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918275 tn?1254068752

Multiple diagnosis

I know it is  possible to have more than one thing going on, like being bipolar and schizophrenic, ocd, etc?
I have been diagnosed as bipolar, but I feel like I have other things going on as well. Will my psych eventually diagnose these other problems or are all my problems going to go under the bipolar umbrella?

My moms life was filled with mental illness and hospitalizations, and I know that some of this stuff is hereditary.
She had a formal diagnosis of Manic-depressive, OCD, paranoid schizophrenic, and possibly more that I just can't think of right now.

My mom died a slow painful agonizing death from ovarian cancer  two years ago. I continue to be haunted by what I seen her have to endure. Unspeakable terror, pain and agony. All the way to the end, she kept on saying "I'm afraid, I'm afraid. Help me".

I am left haunted and guilty that I could not do anything to ease her pain. either physically or emotionally.
It would be hard enough for anyone to deal with their own dying process, but much more so that one who has some serious mental health issues. She knew what was happening to her and she was absolutely terrified to put it mildly.

Because of the extent of her physical illness her mental illness was never addressed during the time she was dying.
I should have done something, anything to ease her mind. Terrified out of her mind was the way she died.

Anyways... back to the subject. Is it common to eventually end up with more than one diagnosis that is considered a formal diagnosis?
5 Responses
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574118 tn?1305135284
you have 2 questions:

1. can one have multiple diagnosdis?. Of course, this is called comorbidity in medicine
    and usually in psych illness a lot of them. I am OCD too along with BP1. This why
    the cunning and witty pdoc advises a mood stabilizer along with an antipsychotic

2. Should you feel guilty towards your mother. Of course not. I have news for you, we
    are all mortal whether with BP or not. I am sure you were extremely kind to her.
    What torrtures you most is to think you could have relieved her pain. Did she die at
    home or in a hospital. sure she was attended to by specialists, e.g. doctors and
    nurses. Stop thinking this way. Everybody is terrified by the idea of death whether
    mentally ill or not this is called instinct. Incidentally i hears ovarian cancer can be a
    side effect from the old drugs she had. We are lucky there are atypicals now and
    more safer AC

take care
Helpful - 0
539694 tn?1434565947
To put it simply ive known people who have been bipolar but misdiagnosed as a range of similar and only similar at a bit of a stretch such as borderline personality disorder, dissociative personality disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, unipolar depression, schizophrenia, autism, attention deficeit hyperactivity disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and many many more... Bipolar is hard to diagnose because it is like so many other 'disorders' and doctors have not woken up yet to the fact that like schizophrenia its not a single disorder with little sub groups its massive because bipolar sufferers can have completely opposite symptoms. Some have delusional constructs, some hallucinate sometimes visually and auditorially or somethings olfactory and tactile it completely varies and some dont experience psychotic symptoms at all.

So in answer to your question yes you can have lots of things and be diagnosed as lots of other things but you cannot always trust that doctors are always right about everything. One doctor may say schizophrenia where one doctor may say bipolar but as long as your symptoms are treated as that, symptoms not specific disorders then you will recieve help, hopefully recover and finally not have some stigmatic label on your CV (which is always good).
Helpful - 0
804276 tn?1480858056
i agree, i have bipolar 1, adhd, anxiety and panic, severe irritable bowel syndrome,  and chronic pain in my back and joints. you just have to make a list of your symptoms and take them to your psychiatrist and explain that there is more things going on with you, will he/she evaluate you for other disorders. but have a list of what you go through.  i'm very sorry to hear about your mom, it stays with you a while but just try to think of the good times you had more than the bad. pray if you believe in god. .......make sure you write everything down before going to the doc or you may forget! good luck......velvetvenus
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Give yourself a break. There was nothing you could do personally except be there for your mother. As long as she was under medical care and was managed for pain there is nothing you could do. I have been there. I know. You need to talk to someone about the guilt you feel and get it out and taken care of, and yes you can have multiple diagnosis. I have BPD, GAD and psychosis and yet life goes on.
Helpful - 0
918275 tn?1254068752
Thank you all for your very kind words. I am only recently diagnosed, and have gone thru some trial and error for the right meds, which have yet to be found for me. I guess it's a long road ahead as it seems that just as soon as one problem is alleviated another rears it's ugly head.I guess it's just trying to get through one more day, and then another day after that.
Helpful - 0
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