What is Schizoaffective?
1.
Schizoaffective disorder is a serious mental illness that has features of two different conditions, schizophrenia and an affective (mood) disorder, either major depression or bipolar disorder.
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality and relates to others. Depression is an illness that is marked by feelings of sadness, worthlessness or hopelessness, as well as problems concentrating and remembering details. Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes, including severe highs (mania) and lows (depression).
Schizoaffective disorder is a life-long illness that can impact all areas of daily living, including work or school, social contacts and relationships. Most people with this illness have periodic episodes, called relapses, when their symptoms surface. While there is no cure for schizoaffective disorder, symptoms often can be controlled with proper treatment.
A person with schizoaffective disorder has severe changes in mood and some of the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations, delusions and disorganized thinking. Psychotic symptoms reflect the person's inability to tell what is real from what is imagined. Symptoms of schizoaffective disorder may vary greatly from one person to the next and may be mild or severe. Symptoms may include:
Depression
* Poor appetite
* Weight loss or gain
* Changes in sleeping patterns (sleeping very little or a lot)
* Agitation (excessive restlessness)
* Lack of energy
* Loss of interest in usual activities
* Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness
* Guilt or self-blame
* Inability to think or concentrate
* Thoughts of death or suicide
Mania
* Increased activity, including work, social and sexual activity
* Increased and/or rapid talking
* Rapid or racing thoughts
* Little need for sleep
* Agitation
* Inflated self-esteem
* Distractibility
* Self-destructive or dangerous behavior (such as going on spending sprees, driving recklessly or having unsafe sex)
Schizophrenia
* Delusions (strange beliefs that are not based in reality and that the person refuses to give up, even when presented with factual information)
* Hallucinations (the perception of sensations that aren't real, such as hearing voices)
* Disorganized thinking
* Odd or unusual behavior
* Slow movements or total immobility
* Lack of emotion in facial expression and speech
* Poor motivation
* Problems with speech and communication
The man is Schizoaffective I tell ya!
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2.
An incurable (but treatable) disease that affects a small percentage of the population. It wreaks havoc on the sufferer's ability to make sense out of simple things. You may have schizoaffective disorder if you:
1. lived your life in peace and harmony up until a point where someone or something in your life caused you to question what things were really about.
2. were admitted to the psych ward for expressing your "delusional" thoughts to other people.
3. believe that some outside entity is forcing doom upon the good people of the world for vengeful reasons.
4. think that if you share your sensitive ideas with people that your wonderful life will be destroyed.
5. have feelings and emotions but cannot get in touch with them because of a dark force within the mind.
6. heard voices in your head at one point and wish they would come back.
7. had friends at one point but all left you because you had voices in your head.
8. wish that the world was a better place, and believe that there's nothing you can do to contribute to positive change in society.
9. had a realization that all this time other people were living inside of you and monitoring your every move.
10. had a conversation with people in the television.
11. have trouble keeping up with the plot in movies like "Spy Game" and "Wall Street".
12. are slow to come up with ideas.
13. are jealous of the people with schizophrenia because they don't have to deal with emotions when being scorned.
14. fear social interaction.
15. think that you can't be yourself..EVER.
16. think that all your talent will be wasted because your life is passing you by and you will never get the courage up to attempt working towards a career that could potentially make your life worth living.
17. are afraid that persons are going to sabotage your endeavours, yet you have wronged nobody.
18. have your world come apart because nobody will sit beside you.
This person is schizophrenic. That person is schizoaffective. YOU are free.
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