Schizoaffective disorder is, like schizophrenia, a psychotic disorder. In addition to psychotic features, schizoaffective disorder has significant mood symptoms. This rare mental illness is related to both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder and affects approximately one-third fewer people than schizophrenia.
To receive a schizoaffective disorder diagnosis, someone must meet all the primary criteria for schizophrenia and have prominent mood disorder symptoms as well. This basic description of this disorder is accurate, but it falls a bit short. Let’s take a deeper look to answer the question: What is schizoaffective disorder?
If someone is experiencing such a mix of symptoms, what’s going on? Is it a psychotic disorder with mood features, or is it a mood disorder with psychotic features? Both types of schizoaffective disorder diagnoses exist, and it often takes time for professionals and family members to help someone sort out what she’s experiencing.
Professionals gather evidence and look for patterns of symptoms and behaviors. If someone’s dominant symptoms are mood symptoms but he experiences some periods of psychotic features, he most likely has a mood disorder with psychotic features.
If, however, someone experiences both psychotic and mood symptoms but has at least one two-week period during which she only has psychotic symptoms—mood symptoms aren’t present—then the likelihood is that she has schizoaffective disorder.
The difference between schizoaffective disorder and a mood disorder such as bipolar disorder is subtle, but the DSM-5 delineates the criteria for each, thus helping doctors make the right diagnosis (and thus get the correct schizoaffective disorder treatment). What about the difference among the psychotic disorders? Is schizoaffective disorder the same as schizophrenia?
Both psychotic disorders share the same primary criteria, listed above as schizophrenia’s criterion A. Schizoaffective disorder involves the addition of mood symptoms. Here’s where it can become confusing: Many of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as the disorganized behavior and speech, resemble mood-related symptoms.
Could schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder really be the same diagnosis with a slightly different manifestation in each person? The official answer is no, they are not the same diagnosis.
Schizoaffective disorder is a psychotic disorder with significant mood features. Like any other mental illness, schizoaffective disorder is highly individualized, so while the standard criteria must be met for a diagnosis, each person manifests those criteria differently.
The prognosis for those living with schizoaffective disorder is mixed. Some people living with schizoaffective disorder function fairly well, while others have symptoms that are more severe and life-limiting. Each person with this disorder has both psychotic and mood symptoms, but everyone has them in different proportions.
Diagnosing schizoaffective disorder can be challenging, but it’s not impossible thanks to the criteria established in the DSM-5. The more accurate someone’s diagnosis, the more specific the treatment plan will be. The right diagnosis means that schizoaffective disorder can be better managed, giving someone a better quality of life.