What Are The Symptoms
Mental health professionals classify most schizophrenia symptoms as either positive or negative. Other symptoms involve cognition and inappropriate motor behaviors.
- Positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions, both of which can often be managed with medications. They arent considered positive because they are helpful or healthy, but rather because they appear because certain regions of the brain are activated.
- Negative symptoms appear to stem from diminished activation of certain parts of the brain, and dont usually respond as well to medical therapy as positive symptoms. Negative symptoms include those that interfere with normal, healthy functioning. They include problems interacting with other people and little desire to form social connections, as well as the inability to show emotions and feel pleasure and rewards.
- Cognition challenges associated with schizophrenia include confusion and disorganized speech. Thinking and verbal skills can become impaired, so, for example, an answer to a question may not make sense to the person asking the question.
- Abnormal behaviors and motor skills problems can range from agitation and impatience to silliness and other childlike traits. A persons body language may not match their words, while in other situations, someone with schizophrenia may not be able to formulate an answer or may be moving excessively, so communication and focus become even greater challenges.
Finding Animal Models For Neuropsychiatric Disorders
When modeling neuropsychiatric disorders in animals, it is desirable that the criteria for the three types of validity are fulfilled: face , construct , and predictive . Given that depression and particularly schizophrenia are defined by complex multidimensional sets of symptoms that can be highly heterogeneous between patients, it has been proposed that these disorders may be approached by examining endophenotypes, which are easier to measure, and may be more proximal to the underlying genetic and biological mechanisms . Therefore, the typical approach for modeling these disorders in mice or rats is to manipulate some genetic or environmental factor, which has a plausible etiological link to either schizophrenia or depression, and then examine the animal for endophenotypes that resemble those seen in either disorder. Models typically will display only a subset of all the endophenotypes, which define either disorder, which is expected given the heterogeneous and polygenetic nature of both schizophrenia and depression.
Table 1. Mouse behavioral phenotypes related to neuropsychiatric disorders.
Diagnosis Of Schizoaffective Disorder
There are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose schizoaffective disorder. So doctors rely on your medical history and your answers to certain questions. They also use various tests such as brain imaging and blood tests to make sure that another type of illness isnât causing your symptoms.
If the doctor finds no physical cause, they may refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist. These mental health professionals are trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. They use specially designed interview and assessment tools to evaluate a person for a psychotic disorder.
In order to get diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, you must have:
- Periods of uninterrupted illness
- An episode of mania, major depression, or a mix of both
- Symptoms of schizophrenia
- At least two periods of psychotic symptoms, each lasting 2 weeks. One of the episodes must happen without depressive or manic symptoms.
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Immune And Environmental Factors
Dysregulation of the immune system, cytokines, and oxidative and nitrositive stress have been proposed as important factors in both schizophrenia and depression . This hypothesis is supported by a myriad of evidence from the study of immuno-inflammatory markers in humans, genetic association studies, and animal models . Immune and inflammatory processes were implicated in schizophrenia and depression comorbidity by a number of models, including Csmd1, db/db, GSK-3, and MIA . Furthermore, Csmd1 provides a link between the immune system and neuronal processes such as synaptic pruning . It has been proposed that schizophrenia is immunologically primed for the expression of depression . This is supported by the aforementioned models, particularly by findings such as the interaction between MIA and Disc1 in mice to illicit depression and anxiety-like behavior .
How Does Schizoaffective Disorder Affect People
This lifelong illness can affect all areas of a persons life. A person with schizoaffective disorder can find it difficult to function at work or school. It also affects peoples relationships with family, friends and loved ones.Many people with schizoaffective disorder have periodic episodes. There are times when their symptoms surface and times when their symptoms might disappear for a while.
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The Role Of Antipsychotic Medication
The role of antipsychotic medication in the aetiology of depressive symptoms in schizophrenia is somewhat controversial. There have been three principal proposed roles .
Thirty years ago, it was proposed that antipsychotics acted directly causing pharmacogenic depression . There is a possible theoretical explanation for this as antipsychotics act primarily on dopaminergic pathways and dopamine plays a major role in reward and pleasure mechanisms. An alternative hypothesis proposed that akinesia, an extrapyramidal side-effect of antipsychotic medication, and not necessarily accompanied by other symptoms, such as tremor, can mimic depression. This phenomenon has been termed akinetic depression . Patients behave as if their starter motor is broken and display anergia and akinesia, sometimes with accompanying low mood. Van Putten & May considered this to be a new symptom of extrapyramidal disorder, not part of Parkinsonian syndrome. Whether it can be reliably differentiated from Parkinsonian syndrome and is in fact a separate clinical entity remains open to question.
My Battle With Schizophrenia And Depression
Tuesday, 17 September 2013Misty
Misty blogs about her experiences of schizophrenia and depression
Following intense bullying in school, I developed depression at the age of 13. Despite leaving school as soon as I could, I was unable to escape the darkness of depression and following additional bullying while I was in further education, I developed schizophrenia at the age of 18.
