What's Most Difficult to Treat

[corlenbelspar]

From least difficult to most difficult to treat, what order would Bipolar Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder and Schizophrenia go in?  I always thought Bipolar Disorder was the most difficult to treat because it takes a whole cocktail of drugs and there's a balancing act involved but I'm not sure if Schizoaffective Disorder comes in worst or what because it involves the "best" of both worlds.

[Xila31]

I think that's a tough question! I mean, on the one hand schizophrenia is I think a level 3 disorder and bipolar is level 2. I don't know about schizoaffective. Now, mind you this is just what I remember from my college days when I was studying psychology. I know there are 3 levels, though. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm guessing in the end it all depends on the person and their severity. Today a psychiatrist told me there are over 400 combinations of medication for bipolar! That was a shock!

[corlenbelspar]

I didn't know there were levels to the psychiatric disorders.  Reminds me of Super Mario Bros. I guess because I used to be obsessed with it as a kid.

[Xila31]

Ah, I looked it up because it was driving me crazy. I used to know this stuff by heart, LOL...  But I can't find it.

Anyway, I think the levels are just to catagorize things such as "Oh, this is a mood disorder, this is a psychosis, this has physical characteristics and this doesn't." It is in the DSMIV, but I can't find it. I'm not exactly on top of my game today, though. And that was already 10 years ago since I learned about it, so it could be different now.

The original Mario was the first game I ever beat!

[ILADVOCATE]

Bipolar generally responds more to treatment, depending on the severity of it (there are classifications within bipolar of course). Schizoaffective disorder is easier to treat than schizophrenia. Generally a psychotic disorder is harder to treat than a mood disorder although extreme depression and bipolar can cause dangerous symptoms such as suicidal ideations. However, all three are clinically linked though they don't know exactly how but are researching. I learned some of this when I was conducting testimony at a public forum and frankly I should have taken more notes because its an interesting question. As for one answer though, response to treatment depends on the individual person as well too.

[corlenbelspar]

You know I've been thinking that Schizophrenia is really Bipolar Disorder but with another set of disorders tacked on since they say Schizophrenia is a group of disorders since both can involve psychosis and mood issues and are clinically linked and I think it just effects people in different ways.

[CrzyBeautiful1]

I honetly couldn't give my input, because I really don't know much about schizophrenia. I know that when I was reading about Borderline Personality Disorder after I was dx with it the other day (I know u didnt mention this, but it was something I read), I read that some ppl think its harder to treat than BP. I don't remember why, but I remember thinking that really ***** for me. Btw, I was dx with BPD and he said I'm somewhere in the bipolar spectrum, like BP type 2. I know I'm a rapid cycler also.

[corlenbelspar]

Personality disorders I've been told by several people are hard to treat with medications because there's no chemical imbalance causing it.

[CrzyBeautiful1]

I believe ur right. I know what caused my BPD...It was the way my father treated me and actually still does. It took some time to find this out but now I know. This is something I was telling u about in my lengthy message that got erased the other day! lol. But yeah BPD required alot of talk therapy and cognitive conditioning. The ADs help the suicidal tendancies. I'm on Lithium and Paxil for the BP though. Its been a week and my dosages arent where they should be, so I'm still waiting for them to work.

[corlenbelspar]

It takes time for the dosages to get to therapeutic levels because they have to start off at small dose and slowly increase to avoid side effects as much as possible so your body can adjust.  You should rewrite your message to me when you feel like sitting down to it again, I'm waiting to read it.

[CrzyBeautiful1]

haha I promise I will! That just upset me sooooo freakin bad it made me sick! And I don't handle stresses well so I had to completely walk away from my laptop or I was going to break it! lol.

[Xila31]

Well my cousin has schizophrenia. You wouldn't know it if you meet him because he is very well medicated. He has had it longer than I've been alive. But he has to live with his parents and cannot work a full time job. He is not allowed to live alone. I hear that before his diagnosis and treatment he was very violent. You wouldn't know it to meet him, he is probably one of the friendliest and most mellow people in my whole family.

I studied schizophrenia for a long time in college. I wanted to be a research psychologist. The history of the disorder is very interesting. I've recently been thinking also about how similar it seems sometimes to some things in bipolar, especially if someone has psychotic features. But, I do think it is different in a lot of ways. Different and the same, just like all of us.

