SzA Diagnosis

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1

Is SzA as deadly a diagnosis as it sounds? Bipolar and schizophrenia together? A double dose?

2

It’s not a life sentence ! I have.mine under control with medication

3

From what I’ve read, schizoaffective has a better prognosis than schizophrenia

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4

I wonder why sza generally apparently has a better prognosis compared to sz. I don’t understand it

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5

I think because we suffer from depression, that’s why. Our mood swings are under control so we don’t act up. My guess

6

Schizoaffective is a sketchy diagnosis.
There are some psychiatrists that don’t recognize it as a reliable disorder.

7

We’re Sza and we’re fine. Through time and effort we’re learning how to live!

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8

I’m sza. I never understood how sza can have a better prognosis and I don’t see how sz combined with a mood disorder is not worse than sz alone.

Any reflections on this?

I credit my meds for the stable state I’m in. If it was not for the right combo I’d be a mess

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9

The DSM 5 upgraded sza. In the DSM4 someone with a first episode of psychosis could be diagnosed sza where sz was 6 months of symptoms as a minimum.

That’s probably why it had a better prognosis although the criteria for diagnosis is now more stringent so that may change.

But that also leaves a lot of people who have previously been diagnosed sza not meeting the criteria anymore.

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10

I think the mood component effects how the SZ effects the brain.

Like with my depressive type there is a certain apathy I feel towards my hallucinations and I think they effect me less because of that

I’m not saying it’s the healthiest. But its a thought.

Also I’ve noticed when I’m going through bad bouts of depression my sz symptoms dont seem as bad

Idk if I’m just too preoccupied with the depression to notice/ care about the sz or if the depression is actually making it less but its something id love to study more

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11

Maybe the difference is awareness? Sza having an awareness of mood disorders?

12

Here is an article that states the diagnosis should now be more reliable and somewhat rare.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23707642/

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13

The fact of the matter is that the sza diagnosis is not rare but is very common.

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The diagnostic rate for scizoaffective is about .3 percent of the population where schizophrenia is about 1 percent. So they are both very rare. But the figures for schizophrenia are over twice as many.

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15

It’s not sz combined with a mood disorder. That’s just the diagnostic criteria, which are particularly stringent with sza because the diagnosis itself is so questionable. Stringent criteria increase the reliability, making the diagnosis appear more valid. Conceptually, sza is a diagnosis that lies between sz and bipolar I disorder or between sz and unipolar depressions. It’s always been conceived of as less severe than sz, but more severe than a regular mood disorder, and the relevant scientific evidence confirms this assumption. However, sza is often grouped with sz in research on psychosis, as they are very similar, and obviously, many cases are actually more severe than your ‘average’ schizophrenia.

Mood symptoms are also a positive prognostic factor in regular sz, and is correlated with a less severe outcome.

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