My gf claims to be schizophrenic, says she was diagnosed at 10 years old or something outrageously young like that. She's 21 now and I think she's bipolar with some serious anger/violence issues and anxiety, but she swears by that diagnosis she received ages ago.
can anyone with firsthand experience provide me with some sort of test I could administer to help me understand what's really wrong with her? In all the time I've known her, she hasn't displayed any sort of exceptional or unusual paranoia or delusion, and I can't really help her until I know what's actually wrong with her.
Is there a way I can induce psychosis or test to see whether or not she's having delusions and hallucinations? Because she's always seemed normal to me in that regard and all her closest friends/family don't know about her alleged mental illness, even though I've seen the records that she's been medicated and hospitalized before for unspecified mental illness.
She has attacked me physically and abused me verbally on numerous occasions. I'm not a sap or a sucker, so I know there's something wrong with her. I just don't believe it's schizophrenia.
>>16644544
10 is uncommonly young to be diagnosed schizophrenic. The disease commonly manifest much later, as in early adulthood later.
As someone who has experienced psychosis, there is no reliable test I can think of. Psychosis, hallucinations, delusions occur on a gradient IMO.
I was not so sever, and to this day most of my family doesn't know. When I started to suspect that I was hallucinating, I would keep it all inside, try not to tip people off. Sometimes this backfires - something real happens and you don't react because you don't want to be perceived as hallucinating.
TLDR you are not qualified to test for those things, I used to suffer from psychosis.
>>16644544
why does it matter to you if she's schizophrenic or not?
>>16644664
Not OP, but why wouldn't it? He suspects she is lying and wants outside confirmation.
It's pretty possible she's lying about the young diagnosis, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have schizophrenia. Though that's where things get iffy, because bipolar episodes and various other mental illnesses can be confused with schizophrenia. It can also make some difference if she's on medication or not, currently.
Even if you could 'induce an episode' it wouldn't really give you a sure-fire answer. Lots of psychs misdiagnose because of how much cross over mental illness can have. She may even be suffering a delusion or continuing a compulsive lie and believe she's schizophrenic (when she's not, technically).
I think the underlining issue for you shouldn't be 'what am I dealing with?' so much as how you're going to deal with it. I think you should start beating her back. :^)
She has physically and verbally assaulted you multiple times? Bro, you have to remember you are dating this person and you are equals she is not your patient and she should not be treating you this way. I have been in a relationship like that as well and it only gets worse especially when a severe mental illness is involved.
>>16644675
she can be wrong but not lying. I've met lots of people who were mistaken about their diagonses.
>>16644694
I'm pretty sick myself and put her through a lot of shit, so I've learned to live with her erratic behavior. >>16644675
My concern is less that she's lying and more that she's mistaken about the severity of her actual diagnosis and as such uses it as an excuse for behaviors she could control if she worked harder at it, rather than surrendering herself to the belief that she's a schizophrenic, allowing her to do and say anything she wants while having a valid excuse.
>>16644681
I've got a borderline personality disorder myself and have previously been misdiagnosed as bipolar and schizophrenic. For that very reason, I'm skeptical about her belief that she's schizophrenic, due in part to the research I've done into the differences between the three.
>>16644698
True, but she said she was diagnosed at 10. If she is wrong then the doctor was wrong. I still doubt the doctor gave a Schiz. diagnosis at age 10.
>>16644730
She was diagnosed at an unusually young age and then hospitalized and medicated in her teens because of an episode. I'm not denying that she's sick, I just question the true nature of her illness. And I believe that she's hurting herself by clinging to this diagnosis that's a decade old now.
>>16644744
Why don't you convince her to see a psych again, and/or see a psych with her, and mention to the psych (without her in the room) your concerns - so the psych can properly re-evaluate her/help bring her to a 'proper' conclusion via cognitive therapy?
Does she ever act guilty/apologetic after blowing up on you? If yes, just use that to guilt trip her into going, if she won't upright agree. :^)
>>16644744
Psychiatrists have batteries and batteries of surveys, questionaires and clinical experience to try and tease out diagnoses. Even then they will often disagree. Fuck, the definition of Schizophrenia has changed SIGNIFICANTLY in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistics Manual for Mental Disorders) from 2000 to 2013.
You may be right that her clinging to a dated and incorrect/incomplete diagnosis. She sounds like she needs professional help - more than whatever she is getting right now.
>>16644730
Nah man. I mean that a lot of people I met genuinely believe they had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and they probably didn't get this diagnosis, but rather remembered it incorrectly. Lots of terms can get thrown around during an episode of psychosis or near psychosis, and people just plain mix terms up and end up holding onto it. So nobody has to be lying. She can still be wrong though.
That being said many people like having a diagnosis of some kind. It's a variety of enjoyment or satisfaction, if you will. She doesn't sound like she's very motivated to be active in therapy or medical help, so... I don't know man. Maybe you should think about leaving.
>>16644767
We've already seen someone together and the doctor didn't say shit about a diagnosis period, let alone confirming her previous one.
meanwhile, I have been diagnosed and medicated more recently than her. My mental health is downplayed, though, because my diagnosis is less severe. But her diagnosis was given to her as a child. See the issue?
>>16644779
All this being said though, in my opinion the likelihood that she actually has schizophrenia as outlined in DSM-IV or DSM-V is basically zero. Zilch. Nada. I'll MAYBE buy schizoaffective d/o but I really doubt that. Most likely she's borderline personality disorder, the great masquerader, and she's had an episode or two of psychosis in the past.
>>16644781
It sounds like you're avoiding properly confronting the problem with people who are capable of helping her so that you can justify her shit flinging and stay in a relationship with her.
>>16644798
That's basically true. Being borderline myself, I've got my own rationalization for keeping her sick and reliant. And of course there's the fear that she'll wake up and see what a monster I am if she ever does get 'better'.
>>16644792
Wait, are you saying the likelihood for OP's gf or in general?
>>16644806
Wew. That's a whole other can of worms I'm too lazy to get into.
She might be borderline. You might also be projecting. Whatever her problem is, schizophrenia or bipolar or borderline or whatever, if you want her to change it, you'll be better off properly bringing up the problem with qualified professionals who can do all the legwork for you.
However, from what I've read of your replies, I don't think that's really what you're after. I think you should just start guilting her more, scold her if she uses schizophrenia as a crutch, etc.
It'll probably be regressive to whatever amount of 'treatment' you've been undergoing to aid your own borderline, but it's not like functionality is going to be all that fun in this dysfunctional relationship, anyway. Might as well just do what you really want and get some enjoyment out of her shit show of a life.
>>16644842
:^) Besides, if you can pretend your guilting her is actually you 'helping her' and she sees it as a new reliance on yourself, that's even better for you, isn't it?
