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1351968 tn?1278205300

What is the different between Bipolar Disorder and...

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but what is the difference between Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia?  I've been told by doctors that there are many similarities, and that sometimes Bipolar can even become Schizophrenia over time, if its not treated properly.  Is this true?
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585414 tn?1288941302
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. In mood swings there are difficulties in the understanding of emotions and relations with people and ability to focus and understand things and make appropriate decisions but when a person encounters psychotic symptoms there is a full break in reality testing. If you are concerned about any specific symptoms you have it would be essential to discuss them with your psychiatrist and of course if you have any new symptoms of any kind always bring it to their attention. There are some websites on the welcome page that provide more specific information that you could then discuss with your psychiatrist.
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Avatar universal
Also I don't know about bipolar disorder becoming schizophrenia over time but what I do know can happen is that a person's diagnosis might change to schizophrenia later because the doctor figure out what disorder you have more correctly.
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Schizophrenia mainly involves the thought processes being messed up while bipolar disorder mainly involves the emotions being messed up.  That's an easy way to remember it.  Schizophrenia however can mimic bipolar disorder when it first affects the emotions if it even does to begin with but then generally the emotions dull out and become blunted as if it were a knife being over used that has dulled out.  Bipolar disorder can also mimic schizophrenia in its worst stages but a good doctor should be able to determine which is which with a little investigation of your symptoms and time.  Symptoms can overlap between the two and yes they are totally different illnesses like rBoulet said but they are also somehow clinically related which is not yet understood and there's a disorder called schizoaffective disorder that is like being halfway between them on a continuum.  
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915369 tn?1355314810
No bipolar disorder will not turn into schizophrenia if not treated, the two are totally different illnesses. However, the two can sometimes be mixed up when a doctor is initially trying to diagnose someone.
Bipolar disorder is an illness where the chemical inbalance in someone's brain causes their moods to be more extreme than those without the disorder. It also causes the moods to shift between the extremes (that's the difference between bipolar disorder and unipolar depression).
Schizophrenia is an illness where the chemical inbalance causes someone to perceive reality differently than other people. While some people with bipolar disorder will experience a disconect from reality (hallucinations, delusions, paranoia) it's different from schizophrenia. Schizophrenics will often have the same disconects, but there is more to the disorder (word salad, catatonia, social isolation, social dysfunction, and impairments in the way the person thinks and speaks).

Sometimes a person will go to the doctor because they're hallucinating (like me when I was 17) and get diagnosed as schizophrenic because the doctors haven't  noticed or seen any shifts or signs from the bipolar. But a good doctor should be able to see the difference between them pretty quickly.

One more thing, the two disorders can kind of be put together for one diagnosis. If the person has the symptoms of bipolar disorder but they have the disconects from reality of a person with schizophrenia then they can be diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
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