BP to Schizophrenia...possible?

[BeeKeeper]

I know this may be a stupid question, but I'm wondering if a diagnosis of BP over years can turn to paranoid Schizophrenia?  I know paranoia can be a symptom of BP as can audible and visual hallucinations...but when does one diagnosis become the next?  when you are on the highest limits to control BP? when paranoia becomes so intense it's becoming hard to function?

Just curious on thoughts.

[fogless]

Also, Dr. Abram Hoffer states in "Niacin, The Real Story":

"Schizoaffective patients should be treated as if they were schizophrenic.  Lewis and Pietrowski found that half of a large series of manic-depressive (bipolar) patients, followed up during subsequent hospitalizations, were clearly schizophrenicby their final diagnosis.  This important study has been overlooked or ignored by modern psychiatry, which tends to call anyone with a mood swing "bipolar" no matter how schizophrenic they are in the manic phase.  I have seen the same change in diagnosis with repeated admissions." - Abram Hoffer "Niacin, the Real Story"

[fogless]

Also, my "manias" were always a little more schizophrenic to begin with and the psychiatrist said I didn't have "typical" manias (though I definitely used to have manic-depressive mood swing whereas now I don't).

[fogless]

Also, I prefer being schizophrenic to bipolar because niacin and antipsychotics control and alleviate the symptoms very well.

[fogless]

Yes, bipolar can gradually turn into schizophrenia.  The people saying this is not possible are wrong.  I used to be primarily bipolar and had manic and depressive mood swings.  Now (after about 6 years being primarily bipolar) I experience little to no mood swings, but hear voices daily and take high doses of niacin and antipsychotic to control schizophrenic symptoms.  I have been primarily schizophrenic (though not "paranoid" schizophrenia) for about 3  years now. In the book "Surviving Schizophrenia" the doctor talks about having patients with all possible combinations of bipolar and schizophrenia as well as having patients who come in with classic symptoms of bipolar or schizophrenia and after several years start to exhibit classic symptoms of the other disease.

[schizofriendia]

Yes symptoms can evolve, but from what I read, bipolar disorder is a chronic inflammation in the brain that prevents uptake of omega 3 fatty acids and schizophrenia is a molecular level problem with the brain having fewer neuron connections than a healthy brain.

[looloo141]

I have been a psych patient for 13 years and I'm 32. When I was 19, the pdoc thought I had postnatal psychosis, then about a year later they thought I could have schizoaffective disorder. I only know this now because my current pdoc told me, at the time when my family pressed for a diagnosis they were told I had "affective disorder with psychotic features". I strongly believe that our symptoms evolve over the years as our lives change, we learn coping skills etc. When I was younger my impulsivity was a lot worse than it is now. I was only diagnosed officially 5 years ago. It does sound that your diagnosis needs looking at again!

[schizofriendia]

I don't personally believe in one disorder transforming into an entirely different disorder, but that's just me.  The diagnosis could'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.

[ILADVOCATE]

  Yes schizophrenia doesnt have any mood changes but there are a whole spectrum of conditions in between such as bipolar with psychotic features and schizoaffective disorder which involve both psychosis and mood changes. Sometimes certain concerns such as psychosis can increase over time become more apparent or are more in need of treatment.
   Bipolar with psychotic features is generally defined by psychotic thoughts or auditory or other hallucinations occuring only during mood swings.. In schizoaffective disorder  as I have they (without specific treatment) occur all the time. However only a psychiatrist would understand the specific clinical information. If you have any specific concerns it would be worthwhile to discuss all this with your psychiatrist so they could appropriately update your diagnosis and treatment depending on what they feel would be the most appropriate follow up.

[thatquietgirl]

I think it's more the other symptoms involved that determine if it's one or the other, so no, I don't think it's possible.  It doesn't seem like schizophrenia has the highs and lows of bipolar disorder, and I've seen someone with schizophrenia, and compared to me when I have my hallucinations (bipolar type 1), it's a complete difference in level of function.  Now, is it possible to have bipolar disorder and develop/have schizophrenia?  I'd have to say it probably is.