Schizoaffective bipolar disorder

Schizoaffective bipolar disorder is difficult to diagnose but it must include both the mood swings typical of bipolar disorder and the psychotic symptoms often found in schizophrenia. It is easier to explain what it isn't than to explain what it is.

Not Bipolar I Disorder
Schizoaffective bipolar disorder displays similarities to bipolar I disorder but has enough differences to meet the criteria of a distinct mental disorder. Bipolar I is the most severe type of bipolar disorder. In its manic episodes, some symptoms of schizophrenia are seen such as delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, catatonia and others. To be diagnosed with schizoaffective bipolar disorder, a patient must also have psychotic symptoms for at least two weeks during a phase of normalcy.

Schizoaffective bipolar disorder is a type of bipolar disorder and is believed to be the same causations and similar treatments and triggers.

Not Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective bipolar disorder has the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia in varying severity, but also has the manic-depressive mood swings of all types of bipolar disorder. Many people with schizoaffective bipolar disorder are misdiagnosed with either schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder.

Genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing schizoaffective bipolar disorder as they do with schizophrenia, but the latter disease has an environmental aspect not found in bipolar disorder.

Treatment
The treatment for schizoaffective bipolar disorder is mood stabilizers combined with antipsychotic medications and sometimes antidepressants. The medical treatment is similar to that of bipolar I disorder so that a confusion of these two diagnoses would not be a problem therapeutically. The treatment of schizophrenia, however, does not include mood stabilizers and confusing that diagnosis with schizoaffective bipolar disorder could be dangerous for the patient.

Suicide Danger
As with all forms of bipolar disorder and depression, schizoaffective bipolar disorder carries with it the danger of suicide. The percentage of people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder who threaten or attempt suicide is significant.

Where another condition co-exists with bipolar it can aggrevate the situation. Especially in children this is seen in cases of ADHDbipolar disorder