffective disorder that have depression instead of bipolar as the mood phase. And if you have suicidal urges you need to see a psychiatrist right away.

My mother has Bipolar 1 with psychotic features, dx at the age of 48, now 66 yrs old. I believe she has struggled with it her whole life, I know I can remember her having psychotic episodes when I was as young as 5-6 years of age. I learned to hide her behavior very well, but I'm glad she finally got her dx when I was in my teens, it's still a challenge very single day for the both of us (and also for my family), it's like I am the parent and she is the child.

If he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder then his diagnosis has been changed from bipolar disorder with psychotic features. The only real difference between these two is in schizoaffective disorder the psychosis happens all the time regardless of mood and in BP with psychotic features it happens with mood episodes. Anyway, he could be living in a fantasy world and truly believing all of this.

Depakoate is a mood stabilizer. Zoloft is an anti-depressent. Seroquel is an antipsychotic and I believe by psychiatric standards that is a subclinical dose (when I was on it 300 mg. was where it started working). Not sure what "the pill to calm her nerves" is? You mean an anti-anxiety medication? Although only a psychiatrist can determine medication dosages and which medication to use I'd suggest you inform yourself.

Actually that is quite rare. In general bipolar with psychotic features has one aspect that is different from schizoaffective disorder such as I have made a relative recovery from. In schizoaffective disorder a person experiences psychosis all the time.

It certainly is. Both manic and depressive states can have psychotic features, and because mixed episodes are some sort of combination of both states, hallucinations, delusions, etc. can definitely be present. From what I've been told and for what I can remember, I've only experienced delusions and/or their little sisters 'ideas of reference' while in mixed states, but for whatever reason never in predominantly manic or depressive states.

I went to a psychiatrist who is foreign, and I believe she misdiagnosed me with bipolar disorder and psychosis. I was seeing a university counselor very regularly at the time, and she agrees that I don't appear to have bipolar disorder and never had psychosis (she was seeing me once a week during the same time that I was seeing this doctor). When I asked the pdoc why I got the psychosis diagnosis, she said it was b/c I stated that I didn't feel human, but I wasn't being *literal*!

I had seen a post by ILADVOCATE about a study he participated in and recovered from schizoafffective disorder. I did read that psychotic symptoms in SD may persist and felt maybe this is what my daughter is.Maybe ILADVOCATE can tell me more about this and the antipsychotic he was on. I have read that glycine helps the MNDR(I may have these letters mixed up) receptors function better and may help psychosis. Where can I get more information about glycine therapy and will medicaid pay for it?

What is a good birth control method for someone with bipolar disorder with psychotic features? My wife recently stopped taking Depo Provera, which I believe may have contributed to yet another psychotic episode->hospitalization. We don't want any kind of permanent solution (e.g. tubal ligation), but we need a reliable method and one that won't destabilize her once we decide to have a baby.

Bipolar with psychotic features of course is one specific diagnosis. Those thoughts do sound psychotic but only a psychiatrist would know for sure but you should inform them. Instead of being afraid that your psychiatrist will put you in the hospital think how what you are going through is affecting your life. At some times going to the hospital voluntarily can be the right decision.

Psychotic features and bipolar disorder

Common Questions and Answers about Psychotic features and bipolar disorder

psychotic