Schizoaffective disorder
If you have schizoaffective disorder, you’ll suffer from both psychoses and periods of extreme mood swings. It can prove confusing and dramatic, and it can also put you at great risk if you don’t get help.
What is schizoaffective disorder?
Schizoaffective disorder can be considered a cross between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. You may have periods of depression when you’re considerably low and your activity level is greatly reduced, or you may have periods of mania when you can feel extremely elated and are significantly more active than usual.
Between these episodes, you have periods with a normal state of mind when you don’t experience such strong emotions. However, unlike bipolar disorder, you may experience episodes with symptoms similar to schizophrenia, such as delusions and hallucinations, even during your periods with a normal state of mind.
How does it affect your life?
During episodes, you may become psychotic. You’ll often need medical treatment and hospital care, at least for short periods. Episodes can be prolonged and last for months, although medication usually helps. Preventive medication can also reduce the risk of new episodes, enabling you to live a normal life.
Can I get better?
The course of the disease can be debilitating and leave deep mental scars. However, you’re not alone and effective help is available. The more you know about your condition, the better you’ll be able to manage it.
If you suspect that you have symptoms of psychosis and extreme mood swings, you should seek medical attention. Contact a healthcare centre or a youth or adult psychiatric clinic. Trying to cope on your own can pose a risk to both yourself and those around you, so it’s important that you get effective help.
Diagnosis and treatment
Getting a diagnosis can take a long time. This is mainly due to the difficulty in distinguishing schizoaffective disorder from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, a correct diagnosis is important as the different conditions require different treatments.
Once diagnosed, your treatment may include antipsychotic medication together with a mood stabilizer, such as lithium. This usually works well and also reduces the risk of relapses. As the condition is often chronic, treatment is long-term. Counselling and psychotherapy are also useful to help you understand and manage your illness.
Reviewed by: Mikael Landén, professor of psychiatry and university hospital chief physician.
Last edited 2024-01-17