Difference between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

It is quite common to talk about disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolarity since they are two concepts that have a lot in common and that sometimes are often confused. It is interesting to know that a genetic relationship between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder has been found and As we already know, these are two conditions that cause quite a few problems in the thought processes of the people. However, and despite the fact that it is sometimes difficult for many professionals to differentiate between because they present some symptoms that are very similar, there are differences that make them different. But how do you know what the difference is between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia? In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to explain what each of these disorders consists of to finally let you know the difference between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Index

1. What is bipolar disorder?
2. Symptoms of bipolar disorder
3. What is schizophrenia?
4. Difference between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Bipolar disorder is a fairly common mood disorder that is characterized by the fact that the person suffering from it has extreme mood swings, the energy and functioning of it. That is, the person may have manic episodes with depressive episodes, both in constant alternation. These episodes have an approximate duration of weeks and even months. For example, it may be that a person is experiencing a manic episode and therefore she feels full of vitality and energy, she has the feeling of “eating the world”, she can perform several tasks at the same time, is willing to face all kinds of challenges and objectives that are propose, etc. However, after a while the depressive episode arrives where he experiences the opposite, feeling totally incapable of carrying out the tasks that you previously performed, of heading towards your goals and objectives, you have the feeling that nothing makes sense, you feel empty Energy.

It is worth mentioning that the ups and downs that are suffered in bipolar disorder are not at all similar to the ups and downs considered normal that people without said disease have. When these ups and downs are due to this type of condition, they cause serious problems in all or almost all areas of our life. This disease is even considered dangerous since people who suffer from it can, during a depressive episode, harm themselves and cause death.

The symptoms of bipolar disorder vary depending on the episode you are experiencing. person, since as we saw previously, he may be alternating between one manic episode and another depressant. It is also important to mention that symptoms tend to manifest differently in adolescents and adults. Some of the main psychological, behavioral, and physical symptoms that generally occur in a person with bipolar disorder include the following:

• Perform self-injurious behaviors
• Missing school or work
• Delusions of grandeur
• High energy levels or lack of energy
• Restlessness
• Feeling of emotional emptiness
• Weight gain or loss
• Quickly change the subject when talking to someone
• Sadness
• Suicidal ideation
• Low selfsteem
• Feelings of guilt and worthlessness
• Physical and mental slowness
• Racing thoughts and inability to concentrate
• Sleeping little but feeling energetic
• Inability to experience pleasure
• Extreme anxiety

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects the way people with it think, feel, and act. It is a less common disease than other types of mental disorders, and approximately 7 to 8 people out of 1,000 are considered to have it. This type of disease is classified within psychotic disorders and is extremely disabling since people who have it lose contact with reality, suffer from hallucinations and show social disturbance. The first symptoms of schizophrenia usually begin to develop between the ages of 16 and 30, generally this disorder does not develop after the age of 45.

Symptoms of schizophrenia

The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into 3 categories, positive, negative, and cognitive. Next, we will briefly explain what each one consists of:

1. Positive symptoms

They are psychotic behaviors that are not normally seen in healthy people. In some people these types of symptoms are transitory, they come and go, however in others, they remain constantly. Sometimes these types of symptoms are quite serious but in others they are hardly noticeable. Its severity will depend on whether the person is receiving treatment or not. Positive symptoms include:

• False ideas that they are generating, such as believing that they are being chased and / or spying, believing that they are famous people, who in the past engaged in certain activities that never existed, etc.
• They also include what hallucinations are, by what the person feels, smells, tastes or sees something that he does not really exists, for example, you can hear commands from imaginary voices that tell you what to do in certain moments.
• Finally, they show speech and thinking disorders, they tend to speak nonsense, they are not able to carry on a conversation since they change from one topic to another easily, etc.

2. Negative symptoms

These symptoms are the most difficult to recognize because they are often mistaken for depression or other disorders. Among these types of symptoms are:

• Reduced speech, the person feels quite exhausted to speak and isolates himself from others, shows apathy towards everything,
• Decreased ability to express your emotions
• Feelings of emptiness and dissatisfaction, etc.
• They also tend to neglect their personal hygiene, so they can appear depressed and / or lazy.

3. Cognitive symptoms

As with negative symptoms, these can be difficult to recognize. Sometimes some people begin to notice changes in their memory or thinking. These types of symptoms include:

• The decreased ability to understand, store and use information to make decisions,
• Decreased ability to make use of information that has been recently learned, concentration problems, etc. which leads to worse social and labor results.

After describing in more detail what bipolar disorder and schizophrenia consist of, below we will mention the 4 main differences between both disorders:

• Bipolar disorder It usually begins with the experience of a depressive state and / or a manic episode (in the least of the cases). Conversely, schizophrenia usually begins with symptoms of delusions or hallucinations, as well as strange behaviors that cannot be easily justified.
• The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are quite withdrawn and often withdrawn from others. Conversely, people with bipolar disorder are generally quite sociable.
• The main characteristic of bipolar disorder is the drastic change in mood, while in schizophrenia it is hallucinations and lack of contact with reality.
• People with schizophrenia show depressive symptoms almost all the time constantly, while people with bipolar disorder do so only when they are facing a depressive episode.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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