Schizophrenia with depression.

Does schizophrenia with depression was diagnose as a schizoaffective? I m curious. I just wanna know.Any explaination?

Schizo-affective disorder is a condition that exists when the person has the principal symptoms of*schizophrenia such as delusions and hallucinations but also some problems with mood such as*depression*or mania.

What is the different between schizophrenia and schizoaffective?

Unfortunately your question is not a simple one to answer. There is no real consensus on how much depression is ok in sz before it tips over into sza depressive, and same with mania, but let's stick with depression as that's what your question was about. I've read a lot about this as I had prominent mood symptoms and was diagnosed sza bipolar, then sza depressive, then sz (all by the same pdoc, which is even more confusing). It's very confusing. Different pdocs will diagnose the same person with sz and depression or sza depressive disorder. There are no set rules, it's a judgement call.

It is very common for depression to occur after a psychotic episode and, if that is only when depression occurs, then it is probably quite straightforward to call it sz with post-psychosis depression. BUT depression (and to a lesser extent, mania, especially dysphoric hypo/mania) can also occur in the prodrome of sz and throughout its course. That's when it gets tricky to distinguish between sz and sza. I've read that women tend to have more mood symptoms in sz than men, but either way mood symptoms in sz are common.

I suppose, since it's hard to tell the difference, the most important issue is whether it matters what it's called? Well, I would argue probably not. APs are given for both sz and sza. ADs might help depression if it is either. And some mood stabilisers have some use as adjuvants to APs in treatment resistant sz even when the person is not bipolar and mood symptoms aren't that prominent. So best to use whatever works.

I'm sorry I couldn't answer your question, but you'd find anyone hard pressed to answer it based on our current level of understanding. I hope what I wrote was helpful in some way.

All the best,

*Willow*

I'm not sure but I'm diagnosed with schizophrenia and recurrent depression, so it's possible to have them separately. I think possibly because I have depression outside of my psychosis rather than at the same time. The psychosis makes my mood low obviously because it's a horrible experience, but I don't get clinically depressed when psychotic. Not sure if that helps

hi. my current, official diagnosis is bipolar I, mostly psychotic depression. The "other" experts insist that its (somehow...) both Schizophrenia AND a mood disorder, and this mood disorder involves severe depression.

i just thought Id mention this because...well, the big deal, as other posters have pointed out, is getting the treatment you need while avoiding as many adverse effects as possible. To that end, it really doesn't matter too much what a given 'expert' diagnoses you with, as long as the treatment(s) are safe and effective.

like with me...bipolar I w/psychotic features is treated with a newer tranquilizer and mood stabilizers. schizophrenia w/ a mood disorder would be treated with....a newer tranquilizer and mood stabilizers.

Hope this helps.

Can be schizoaffective. I don't know if it has to be, though. The mood component needs to be very prominent to warrant the schizoaffective diagnosis, not just negative symptoms or mild depression caused by schizophrenia.

I ask my pdoc and he said no its not same.

I think every pdoc will have a dofferent opinion
It's not an exact science so each pdoc had their own take on it

Thanks everyone for the respond.

No, they're not the same in one way. Eg psychotic depression is psychosis only in severe depression, and sz is psychosis with depression some of the time in some people, and sza depressive disorder is in the middle. In theory. Some people fit neatly into these artificial boxes and it's simple to say what it is. But other people are more complex. Eg if there's psychosis outside of depression, then it's not psychotic depression, but how much depression is too much for it to be sz and it should be called sza?? That is a judgement call made by each pdoc. It's quite common on here for people to see saw back and forth between sz and sza following hospitalisation/a change in pdoc. But, at the end of the day, depression + psychosis = treatment with an AP and an AD usually, whatever pdocs call it, so in that way it kind of is all the same.

*Willow*