I read all the good things about schizoaffective

I read that the prognosis for schizoaffective is much better than that for schizophrenia. I also read that only 5 percent of the people end up committing suicide with schizoaffective (compare that to 20-odd percent with Bipolar). The course of the illness gets better in middle age. Sometimes, the symptoms just go away in middle age. People who are well tend to work in two-year bursts with schizoaffective.

I am beginning to see the difference between schizoaffective and schizophrenia. I think latter is more severe on average.

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There are always exceptions. @shutterbug is one of the most functional here and he has sz not sza. I think it depends on the individual.

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I was much more functional on Abilify but maybe I was just hypomanic or manic? I will never know.

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I agree. Some people can be functional with either while for others either can be more limiting. However, if we discuss the average course of outcome, schizoaffective disorder may be less severe.

A lot of people are treatment resistant you know, Clozapine doesn’t even work for them. So, it depends on each individual, too.

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I read that dopamine agonists can induce mania in anyone. I think its called substance induced bipolar or something.

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There’s nothing good about being schizoaffective.

I am considered a weird combination of treatment resistant and high functioning.

BUT – It’s just as painful and frustrating as SZ, and I’m sure the many people on this site with SZA would back me up on this. It’s tough having to manage both mood/affective and SZ symptoms.

Though I guess it’s good to know that overall, our suicide rates are lower.

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I don’t know the etiology of the biology of schizophrenia. I think the dopamine part is still a hypothesis. If anything, the scientists are looking at glutamate carefully.

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Dopamine definitively makes me psychotic. Stimulant induced psychosis is a current diagnosis.

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I agree. But, is it the cause? I doubt it.

Scientists don’t know which imbalance causes psychosis. It is a guessing game.

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It is a terrible illness. I meant the prognosis is overall better than pure sz. I also read a lot of people tend to get better in middle age.

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Genetics can make it worse but too much dopamine by taking stimulants overdose can cause psychosis in anyone regardless of genetics afaik

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I’m middle aged (49), and have not gotten better. I could only wish that would happen.

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I read it online on websites. I don’t know how accurate these websites are…but I think some people stay the same, some get worse, and a lot are better off.

Isn’t that the same in sz? I think I read its also 5% in sz.

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I read it is about 10 percent for sz.

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Personality disorders had the highest suicide rates, I think borderline personality disorder. Thats what I read on Wikipedia.

Weird, different sources have different statistics.

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Its 5% on Wikipedia:

Compared to the general population, people with schizophrenia have a higher suicide rate (about 5% overall

Bipolar too.

Think about all the people with sz for whom Clozapine doesn’t work. Imagine if nothing works… In that case, they probably are inclined towards ending their lives it seems to me.

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