[bastet56]

Schiz is the hardest to treat but to me it's like which death is worse? Burning, drowning, or getting run over? It's all in how you deal with it in your life I think. Some can deal, some cannot.

[ILADVOCATE]

Not quite that bad. Recovery rates will improve as treatments do as I've noted. I think sometimes the very word schizophrenia itself is what frightens people.

[Xila31]

I agree. People hear it and think it is the end. But as I've said my cousin has had it my whole life and you wouldn't know it. I'm sure that the treatments have become much better over all these years, but even when I was a little kid he was just the same as now. So, it is treatable at least.

[corlenbelspar]

People didn't know I had it all my life but it was partly due to ignorance I guess.  I guess they just assumed it was childhood imagination when I was complaing in nervous tones about monsters and ghosts and such.  A lot of teacher complained about how I looked like I was in another world but no one bothered to have tests done to see if anything was wrong.  I eventually grew up thinking it was all normal until I read about Schizophrenia when I was 15 and I related to it so much I figured I had to have it and lo and behold I'm diagnosed with it.  Now I think no one can tell I have it because I've been hiding a lot of it out of embarrassment.  I still have trouble talking about this stuff to other people.  There's still things I can't hide like a few days ago I got confused and thought I picked up my paycheck already but I actually didn't and it seemed like my supervisor didn't understand what I was talking about when I tried to explain why I hadn't picked it up.

[CrzyBeautiful1]

I know how u feel about being embarrassed to talk about having schizo. I'm embarrassed to tell anyone I have BPD an d BP. I wasn't embarrassed about the ADD, but the others I am. I don't want ppl to label me as "crazy". I know the stigma on mental illness and I don't want to be judged that way. Of course I don't mind talking about it with my family and close friends who I know won't judge me. Hell, every single person in my family has some sort of mental illness so they have no room to talk! And coming to this site has been a breath of fresh air because I actually feel like a normal person here! :)  Its so nice to have other ppl to talk to who not only can understand what I'm going thru...they go thru it too!  

[Xila31]

I am not embarassed so much but I just don't trust other people and how they will respond. Since so many people have brushed me off when I've asked for help it is hard for me to share. I share it with the people who will be most effected by it. I try to be honest but it is so hard when they turn around and tell me I'm just looking for attention. That's really the last thing I want. I just want to be accepted for who I am.

I think schizophrenia is harder for people to accept because they think of scary bad schizophrenics or scary movies. They don't understand it isn't like that. >.> Bipolar I think most people think it is all in your head. They think "mood" so you must be faking or why can't you just "snap out of it." They don't understand it is also a physical condition.

I'm glad you finally have help and answers, corlenbelspar. I'm sure that was very hard and scary for you growing up.

[corlenbelspar]

I think your reasons for not wanting to share are part of what my embarrassment stems from if that makes any sense.  Yeah it helps a lot knowing that this sh!t isn't just normal and everyone goes through it.  I thought life is so f*cked up if this is supposed to happen to everyone.

[zzzmykids]

I think that schyzoeffected is the worst.  Watching my niece when she is manic and schyzoeffected is horribly painful.  Watching her in depressed schyzoeffected  is so scary.  We live in different cities and she gets state help, only and was just diagnosed a year ago so she is still wobbly and not aware of the signs of change.  
So snowcone noses, I think this is the worst because of the effect from cutting, trying to commit suicide, bullying, ranting and affects on relationships and  harm to self.
I'll take the cocktail.
zzzmykids

[ILADVOCATE]

Well with any of these it depends on the severity of it and the response to treatment. Even before my current recovery, as a person with schizoaffective, I had a relatively decent response to treatment and I went to college, made friends, had an active social life and had a part time job. Severe depression by itself can cause suicidal ideations.

[adel_ezz]

one advantage of living in an underdeveloped country (politely developing) is that people don't understand the difference between any tow types of disorders. to them a psychologically ill person is a crazy mad person. when i told my colleagues at work i am bipolar they didn't seem astonished at all and they said everyboidy has some illness. although if they search the web they will find "severe mental illness". the reason is since they find me having some logic and performing work like them i assumed they didn't not believe themselves that i am crazy, so it went alright. though i know in the USA there are jobs forbidden to bipolars of course.

as IL said it's the severity of the symptoms which matters and not the name. for instance bp2 can be worse than 1. in my view the worst that i experienced is mixed states with psychosis. my parents had a bad experience about it and my father still has scars in his face from it.

bloody hell