Bipolar or schizophrenia?

My father and grandfather have a history of bipolar depression. I have had mood cycles since a child and currently am 18 years old. Most of the mood cycles relate to extreme depression in the winter and happiness in the spring/summer. So while it may seem more likely that I have bipolar depression, there are some reasons why I am worried about schizophrenia.

I went to Colorado with some friends and ended up doing mushrooms. I had an extremely bad trip of paranoia and severe fear. That was a month ago and I still feel like I am getting mini trips of that fear. I have a fairly constant pit in my stomach and feel detached from society. It is hard for me to express my emotions although I am not acting strange in social interactions. My friends have not noticed any difference in my behavior except maybe sadness. I have heard that hallucinogens can push someone into schizophrenia if they have had family history of it.

Currently seeing a psychologist who increased my welbutron to 200mg.

From what I understand, mental illness is passed on from the mothers genes.
To me it does not sound like you are bipolar or schizo. It sounds like you may have SAD & Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Your doc can give you Paxil for the anxiety & there is a light box for SAD.

You have a family history of mental illness, you are taking antidepressants and then you use a halucinogenic drug...you are playing russian roulette with your brain. Stay away from the rec drugs and tell your Dr. about your bad trip.

It's possible that you could have seasonal depression. I would talk to your psychologist about it. Also you should express this stuff to you psychologist. That person is there to help you.

If you don't have schizophrenia yet you will develop it very soon if you keep up with the recreational drugs! Bad move! Especially when you have a history of mental health in the family.

I have to agree with B.A.S.H. I, too, have bipolar and GAD. I think that you may have SAD. It seems strange that your high and low are confined to the winter and summer. Usually bipolar disorder is a bit more random. I also don't think that you have schizophrenia, but you definitely should tell your psychiatrist about your trip. LSD and maybe some other drugs can give you trips that reappear occasionally in the future. Pretty scary stuff. Talk with your doctor because they will probably know more than the rest of us. Good luck!

Yes, hallucinagens can trigger schiz in those who would not otherwise manifest it if they carry the genes. Recurring depression, bipolar, and schiz are thought to be related gene-wise so you have the family history.

Talk with your psychologist. Check in with a psychiatrist, too, particularly if the "mini trips" continue. You might just be psyching yourself out, but the psychiatrist is the type of doctor that you want to see.

I also agree on the SAD, not BP.

I happen to agree with all. Stop the rec drugs. I do not feel you have bipolar. Come clean to the therapist and take his advise. Thats what hes getting paid for. We all make mistakes. You are mature enough, i think, to have learned from yours and now your moving on to bigger and better things. Give the increased dosage of wellbutrin time to get into your blood stream. Good luck to you.

Hi. I'm glad you're seeing a psychologist.

Only a licensed medical professional can properly diagnose you. Make sure that your psychologist is aware of any past recreational drug use as well as any other reason that you're worried about schizophrenia. If you talk things over with your psychologist and you still aren't satisfied, I'd go ahead and get a second opinion.

Recreational drug use can wreak havoc on anybody, but individuals with mental health conditions are especially at risk. No more mushrooms, okay?

First off, I would continue seeing your therapist as that is where you will receive the best knowledge and betterment. However, from what I have read here it seems what you are experiencing is no different than many your age and would not over think the situation! Good luck....

Hi there. On the basis of symptoms alone, it would be hard to suggest you have anything other than seasonal affective disorder, as mentioned here in other posts.

Mood swings on their own are relatively non-specific - many individuals' moods shift across days or weeks in response to external stressors or internal thoughts or feelings; this doesn't necessarily mean you have bipolar affective disorder in spite of your family history, which may just confer a vulnerability to mood disorders such as depression generally.

I'm not sure there is much data to suggest using hallucinogens such as magic mushrooms can trigger a first psychotic episode in individuals predisposed to psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia, although very strong data exists for stimulants (such as amphetamines) and moderate, although equivocal, data for marijuana. My sense is that your bad trip has sensitized you and made you more anxious - hence your "mini trips of that fear".

What I would suggest is that, like another poster above, you are more likely to have a seasonal mood disorder, in addition to significant anxiety, which often accompanies mood disorders and which has been potentiated by your bad trip. The best advice is to continue seeing your current treating doctor, and stay away from the mushrooms.