Schizoaffective vs. Bipolar

So it turns out I have Schizoaffective Disorder rather than Bipolar Disorder. Even though I got the new diagnosis a number of months ago, I haven’t really had the time to think it through. Now that I have some time on my hands after finishing my MA in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS here in London, I am going to try and get to the bottom of what it all means.

I think my first port of call should be a good book on the topic. I bought one on Amazon a while ago: The Collected Schizophrenias by Esme Weijun Wang. She calls it the “archetypal disorder of lunacy” in her second sentence. I can’t wait to read the rest.

One thing I do already know is that there is a lot of overlap with bipolar disorder. The consultant who gave me the new diagnosis summed it right up: Schizoaffective Disorder is nothing more than a label. The medication people with SAD receive is often the same as those patients with bipolar disorder, and many of the “symptoms” are the same as well. I certainly don’t feel any different after the diagnosis. I need to do some more digging, though.

I do feel that the stigma around Schizoaffective Disorder is a bit harder to overcome than the stigma attached to Bipolar Disorder. There are more people with bipolar in the public eye – e.g. Stephen Fry in the UK – than there are with Schizoaffective Disorder. That being said, whatever your precise diagnosis may be, the stigma related to mental health conditions in general remains a problem for everyone affected.

As I wrote above, I still need to do more research on the topic. Watch this space, and thanks for reading. Peace.