Mental health disorders are highly misunderstood. Most people don’t know the difference between even the most common conditions. Two conditions that are often confused are schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.
Schizophrenia causes patients to see things that do not exist and hear voices that aren’t real, referred to as hallucinations and delusions. Schizoaffective disorder comes in two forms: bipolar type and depressive type. These schizoaffective disorder types cause both schizophrenia symptoms, as well as symptoms associated with their respective mood disorder.
Let’s discuss the differences in causes, symptoms, and treatments between these conditions.
Causes
Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder have unknown causes, but there is research that gives some insight into how these conditions develop. Schizophrenia develops when brain chemicals develop abnormalities. Schizophrenic patients also have different brain characteristics than other people. Some risk factors of schizophrenia are if your father was older when you were conceived and if your mother developed certain illnesses while pregnant, such as influenza.
The contributing factors of schizoaffective disorder are lesser known than that of schizophrenia. Recent research shows that chronic stress, malfunctions in genes responsible for sleep-wake rhythms, developmental delays, and having other mental illnesses increase risk.
Symptoms
Schizophrenia symptoms are often called psychotic because they are rooted in a loss of touch with reality. Hallucinations and delusions are common symptoms of this condition. Difficulty with speech and thinking, unusual body movements, and lack of appropriate emotions are also common.
Patients with schizoaffective disorder – depressive type experience some schizophrenia symptoms, along with episodes of depression. Common symptoms include:
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Impaired communication
- Unusual or bizarre behavior
- Depression symptoms, such as feeling very sad, empty, or worthless
- Impaired academic, social, and occupational functioning
- Problems managing cleanliness and physical appearance
Patients with schizoaffective disorder – bipolar type experience some schizophrenia symptoms, along with episodes of mania and depression. Common symptoms include:
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Impaired communication
- Unusual or bizarre behavior
- Depression symptoms, such as feeling very sad, empty, or worthless
- Impaired academic, social, and occupational functioning
- Problems managing cleanliness and physical appearance
- Manic mood episodes, which involve increased energy and decreased need for sleep for several days
- Behaviors and moods that switch to opposite sides of spectrums with no apparent cause
Treatments
Schizophrenia is most often treated with antipsychotic drugs, which reduce the severity and frequency of hallucinations and delusions. Examples of these drugs are Haldol, Zyprexa, Risperdal, and Thorazine.
Patients with schizoaffective disorder are best treated with a combination of medications, psychotherapy, and life skills training. Treatment plans can vary from person to person, depending on the type of schizoaffective disorder, as well as the specific symptoms and the severity of the symptoms. For instance, some patients have more prominent schizophrenia symptoms, while others have more prominent depression symptoms. This is why each patient’s treatment plan will be unique to them.
Overall, the types of treatments used to treat patients with schizoaffective disorder (both types) include:
- Medications – antipsychotics, mood-stabilizing drugs, and antidepressants
- Psychotherapy – discussing thought patterns and symptoms with a mental health professional and working with them to develop coping strategies and learning how to manage symptoms better
- Social skills training – developing communication skills to help function better at home, work, school, and other environments
Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder Treatment in Danville, Richmond, and Martinsville, VA
Whether you suffer from schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia, seek care from our expert providers at EPIC Health Partners. Our highly qualified, skilled, experienced, and compassionate providers offer individualized psychiatric services, in-home services, and outpatient therapy.
To schedule an appointment, call (434) 835-4601 or fill out our appointment form online. We look forward to serving you.
