I don’t just recognize her positives, she has negatives as well, but she did show me love and her intentions were pure and i liked it very much, was one of the things that made me like her so much.

Well, i returned from the doctor and he diagnosed me within 20 minutes, i was shocked. I told him 3-4 things and he described my situation (and my past behaviors) spot on. He said i went through dissociation/DP/DR and right now i dont just ruminate, i am in the middle of a psychotic episode, not OCD/rOCD, its a delirium of sorts and if i leave it untreated it will only get worse, ending things with the girl won’t help because it’s not the cause, it will just attach on something else. He said it’s good that i spotted it early (because it’s in the beginning stages, but he thinks i’ve always been prone to that). I also told him i relate to many ADHD symptoms and he said that ADHD is in fact kinda in the bipolar spectrum. From what i described to him, he said that i was manic (euphoric) when things were good and then it came to a crash suddenly (the morning i woke up and felt “off”, like i didn’t know who i was talking to), which is now an emotional flatline phase and it i don’t treat it with meds it will only get worse. He also said that talk therapy alone will only make it worse because this has not much to do with attachment styles and traumas the way i was looking at it. He prescribed me 10mg of Lapozan Oro every night and he guaranteed that i will see difference immediately and i will find my feelings again (i’m starting tonight but im kinda anxious). He believes i’m composed and smart so i’m gonna get through this quite quickly. He also suggested that the other psychotherapist isn’t helping because she is focusing on the wrong things (which i was feeling too, since she was focusing on relationship and my issue is general) and she’s too young (she is 26) to be experienced in psychotic situations and maybe i don’t need her. He said i really need meds and perhaps some therapy once or twice a month.

Any of it sounds familiar, anita? 🙂

Hey Confused:

A medical doctor, a psychiatrist, saw you for the first time in his life, for TWENTY minutes only, and following a conversation of about 10-15 minutes, diagnosed you with psychosis?

And bipolar disorder?

All in 10-15 min conversation?

🙄 Anita

Good morning, Confused:

“He diagnosed me within 20 minutes”, “He said… I am in the middle of a psychotic episode… He did say it’s a psychotic episode”, “He prescribed me (medication)… and he guaranteed that I will see difference immediately”, “He also suggested that the other psychotherapist isn’t helping because she is focusing on the wrong things… and she’s too young (she is 26)” –

I read that a psychotic episode involves one or more of the following types of symptoms: (1) Hallucinations (Sensing things that aren’t there, such as hearing voices, seeing things, smelling or feeling things without a source), (2) Delusions (Strong beliefs that are clearly untrue or disconnected from reality, such as believing someone is following you, or that you have special powers) (3) Disorganized thinking (Speech that is hard to follow, sentences that don’t connect, jumping from topic to topic)

(4) Disorganized or unusual behavior (Examples: acting in ways that don’t fit the situation, agitation, difficulty completing simple tasks, odd or unpredictable movements) (5) Negative symptoms (flat or blank facial expression, very little speech, withdrawal from others, lack of motivation, inability to carry out daily activities).

* There is such a thing as “early psychosis”, or a prodromal phase. This stage is not full psychosis, but it can precede it. It is usually gradual, not sudden. The most common features: A. Trouble concentrating- thoughts feel ‘foggy’ or ‘slowed’, difficulty following conversations, and feeling mentally overloaded. These are not hallucinations or delusions — just cognitive strain, B. Changes in perception- things like sounds feel louder or sharper, lights feel too bright, feeling ‘detached’ or ‘dreamlike’, feeling like the world is slightly ‘off’. This (B) can overlap with anxiety or dissociation.

C. Social withdrawal- avoiding friends, isolating, losing interest in activities, feeling disconnected from others. D. Emotional changes- blunted emotions, sudden anxiety, irritability, mood swings, feeling ‘flat’ or ’empty’, E. Functional decline- trouble at work or school, difficulty completing tasks, losing motivation, sleep disturbances.

F. Odd or unusual thoughts — but not full delusions- Examples: ‘Something feels strange, but I don’t know what.’, ‘I feel like people are looking at me more than usual.’

*** Early psychosis is not something a clinician diagnoses in 20 minutes. It usually unfolds over weeks to months and requires careful evaluation.

Next topic: a first psychiatric appointment is usually cautious, exploratory, and non‑committal. A psychiatrist may say things like: ‘We may need more than one session to get the full picture.’, ‘There are several possibilities we can explore.’ ‘Medication might help with X symptom.’, and ‘I can’t say for sure yet — we need more information.’. Psychiatrists are trained to be careful, measured, and non‑absolute.

Examples of a psychiatrist’s statements that are not standard or accepted practice: ‘I can diagnose you in 20 minutes.’, ‘You are definitely in a psychotic episode.’ ‘You will see improvement immediately — I guarantee it.’, ‘Your therapist is wrong / inexperienced / focusing on the wrong things.’ ‘You don’t need therapy, only medication.’, and ‘This is absolutely the diagnosis.’

Psychiatrists avoid guarantees, absolute statements, criticizing other professionals, and making firm diagnoses without full evaluation

Especially in a first appointment.

Psychiatrists know that medications affect people differently (so, guarantying that a medication will work, or guaranteeing immediate improvement is not medically appropriate.). They know that diagnoses require time and that symptoms can overlap (ex., anxiety and dissociation symptoms overlap with early psychosis symptoms), that mental health is complex, and rushing (20 minutes) leads to mistakes

The bottom line- guarantees, quick diagnoses, and criticism of other clinicians are not standard practice.

I hope the above is somehow helpful, Confused.

🤍Anita

Hello 👋 dear Confused:

I too had the “early psychosis” symptoms but never developed psychosis. These symptoms overlap with anxiety and I did suffer a lot of anxiety in the past.

He prescribed you with an anti-psychotic, but anti-psychotics are prescribed for anxiety or tics (Tourettes) without psychosis. Maybe it’ll help you. Don”t know.

But he, the psychiatrist guaranteed you that the drug will help, that’s like a promise, isn’t it🙄

🤍 Anita

You are very welcome!

What emotion do you miss the most?

Dear Confused:

Reading your answer, I remembered something I read long ago:

Q: “How to get out of prison when there’s no way out?”

A: “Stop wanting to get out”

Stop wanting to feel what you don’t feel, and you may feel it.

Like, radically accept what is, not wanting it to be any different.. and it may.

🌙🤔🙄🤪 Anita

Hey Confused: I feel uncomfortable about the THIRD post that I submitted to you being “reported for inappropriate content” (right above). Can you clarify this for me?