Schizoaffective Disorder

Get help NOW. Discover treatments for schizoaffective disorders at Lakeview Health.

Schizoaffective disorders can have a serious impact on your life. But thankfully, schizoaffective disorders can be treated and you can recover. Get the help you deserve. Call 1-800-231-2950. The physicians at Lakeview Health are highly trained and experts at diagnosing schizoaffective disorder. For immediate assistance, call 1-800-231-2950 now. All calls are kept confidential. Our support staff is available 24/7 to take your call, so call now.

Diagnosing Schizoaffective Disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is a major psychiatric disorder that is quite similar to schizophrenia. The disorder can affect all aspects of daily living, including work, social relationships and self-care skills (such as grooming and hygiene). When diagnosing schizoaffective disorder, the doctor will recognize that those with schizoaffective disorder can have a wide variety of different symptoms, including problems with their contact with reality (hallucinations and delusions), mood (such as marked depression), low motivation, inability to experience pleasure and poor attention. The serious nature of the symptoms of schizoaffective disorder sometimes requires patients to be hospitalized at times for treatment. The experience of schizoaffective disorder can be described as similar to "dreaming when you are wide awake"; that is, it can be hard for the person with the disorder to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

Individuals suffering from schizoaffective disorder exhibit the primary symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as the symptoms associated with major depression. It can also be coupled with a manic episode. Studies have shown schizoaffective disorder to be a neurobiological illness. The symptoms of schizoaffective disorder include:

• Auditory hallucinations
• Paranoid delusions
• Disorganized speech or thinking
• Mixed manic and depressive episodes

Types of Schizoaffective Disorders

When diagnosing schizoaffective disorder, there are two different types of schizoaffective disorders that an individual can be found to have - the bipolar type and the depressive type. The bipolar type of schizoaffective disorder is diagnosed when the patient exhibits manic behavior in addition to depression symptoms. The depressive type is characterized by the exhibit of depression only and not subject to manic episodes.

While schizoaffective disorder combines symptoms, it offers a better prognosis than schizophrenia, yet it is more serious than a mood disorder. Even still, differentiating it from each of those conditions may be difficult.

Treatments for Diagnosing Schizoaffective Disorder

Treatments for schizoaffective disorder typically include medicinal administrations to deal with the mania, depression or psychotic symptoms the patient may be feeling. Often times, a patient will be prescribed a neuroleptic medication in addition to an antidepressant or psychiatric medication.

Psychosocial interventions have also been proven to be very helpful when used in conjunction with the treating medications. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychotherapy and social skills training have also proven beneficial for people with schizoaffective disorder. Most cases of schizoaffective disorder require long-term treatment for the best chance of avoiding relapse.

Patients with schizoaffective disorder are prone to alcohol or drug abuse. Patients may use alcohol and drugs excessively either because of their disturbing symptoms, to experience pleasure or when socializing with others. In either case, their drug use commonly turns to drug abuse or alcohol abuse and then into drug addiction or alcoholism. At this point, hospitalization may be warranted either in a psychiatric facility with an ability to provide detox services or in a drug or alcohol rehab with a strong dual diagnosis treatment component, in conjunction with a medical detox unit.

In cases where drug addiction or alcoholism is present, an inpatient drug rehab or inpatient alcohol rehab may provide an excellent option. The key here is to locate a drug or alcohol rehab with these two levels of care: medical detox and dual diagnosis treatment. The psychiatrist associated with such an addiction treatment program must be trained not only in psychiatry, but also in addiction treatment. The choices of medication by the psychiatrist and learning medication management on the part of the patient can mean the difference between relapse and recovery.

Lastly, the drug or alcohol rehab should provide a comprehensive family program as part of its dual diagnosis treatment program. This family program should be more than just family therapy sessions, as dual diagnosis can prove to be very damaging within the family unit.

If you are looking for an effective dual diagnosis program specializing in schizoaffective disorder treatments, call Lakeview Health Systems now at 1-800-231-2950. All calls are completely confidential and our staff is available to assist you 24 hours a day.