Differentiating Between Schizophrenia Dissociative Identity and Bipolar Disorder Essay

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Differences between The Mental Illnesses

The challenge of near-similar presentation of symptoms between schizophrenia, dissociative identity, and bipolar disorder has led to many cases of misdiagnosis. This warrants the need to differentiate the three illnesses as a way of limiting the recurrence of misdiagnosis challenge. Bipolar disorder is a common mental infirmity characterized by alternating mood depressions and mania for several months or even weeks. Maniacs exhibit high levels of energy and hyperactivity associated with restlessness (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Such individuals have an irrational belief of accomplishing huge workloads in a short time. Moreover, the commit themselves to different projects although none can be accomplished. Those around the patients will notice that they are always on the move and have many things to say. Lastly, they do not sleep much because of the depressive and manic mood that leaves them feeling sad.

Contrastingly, schizophrenia is a mental illness where individuals hallucinate and act against logic and reason because they are delusional. When performing normal life activities, schizophrenic people encounter difficulty because their interaction abilities with other members of the society are impaired. The patients hear voices (in their heads), and this has made it difficult for them to function well in a normal social setting (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). In such instances, schizophrenic people will not keep their jobs, and a high level of depression is experienced.

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The dissociative disorder is also commonly known as the dissociative identity disorder (DID) where individuals also hear voices. The voices in question come from having a set of one or more distinct identities. The disorder makes the patients believe that all the identities exist within them and they relate to them through conversations. With such identities, the victims are looking at ways of coping with different parts of their fragmented life. Therefore, they depict unique personalities, which are distinct from what many people know as originally theirs. The difference between DID and schizophrenia relates to the identities that the patients show. However, they both hear voices, but the one for schizophrenia disorder is their own while that of DID is part of them. DID individuals also do not experience any hallucinations or delusions, unlike the individuals who have schizophrenia (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Educating the Client

Counselors play the prerogative role of educating the clients on their mental health state as the society dictates although the possibility of resistance cannot be ignored. Nonetheless, the patients should be educated about their status as a way of initiating a treatment plan that will improve their mental health. Moreover, the counselor can offer….....

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"Differentiating Between Schizophrenia Dissociative Identity And Bipolar Disorder", 02 November 2017, Accessed.18 May. 2024,
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