Sick and Tired; Help!

[An Artificial Girl]

I've been on medication for over a year now, and it still isn't helping me. My psychiatrist still hasn't really "diagnosed" me properly. She just labeled me as "not otherwise specified" under the schizophrenia category. (My medication, by the way, is zoloft and respiradone.) I'm sick of the medication not doing anything for me, and I'm sick of not knowing what's really wrong with my head. It'd be nice to have these people in my head disappear, or at least know what the problem is so I can help myself better to deal with it. What can I do?

[LeapOfFayth]

Not otherwise specified means that your doctor recognizes that you're having the main symptoms of the disorder but that you either don't fit into a specific subtype, some of your symptoms are contradictory, or that the doctor doesn't feel they have enough information yet to make an official diagnosis.
I think it's better to be in the NOS catagory and make sure your final diagnosis is correct than being diagnosed and rediagnosed over and over again because your doctor can't figure it out.

However, the medication that would be prescribed for any of those disorders is the same, and some medication just doesn't work for some people. If you've been on this medication for awhile with little benefit you should talk to your doctor about trying a different kind. There are a lot of different kinds of medication or combinations you can try for psychotic symptoms. As the patient it's your job to advocate for yourself and let your mental health team know if something isn't right or working. If they don't do anything (say you've been on the same medication for over 3 months with no benefits) then you need to pressure them, it's up to you what you want your treatment plan to be, not them.

[Bridghid]

If you have concerns about your medication not working, talk to your doctor. Some medications just don't work for some people. I definately agree with Rick in that having no label is better than having the wrong label. It's not your diagnosis that defines you anyways. As well, if you look at the diagnostic manual that is used in mental health, there are specific criteria that have to be met in order to legally diagnose a specific condition. Talk with them and let them know what is going on. The health care team includes you.

[PSY]

Like Ricky said, Schizophrenia Not Otherwise Specified isn't a "bad" diagnosis. It just means that you don't meet the criteria for another subtype of schizophrenia, ex. paranoid, disorganized, or catatonic. You're showing many of the symptoms of schizophrenia, but nothing is distinctive enough to warrant classification into another subtype.

A year is an awfully long time to be on a medication and not see any improvement. I would talk to your psychiatrist about either upping the dosage (if it's safe to do so), or to try a new combination of medication. If the psychiatrist refuses, I would ask for a referral to another psychiatrist.