I read somewhere that it was quite common for adolescents with bipolar disorder, especially men, to hallucinate outside of episodes. Unfortunately I can't find that research article now... But it basically said that experiencing hallucinations when you are not in an episode doesn't have to mean that you fit better in the schizoaffective category. I think DSM disagrees with that notion though.

Edit: I think I was partly wrong. That is if I understood this correctly.

Quote:
"Q
Observation of a mood-incongruent delusion or hallucination often leads to a diagnosis of schizophrenia, particularly in adolescents. What are your views on mood-incongruent psychotic symptoms in bipolar patients?

A
DSM-III, -IIIR and -IV classification systems all allow for mood-incongruent psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder. A key consideration is that mania is an acute illness, so that a person who is well and then suddenly gets sick in their teenage years is more likely to be manic than schizophrenic. In contrast, the onset of schizophrenia is usually more insidious: patients initially have some anxious or depressive symptoms, then they begin behaving in a peculiar way, and later you can elicit evidence of strange ideas."
First International Conference on Bipolar Disorder

Really not sure about this so I'd appreciate if someone more knowledgeable could share some information with me. I have hallucinations outside of episodes when not on antipsychotics but they don't last for longer than a few seconds.