Imagine a lifetime of feeling different emotional symptoms and not understanding what was going on in your mind. Even as a child, you may have felt depressed, or anxious, or acted out impulsively in general. As a teen, you may have been particularly depressed, felt suicidal, then elated, or you could have started hearing voices and had feelings of horror, paranoia and obsessions. Confused, and scared, you may have told no one, believing you were the only one who ever felt this way. Your parents or family members may have noticed that you were not leaving your room, as hiding inside seemed preferable to you. As time went on, you may have been extremely fearful of living life, and gave into your fears, having a sense of not wanting to be a part of the world.
This is one example of what it is to feel the symptoms of a major mental illness like Schizo-Affective Disorder. Of course, only a psychiatrist can diagnosis and treat such an illness. With this illness in particular, there will be a mix of symptoms of Schizophrenia and also of Bipolar, or Major Depression. It is important to note that the symptoms mentioned here can also be symptoms of many other mental disorders and that one may also be diagnosed with other additional disorders. It seems to be a somewhat mysterious illness, also, as there is not as much information available as there is on other mental diseases.
Schizo-Affective Disorder Can Be a Challenging Mental Illness to Deal With
It often takes many visits to the doctor to figure out exactly what is going on in order to get the most probable diagnosis and proper medications. It may take several or even many attempts or more at taking different types of medications to get the symptoms under control. Anti-psychotics, used to treat hallucinations and paranoia, anti-convulsants, which are used to stabilize the mood, along with medications to calm anxieties are used in combination with each other to reduce or eliminate symptoms. Anti-depressants are often prescribed if tolerated, however, some will have reactions to them which include a possible manic episode, which include feelings of being on top of world, possibly believing that one is a very important, famous person (grandiosity), little need for sleep, very talkative, excessive pleasure seeking behaviors, hearing voices or having visions. Often, an in-patient stay would be ideal for those suffering with mania or severe depression and suicidal feelings to give new medications a chance to work or to allow adjustments to existing ones some time to kick in.
Psychotherapy - Cognitive Behavorial Therapy
Therapy is recommended and is often helpful. Known as CBT, Cognitive Behavorial Therapy is designed to help change unhealthy thinking patterns. This combination of psychotherapy and regularly taking prescribed medications greatly increases the likelihood of successful treatment.
While Schizo-Affective Disorder is not as common as other mental health disorders, it is treatable. It tends to be more severe than Bipolar Disorder, but not as severe as Schizophrenia.
A Tendency to Inherit Mental Illness
Often, when a parent, or both parents, suffer with a mental illness, their children may tend to inherit mental illness. Environmental factors play a large role. There can be substance abuse problems along with the mental illness, also. Stressors are known to trigger symptoms in general. If both parents are diagnosed with Schizophrenia, for example, there is a 45% risk of developing Schizophrenia in their children. For Bipolar, the chance is 50% if both parents are affected. If one parent has Schizophrenia, there is a 13% chance of their children developing it, and with one Bipolar parent, there is a 15% chance of their children inheriting it. Data on Schizo-Affective is scarce for these kinds of statistics.
While there is no cure, there is hope, and with consistent treatment, education, and family support, one can live as normally as possible.
Sources:
Centre For Clinical Interventions Worksheet modules provided for self-help CBT on worry, depression, etc...
Depression-Guide Depression guide with detailed explanation of CBT
Psych Central Description of Schizo-Affective Disorder; Information on mental illnesses
Merck Manuals Online Medical Library Bipolar information. Entries on countless mental health and medical issues are available here.
NAMI National Alliance On Mental Illness - Grassroots organization; Detailed information on mental illnesses and community support services and resources, etc...
Centre for Genetics Education Provides statistics on chances of inheriting specific mental illnesses
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
