Am I really schizophrenic?

I'm wondering if I have schizophrenia or not? The pdoc and my family think I do but I don't fit alot of the symptom categories. I'll give a brief history: Last March is when I started believing nuclear war was coming but it's also because I read a book about nuclear war so it's not like my mind just came up with the idea myself. I started getting paranoid and staying inside all the time, didn't work. My apartment was so messy there was rotting garbage hidden under piles of trash. I thought the police were out to get me and the government was spying on me. I thought a black chevy suburban parked outside was the fbi. And I know it sounds like schizophrenia but I also go MUCH of the day or even a whole week not believing these things. My parents sort of forced me to see my old psychiatrist who diagnosed me bipolar 2 a long time ago. I hadn't seen him or taken medications since march. My parents sort of forced me to go because I had ordered 500 dollars worth of survival equipment and believed north korea was about to strike and drove to my parents and they got annoyed. I also have had a problem with showering. The thing is, these issues have been mild for the last week and a half which is one reason I feel like maybe they are right. I only get the bad paranoia after 4 or 5 pm and hear myself talking to me. But I know its a voice inside my brain, like my inner self talking to me. I also will listen to others when they say I'm being paranoid or not thinking clearly so if I really had schizophrenia wouldn't I not be able to tell the difference? One things is I have terrible terrible memory problems and I wonder if that's one reason I'm having these issues. But anyways, my symptoms are on and off. They come and go. They're not all the time like I've read about schizophrenia.

I should also mention, I also lost 70 lbs since March and that's a sign on schizophrenia I guess. But it's because I'm just not hungry and pace alot. And I'm not sure pacing is always something to do with schizophrenia.

While this does sound like psychosis there are three flavors....bipolar with psychotic features, schizoaffective and schizophrenia....usually it’s up to the psychiatrist to make a distinction.

PTSD can also cause psychosis

I think it doesn't matter what you call it, what matters is what you do about it.

This sounds similar to my experience. When I got ill with psychosis, I had insight in the beginning. As it got worse, over a period of 6 months, I gradually lost the ability to distinguish reality from my mind, as the new way of thinking took over. Years later I asked my psychiatrist about my insight, and she said it was common for people to question their experiences before the illness fully manifests itself.

PTSD can definitely cause psychosis. Some people, who are chronically stressed, can become psychotic. It doesn't automatically mean a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Sometimes getting the right diagnosis takes time. - My illness lasted about 16 months. I don't have schizophrenia. It was just called first episode psychosis.

To anyone with personal experience, these are clear psychotic symptoms. Put it in the bank.

Personally, I've been give three different diagnoses by three different doctors--PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar--so there's no professional agreement on what I have. I took the quizzes here at psychcentral and came up negative for schizophrenia and bipolar, and definitely PTSD so that's what I think I have.

Just got out of the hospital
Just wanted to point out we all forgot there can be physical illnesses like diabetes that can cause psychosis as well....

Yes! That's a big part of what happened. I'm so much better now but my mind still wanders but it may be more the ptsd/dissociative stuff. I'm also taking risperdal .5mg 2x day right now so that's helping.

borders between sane and insane are unlcear sometimes, when i get psychotic world is scary but makes more sense than the "real" world, i think everyone even sane ppl get a personalized sense of reality, in the end is not what do u believe but how do u feel about it and how that affects your self and others..