Do you or a loved one have schizoaffective disorder? It can be hard to tell; the symptoms of this mental health condition often present as a blend between schizophrenia symptoms and signs of mood disorders. As you can imagine, this leads to seemingly erratic behavior that individuals may struggle to categorize.
But as proud providers of mental health treatment near Orlando, Florida, it’s our job to share information about signs and symptoms of schizoaffective disorder. Read on to read more about this mental health condition, its symptoms, and the treatment options that we provide at The Blackberry Center of St. Cloud, Florida.
Among mental health professionals, schizoaffective disorder is known to present with symptoms of both schizophrenia and mood disorders. Most commonly this means a combination of symptoms from both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This is categorized as bipolar type schizoaffective disorder, which means that people experience both depressive and manic episodes. In this way, individuals with this mental illness feel the compounded struggles of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
However, there is another common type of schizoaffective disorder: depressive type. In this case, individuals suffer from the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia as well as the depressed moods that come with major depressive disorder. Unlike with bipolar type, those living with depressive type schizoaffective disorder do not experience highs and lows, but live with long periods of intense depression.
Bear in mind that, in order to be diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, you must experience these feelings for a period of several months. Generally, individuals will undergo a major mood episode (bipolar or depressive, depending on their type) for a period of several weeks, then experience schizophrenia symptoms even after this episode subsides.
But how do you know if you’re experiencing a major mood episode or signs of schizophrenia? Let’s take a closer look at the symptoms that lead to a schizoaffective diagnosis.
As we’ve established, people with schizoaffective disorder usually fall into one of two types. But what do those symptoms look like in real life? And how can you know if you’re experiencing the psychosis symptoms of schizophrenia? Look below to find an in-depth look at the signs and behaviors that point to schizoaffective disorder.
For people with the bipolar type of this mental health condition, their symptoms often mimic those of bipolar disorder. You now know that these symptoms include emotional highs (manic episodes) and lows (depressive episodes), but let’s take a look at what the day-to-day symptoms look like:
Each of these symptoms may last for a period of weeks, then shift to feelings on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum (for example, going from euphoric to depressed in a matter of days).
Unlike with bipolar type, depressive type schizoaffective disorder does not present with episodes of mania. For this reason, the “depressive” part of these symptoms tend to look similar to major depressive disorder. Some of these include:
These feelings may be near-constant or recede after a period of weeks, only to come back again. However, what distinguishes a depressive disorder from depressive type schizoaffective disorder is the accompanying schizophrenia symptoms.
The symptoms of psychosis set schizoaffective disorder apart from the affective disorders described above. Whereas the other symptoms may come and go, these symptoms should be nearly constant in an individual with this mental health condition. Schizophrenia symptoms include:
By combining these symptoms with the signs and symptoms from depressive or bipolar type schizoaffective disorder, you may be able to determine what mental health condition you are facing. However, bear in mind that the process of diagnosis schizoaffective disorder is tricky and should be left to mental health professionals.
But if you suspect that you or a loved one has this disorder, you should seek professional mental health treatment immediately. The symptoms of schizoaffective disorder can worsen when left untreated, which could endanger your physical and mental health.
At The Blackberry Center, we employ several evidence-based therapeutic strategies to treat schizoaffective disorder. Each of these treatment methods has been clinically shown to help individuals in their long-term recovery from this mental illness. Let’s take a look at the kind of help you may need for your schizoaffective disorder:
As a psychotic disorder, schizoaffective disorder requires rigorous treatment from mental health professionals. If you are near Orlando, Florida, our mental health center can help you recover from schizoaffective disorder.
Do you have questions about our mental health care? You can reach our admissions specialists at 1-888-512-9802 or fill out our confidential contact form. If you think that you or a loved one are living with schizoaffective disorder, the best time to seek help is right this minute.
Ellis, M. “Affective Disorders.” April 01, 2020. Accessed May 06, 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/affective-disorders
Evans, J. D., Heaton, R. K., Paulsen, J. S., McAdams, L. A., Heaton, S. C., & Jeste, D. V. (1999). Schizoaffective disorder: A form of schizophrenia or affective disorder? The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 60(12), 874–882. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.v60n1211
The Mayo Clinic. “Depression (major depressive disorder).” February 03, 2018. Accessed May 06, 2020. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007