Schizophrenia Obsession (May spike)

[untraceable]

Okay so my schizophrenia obsession is different from other's schizo obsessions. As many of you know, I have a diagnosis of schizophrenia as well my OCD diagnosis. I've began to obsess over whether I was psychotic or just extremely neurotic. I can't tell if I was just super OCD or schizophrenic. I see an early adolescent psychosis specialist, but I'm worried that she just tends to diagnose psychosis because that's all she is concerned with. Why does this matter? I want to tackle my OCD without meds and so I don't want to be on the strong medication I'm on if I don't need it. How can I find out if I'm really schizophrenic or not except by stopping my medication and sees what happens? Any suggestions would be welcome.

[just some girl]

I to have really questioned your diagnosis. Only because you dont seem to sound schizophrenic. I am not a professional though. I wonder if it would be possible for you to see a therapist that specializes in ocd or one thats very famillar with both. Just a suggestion anyways hope you get the answers you are looking for.

[untraceable]

Well I did see an OCD specialist who said I was psychotic as well as the hospital doctors, so there's a total of 6 doctors and therapists who thought I was psychotic/schizo. I am glad that you think that I don't sound schizo, but I've definitely hallucinated and have based major decisions on my "delusions" so they don't seem like normal OCD.

[Zorro]

Hi unstraceable. I'm still learning a lot about delusions, hallucinations, schizophrenia and psychosis relations to OCD . So I don't want to give any strong opinion on whether I personally think you are schizophrenic or psychotic. I will state the obvious though and say you definately should NOT do anything like secretely come off medication behind your therapists back to test yourself. I don't know who exactly those previous specialists were that told you that you were schizophrenic/psychotic. So if they weren't actual specialists, I'd definately be looking at getting more opinions. I had specialists not diagnose me with ocd. Specialists can and do get diagnosis's wrong.

I have a book called "Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD" by David A. Clark. In it, there is a page discussing delusions. Not sure if this will help in anyway, but have a read and see if it does:

DELUSIONS

Delusions are "erroneous beliefs that usually involve a misinterpretaton of perceptions or experiences " (APA, 2000, p.299) Although their content may vary, DSM-IV-TR emphasizes that the main distinction between a strongly held belief (i.e., OVI) and a delusion is the degree of conviction evident with a delusion despite clear contradictory evidence (APA,2000).


Over the years a number of writers have proposed a link between OCD and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (Enright,1996; Insel & Akiskal, 1986; Stengel, 1945). However, only a small percentage of patients with OCD (12-18%) have psychotic-like symptoms, and for many of these individuals the psychotic symptoms consist of lack of insight and strong conviction of the validity of their obsessional fears. A small group has delusions, hallucinations, and/or thought disorder (5-6%) that are more indicative of a psychotic illness. Insel and Akiskal (1986) concluded that 20% of patients with OCD develop psychotic symptoms, although the psychosis in OCD is either a paranoid state or a mood disorder. A true Schizophrenic deterioration in OCD is extremely rare.

There is no evidence of an etiological or diagnostic connection between OCD and psychotic disorders (Black, 1974; Slkovskis, 1996c). Nor is there any firm evidence that OVI or delusions develop out of obsessoins (Kozak & Foa, 1994; Rachman & Hodgson, 1980). However, Insel and Akiskal (1986) noted that in severe OCD, obsessions can shift into delusions when resistance to the obsession is abandoned and insight into its senselessness is lost.

The clinician may, on occasion, encounter persons with OCD who hold firmly to the veractiy of their obsessional fears (e.g., OVI) and, even more rarely, a person whose obsessions take on a delusionsal quality. For this atypical OCD, response to treatment may be particularly poor (Insel & Akskal, 1986; kosak & Foa, 1994). A delusion may be suspected if (1) belief in the obsession is held with such firm conviction that it is entirely unresponsive to clear contradictory eveidence, (2) the obsssion has a bizarre, implausable quality that is disconnected from the ordinary life experience, and (3) the individual does not appear distressed or upset by repeated behavorial respnse to the obsession (i.e., delusion).

[untraceable]

Thanks for the replies. The link you sent me was very interesting, JL. The only thing is that schizophrenia runs on my mother's side of the family, so there is a family history (there's no OCD on that side).
Facts
I have hallucinated
I have had extremely bizarre obsessional thoughts that I 100% believed and could not be swayed from (alien brain chips)
I thought musicians wrote music just for me
My thoughts got so jumbled and disorganized and I was so confused I couldn't read for a few weeks
I was sensitive to sound
I had lack of motivation and lack of pleasure from life (I was not depressed at that point)
Social withdrawal
Thought there was another person living inside of me
Thought I could read minds
Thought people were following me in cars
Thought there was a tapeworm living in my knee
Thought there were special messages for me in news
Didn't care about anything
So if I believed 100% in these bizarre thoughts, is it schizophrenia or OCD?

[Zorro]

Untraceable, my initial reaction from reading your list is that it sounds like schizoprhenia. However, I am not educated like some of the experts, so they would have a better chance of saying whether it is or not. Of course the tricky part is finding such an expert. I'd go get some more opinions.

[sonicwhite]

Ya I thought the T.V. was talking to me. I still get times where the word's they say are more sensitive. I had morbid persacutions. Visual's and auditory Voices. Lots and lot's of confusion, you may have the same OC and schizophrenia symptoms. I noticed when I dropped the Zoloft I was starting to go thru those delusions again and I couldn't tell if it was OCD or Schizo......So I understand. Sometimes we need medication to help us.....