Bipolar Disorder Support Group

Hi all, I also frequently hear the radio and people talking, but I can't quite catch what they are saying. Most of the others I also get - sometimes I can't bear to enter the kids kinder or school because they all stare at me..... These have been happening more and more over the past 6 months - very stressful time in my life.

Yes, you can transition from BP II to BP I - especially if you are having psychotic symptoms. But if you are, it could be from another problem, like you said, something like schizoaffective. Bipolar disorder will not change into it, however. ONce you have bipolar disorder, you always have it. Unfortunately it is also possible to have more than one thing -- you could have both. Schizophrenics have episodes like BP's do -- they are not out of touch all the time, necessarily, although sometimes they are. And they usually live under bridges or in a nursing home.

hearing sirens -- auditory hallucination

unsure of where you are, etc and feeling surreal (without a known cause) -- depersonalization

paranoid, suspiscious -- paranoia (which may or may not be present with schizophrenia ... they are seperate)

hearing your name called...auditory hallucination

seeing shadows -- could be visual hallucination, or other things.

feeling things crawling -- tactile hallucinations (which can happen when withdrawing from alcoholism)

smells that aren't there -- olifactory hallucinations

thinking people are out to get you -- paranoia


these are all seperate symptoms with different possible causes, but they can all be present in schizophrenia.


There are no blood or other tests that can confirm any of these thought disorders are from schizophrenia rather than something else; so the diagnosis of schizophrenia is pretty broad spectrum, as well as, like bipolar disorder, there are many different possible combinations of symptoms that can occur.

The good news is, there is also medication that can help manage these....and some or all of what you are experiencing might be from your meds....you'll have to talk to your dr. and figure it out.

IMO, I agree with the hypothesis that these symptoms have similar and specific effects in lots of different people because the same parts of the brain are being affected by the overaction, or lack of action by the same brain chemical. Makes sense to me.

#6 makes a good oint - why is it we all share a lot of the same symptoms? For me it was the shadows rushing on me out of the corner of my eye, the sound of muffled radio voices, the depersonalization, things crawling under the pillow. But I'm on meds now and all is well.

PS - I meant, they usually live under a bridge or nursing home, if they are out of touch all the time.

I can relate to those but my pdoc does not think I am psychotic. Anxiety can cause those as well, according to my Pdoc. Anyone with a thought disorder as what BP is can cause those and yes you can start out as BPII and go into BPI according to a book I read.

BP is a mood disorder, not a thought disorder. As for anxiety, it may cause psychotic symptoms, but they are still psychosis and not anxiety. But in that case, if the anxiety gets under control, so does the psychosis. It does not need medication to control it.

Tell that to my Psychologist and Pdoc then Starfish


Get of my ass

the surreal stuff... yeah... when I had the most psychotic symptoms, risperdal helped (I'm thinkin I ought to get back on it) Incidentally risperdal is also given, in much larger doses, for schizophrenia. I am Atypical BiPolar I, but not schizophrenic (so they say, ya know -- "they" who prescribe meds, the gods)

emelia, I was just stating what I know to be true....clarify it with your dr. you may just be misunderstanding. don't take it personally, I was not trying to dis you.

PS - having psychotic symptoms is not necesssarily being psychotic. sorry you don't know the lingo, which is a good reason why you should clarify it with your dr.

Yes, I expierence some of these, not all. When I am at the cabin in the mountains and I hear rock music playing outside....that is really creepy. I sometimes put in ear plugs to know what is real and what is in my head. I chalk it up to just part of the disease and take another pill!