Only if the Shoes Fit... Labels and Diagnosis

Presently I'm in recovery from a third psychotic episode and am taking aripiprazole, 20mg per day. I worry about potential side-effects and what it may do to me in the long-term, but I know I need it. I am not in any way suggesting that this medication will be suitable for anyone with a similar condition - all I know is that it seems to have worked for me in the past.

Over the years I've been given a variety of diagnoses to choose from, starting with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Schizophreniform Psychosis, a choice of Bipolar or Schizoaffective Disorder, and more recently graduating to Schizophrenia. Given previous versions of the DSM, I would also have been classified as ill based on my sexual preference or identification.

None of the labels seemed to sit well with me and like the saying goes, "if the shoe fits...", I'm not even sure the diagnosis of 'schizophrenia' is right. But then, as one who has been labelled 'mentally ill', I am not qualified to diagnose myself.