Schizoaffective disorder is a chronic mental health condition characterized primarily by symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations or delusions, and symptoms of a mood disorder, such as mania and depression.
The symptoms of schizoaffective disorder can be severe and need to be monitored closely. Depending on the type of mood disorder diagnosed, depression or bipolar disorder, people will experience different symptoms:
- Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there)
- Delusions (false, fixed beliefs that are held regardless of contradictory evidence)
- Disorganized thinking (switching very quickly from one topic to another or provide answers that are completely unrelated)
- Depressed mood (feelings of sadness, emptiness, and feelings of worthlessness or other symptoms of depression)
- Manic behavior (If bipolar type, they will experience feelings of euphoria, racing thoughts, increased risky behavior and other symptoms of mania)
The exact cause of schizoaffective disorder is unknown. A combination of causes may contribute to the development of schizoaffective disorder, and these include:
- Genetics
- Brain chemistry and structure
- Stress
- Drug use (Psychoactive drugs such as LSD have been linked to the development of schizoaffective disorder)
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