 I seek to goers, so we know you've heard of schizophrenia, but have you ever heard of schizoaffective disorder? Or have you ever met anyone who lives with schizoaffective disorder? It's not surprising if you haven't heard of it. As the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, reports only 0.3% of the US population or 981,600 people will get it during their lifetimes. Before we begin, it's important to know that we're covering a mental illness that can cause serious consequences in the lives of the people affected by it. This means we'll briefly discuss depression and suicide, which may be triggering to some viewers. With that said, let's begin. What is schizoaffective disorder? The diagnostic and statistical manual V, DSM-V, classifies schizoaffective disorder as a psychotic disorder with features of a mood disorder. This means, in addition to the classic symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions, the person who has schizoaffective disorder will also have symptoms of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, persistent depressive disorder, cyclothemia, or seasonal effective disorder, or SAD. Although the National Center for Biotechnology Information and CBI reported 50% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia also struggle with some form of depression, a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder means the person being diagnosed also experiences at least one of the following. Symptoms and delusions not caused by drugs or a medical condition for two or more weeks when they're not experiencing depression or mania. Mood disorder symptoms, usually depression or mania, for the majority of time when they are experiencing psychosis, serious disorganized and catatonic behavior that isn't caused by drugs or a medical condition, and negative symptoms, which are reduced emotional expression or a lack of interest in reaching normal goals. So what's there to know about living with schizoaffective disorder? There are three phases of psychosis. Psychosis or an impaired relationship with reality that involves hallucinations, delusions, loss of motivation, and social withdrawal. Phase one, prodrome. These are the early signs of psychosis. When someone is going through the prodrome phase, their life may start to feel a little uncomfortable or very disrupted because this is the phase when they'll start to experience flashes of paranoia, problems concentrating, depression, insomnia, anxiety, and when they'll start pulling away from family and friends. Phase two, acute. At this stage, the person with schizoaffective disorder will experience the most disruptive hallucinations, distressing delusions and confused thinking. The person suffering with schizoaffective disorder will feel completely removed from reality during the acute phase, which might look like a total fixation on religion, thinking others are out to get them, having voices tell them they're rotten people, talking to people or spirits that aren't there, or thinking angels or demons are calling to them. They're most likely to feel hopeless or isolated from the ones they love during this stage. Phase three, recovery. This final stage is when the person struggling with schizoaffective disorder actually starts to see the light at the end of the tunnel. With the proper intervention and treatment, many people who have a psychotic break may never have another psychotic episode in their lives. How having symptoms of a mood disorder impacts living with psychosis? When you suffer from psychosis, it can feel like your head is in a haunted house and you're trapped inside with dozens of unpredictable ghosts. With schizoaffective disorder, it's different from other psychotic disorders because it means the individual living with it also has the symptoms of a mood disorder. How does that change things? The National Institute of Health, NIH, reports that schizoaffective disorder creates extreme shifts in behavior, mood, and energy. What type of shifts depends on which of the two types of schizoaffective disorders the person has been diagnosed with, bipolar and depressive. Schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, presents with manic episodes and depressive episodes. Someone living with this type of schizoaffective disorder will experience dramatic highs or mania as well as episodes of deep depression. Symptoms of mania include increased energy or hyperactivity, irritability, increased grandeur, insomnia, and reckless behavior. This might present as snapping at others, being unable to sit still, believing one is a supernatural figure or famous, and spending money that they don't have. During a manic phase, the person's suffering is more vulnerable to delusion and reckless behavior, which intensifies the effects of psychosis. Schizoaffective disorder, depressive type, presents a psychosis with depressive episodes but no mania. The depressive episodes often present as feelings of hopelessness, decreased ability to function, low energy, problems concentrating, and possibly decreased hygiene. The added challenge of mood disorder symptoms makes individuals living with either type of schizoaffective disorder more vulnerable to isolation due to pushing others away with their mood swings and deep depression. Schizoaffective disorders also means they're more vulnerable to substance abuse and suicidal thoughts than the rest of the population. How living with schizoaffective disorder affects your daily life According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the negative behavioral symptoms of schizoaffective disorder, such as feelings of apathy, feeling little or no pleasure in doing anything, also known as anadonia, or seeming to not react to things in their environment, also known as a blunted effect, or difficulty paying attention, affect the most traumatic effects on the person diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder's life. For example, a girlfriend of someone with schizoaffective disorder may feel hurt or confused when her partner doesn't react with excitement when they tell them about a recent promotion at work, or the boss of someone with schizoaffective disorder might get frustrated with their employee for their constant tardiness or disorganization. Although the person struggling with schizoaffective disorder probably wants to be part of a healthy relationship and most likely wants to be productive, sometimes their symptoms make this impossible. This can lead to increased feelings of not feeling good enough, loneliness, and social isolation. These feelings can ultimately make depressive episodes worse. Living with schizoaffective disorder can be frustrating and challenging. Thankfully, many people have successfully managed the symptoms of this somewhat rare disorder. The NCBI reported most people who successfully managed their schizoaffective symptoms typically use a combination of life skills trainings, therapy, and medications. Did you find this video insightful? If so, feel free to share it with someone who would too. As always, any information provided here is for educational purposes only. If you need mental health counseling or treatment, please reach out to a mental health professional. Keep watching Site2Go channel for more information on mental illness and mental health. Thanks for watching.