Schizoaffective disorder is a condition that is defined mainly by symptoms of schizophrenia (such as delusions or hallucinations), along with a major mood disorder. In that way, it’s not the same as schizophrenia, but it has markers of the condition.
Because it can have a mix of symptoms, it can be tough to recognize all the signs and get a proper diagnosis – and to make things even more complicated, there’s more than one type of the disorder. Let’s take a look at 12 facts about schizoaffective disorder…
There Are Two Types
The Mayo Clinic notes there are two types of schizoaffective disorder – bipolar type and depressive type. In the bipolar type, the patient will experience at least two symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations or delusions, as well as episodes of mania and (in some cases) major depression.
There’s also the depressive type, which doesn’t involve mania – which is a period of being “up” and full of energy, among other symptoms such as reckless behavior. “Schizoaffective disorder may run a unique course in each affected person, so it’s not as well-understood or well-defined as other mental health conditions,” notes the source.