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Eden1919
Senior Contributor

Having multiple diagnoses

Does anyone else struggle to find help while having multiple diagnoses, I feel like people only ever want to help with one issue at a time and in reality they all feed off each other and you reduce one and another gets worse I feel like I can never actually get better or even be properly functional it is a constant struggle. I am diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type), OCD, OSFED, depersonalization disorder, social anxiety, general anxiety and BPD. I just feel like I can never get on top of all of them like I am too big of a mess. 

12 REPLIES 12

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

@Eden1919  Hey Eden1919 I have schizophrenia and a mood disorder (just confirmed by my pdoc the other day). Sounds to me that you need a specialist pdoc who is completely on the ball with all your diagnosises.... hard to find. Although I have issues with my pdoc she is very good at what she does and is also playing the role of psychologist as I trust her in the issues I plan to discuss with her. 

 

Do you have any health professional who you can trust with all your mi problems? peaxxx

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

@greenpea  Is that not the same as schizoaffective disorder? Or do you just prefer to separate them? No judgment just curious. I suppose it doesn’t really make a difference the issue remains the same. I don’t have a specialist in those issues but out of the psychiatrists available in the area I live in they are one of the better psychs and frankly I cannot find a specialist in all of those areas it is the same with treatment options they all only want to work with the one issue and then say they can’t take you cause you are too complex. I was literally told by one psychiatrist there was nothing in the whole country and he didn’t know of anything in the whole world that would be suited to my individual needs public or private. And everyone I see who initially claims to be an expert with complex cases gives up after a few months and says that they have no idea what else to do/try. 

Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

Yes its very challenging when you have a lot of diagnoses and complexities, even more when they are all connected and fuel each other or exist because of the same reason/have the same purpose. I have had countless psychologists refuse to do any real trauma work with me because of my DPDR and other dissociative symptoms. You're nervous system isn't regulated they say. Why would it be? Well just stop dissociating then. I can't. Conversation goes round in circles. And its the same for all of them. I have OSFED too, probably a different variant to yours maybe but its not something that is valid to a lot of professionals, or they just say the same thing, "just stop it". Its a disorder, and it serves a purpose that can't be otherwise served at the moment. "Oh". What, you thought I do it because its funny or something?

 

Drives me nuts. All the psychiatrists have been the same. I've tried no joke at least 50 pills, so now they just say oh well, nothing I can do. Others say "well that's normal for a trans person, so whatever". 

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

@Eden1919  my pdoc seperated the two for me .... probably making it simple for me lol as I never took schizoaffective as seriously as I do schizophrenia ....  I had one pdoc who was a star. He didnt charge would come to the house to see me and my son2 and unfortunately retired (he is now working in a major role in a uni I believe). He was the kindest person that I know.

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

@Former-Member  Yes the meds conversation is exhausting I have tried many many meds and when they hear that they always say well I am not sure what to do and look at me like why am I even there to see them. My eating disorder has been completely ignored for the last 15 years which now means it is actually very bad and still no one will help I had one psychologist who took it seriously and said I needed a lot more help than they could offer but the service they referred me to (the only eating disorder treatment team in my state) said I was too complex and they couldn’t/wouldn’t take me. I asked them what I was supposed to do then and they said they had no idea. 

 

@greenpea  well that is fair enough maybe it is to make you more psychologically concerned if you didn’t take the other seriously lol. But schizoaffective disorder is literally just that you meet the criteria for schizophrenia and a mood disorder. Either way it is still a really crappy issue to have to live with. I am glad you had a nice doctor even if only for a while.

Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

Its 13 years I've had my ED now and I've never received any help for it either. I tried to get help with the new eating disorder treatment plan from Medicare in January, but Medicare said I'm not eligible because I don't have enough medical/physical risks, but at the same time I am too mentally unstable, too complex and that my prognosis is too shit for them to justify funding treatment services for me. That was the first time I tried to get help for my ED, and well, it was pitiful to say the least. 

 

I'm just tired of it, I've tried so many therapies and pills, I've been involuntary countless times, hospital, I've tried to use crisis services and nothing works. Even tried the NDIS which was a massive fail and had to leave because the staff I had to deal with were verbally abusive and the plan overall was just inappropriate for my needs. But that's like my life story, been doing this crap since I was barely 3 years old and I'm almost 25. 

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

@Former-Member  yes I keep getting told it isnt an issue because i am not underweight and apperantly that is the only criteria that matters. it is really upsetting too when you do try and ask for help and get turned away cause it takes so much strenght to even try again after so many failed attempts at getting the right help and to have another knockback is upsetting to say the least.  I have also tried countless therapies and meds and been in hopitals private, pucblic, voluantry and involuantry and all of that the first time i was on meds i was 2 years old and have been in the system in some way ever since and i am 22 now and things have only gotten worse and more difficult to deal with. i am not going to speak for others but for me the system has let me down immensly and while i am glad there are people out there who have found help it makes me frustrated and upset that i cannot seem to be one of them but are constantly told that "there is help out there you just have to ask". where i have asked over and over and all i seem to find is things that make me worse. personally i am having to just keep finding ways to essnetially "suck it up" everytime things get worse i just have to get better at ignoring it. i am not sure what else i can do but it is such a difficult situation. i am sorry you have had a similar experience with it all. I always hope that others have success but cant say i am surprised when they dont. 

 

also for the record this is all just my own experience i am not advocationg or advising anything just talking about me. 

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

Hi @Eden1919,

 

I have the opposite struggle to you I haven't got a proper diagnosis  just a bunch of you could have this or what your experiencing sounds like this. I wish I could get a diagnosis but no one ever stays with me long enough to do a proper diagnosis. 

 

I was also wondering what personalization disorder is as I have never heard of it before.

Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Having multiple diagnoses

Hi @Define_normal 

Sorry for replying myself @Eden1919  but depersonalisation is a type of dissociation that causes you to be disconnected from who you are as a person and your body/specific body parts. Like you are outside your body, sort of like a ghost, and you don't have a sense of identity or it is very limited and detached. Some people have it by itself, but most have it alongside derealisation which is a type of dissociation that causes the person to be disconnected from their surroundings. Having both makes it seem as if you are an outsider to your own life and personhood and like you are watching it go on like you watch a movie. 

 

Hope that makes sense. 

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