My main symptoms of;schizophrenia;were depression, hearing voices;and having;delusions, and I fought a hard battle against the illness and the doctors who were treating me. I read an article recently that estimated around 30% of schizophrenics do not respond to current medications. I was definitely one of them. I have never found anti-psychotic medication useful and on the contrary, I have found them to have had painful and distressing side effects.
Yet despite my bodys resistance to the medications, I am in remission from my worst symptoms. I put this down to the talking therapy I finally received after more than two years of waiting. I would recommend that talking therapies are offered to everyone with a mental health problem and I really believe that the government needs to at least quadruple the number of NHS therapists in the country!
To anyone who is currently struggling and on the brink of giving up, I have this message:
Read about depression
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Schizophrenia: The 7 Keys To Self
Seek social support. Friends and family vital to helping you get the right treatment and keeping your symptoms under control. Regularly connecting with others face-to-face is also the most effective way to calm your nervous system and relieve stress. Stay involved with others by continuing your work or education. If thats not possible, consider volunteering, joining a schizophrenia support group, or taking a class or joining a club to spend time with people who have common interests. As well as keeping you socially connected, it can help you feel good about yourself.
Manage stress. High levels of stress are believed to trigger schizophrenic episodes by increasing the bodys production of the hormone cortisol. As well as staying socially connected, there are plenty of steps you can take to reduce your stress levels. Try adopting a regular relaxation practice such as; yoga, deep breathing, or meditation.
Get regular exercise. As well as all the;emotional and physical benefits, exercise may help reduce symptoms of schizophrenia, improve your focus and energy, and help you feel calmer. Aim for 30 minutes of activity on most days, or if its easier, three 10-minute sessions. Try rhythmic exercise that engages both your arms and legs, such as walking, running, swimming, or dancing.
When Should I Go To The Emergency Room
If you or a loved one seems in danger of harming themselves or others, get help right away. Go to an emergency room, call 911, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800.273.8255. This national network of local crisis centers provides free, confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Its available 24/7.
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What Happens At The Hospital
About one-third of people with schizophrenia dont believe anything is wrong with them. Many more dont seek help on their own, for cultural reasons or because they lack resources.
So problems often come to light only when their erratic behavior or other troubles trigger a crisis. Patients are often brought to the hospital by family, teachers or the police, says Dr. Bowers.
To decide whether to admit someone, psychiatrists consider whether patients pose a risk to themselves or others; whether they can take care of themselves; and whether they could benefit from hospital treatment.
Phenomenology Of Depression In Schizophrenia: Interplay Of Depression And Negative Symptoms
Depression is a mood disorder that is characterized by apathy, low mood and social withdrawal. Beck describes a cognitive triad in depression of life is pointless, the future hopeless and the self is worthless. The nature of the phenomenology of depression in schizophrenia, however, has not often been interrogated in phenomenological terms. Some of our recent evidence suggests self-stigma, shame, difficulty in regaining trust in ones own thoughts after recovery from delusional beliefs, and poor motivation are core features rather than other more biological symptoms such as early morning wakening, diurnal variation in mood or loss of appetite. The Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia is widely used to assess depression as a distinct from negative symptoms, with weight resting more on subjective reports of hopelessness, guilt, and suicidal ideation rather than agitation, anhedonia and paranoid symptoms as seen in other depression rating scales.
Thus, whilst anhedonia may be common to depression and negative symptoms, other core depressive symptoms, as assessed with the CDSS appear distinct. We have previously shown depression and negative symptoms as specifically assessed are orthogonal. This leads to the possibility that whilst anhedonia itself may be considered transdiagnositc, subtypes including anticipatory, consummatory, and motivational anhedonia, maybe more specific.
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Depression And Mood Instability As A Dimension Of Psychosis
Of the many factor analysis studies of psychosis, all identify depression and more broadly mood symptoms as a distinct dimension, including those that investigate a schizophreniform sample in the absence of affective psychoes. We note above the high rates of depression in UHR and first-episode samples but importantly, instability of mood in the early course of psychosis is also widespread. Instability in mood and negative affect is associated with clinical and nonclinical paranoid thinking and with the emergence and persistence of auditory hallucinations. It also explain new inception of paranoid ideas and auditory hallucinations at 18 months. High rates of childhood trauma are reported in both schizophrenia and depression compared to controls and are thought to be important in the genesis of both disorders. Mood instability may act as a mediator between traumatic events such as bullying and persecutory ideation, as well as childhood sexual abuse and psychosis, though interestingly this effect doesnt hold true at the point of transition in UHR samples.
Neurotransmission: The Familiar Suspects
Most current antipsychotics and antidepressants affect neurotransmitters in the synapse. A number of the models mentioned have demonstrated links to various neurotransmitter systems. NPY, DISC1, and Fez1 pathways interact with the DA system . Altered DA and 5-HT activity was seen after MIA and social isolation. Furthermore, the increased sensitivity to psychostimulants seen in a number of the aforementioned models is thought to be related to DA activity . A role for glutamate is also implicated in many of these models. Srr, DISC1, and reelin are all involved in glutamatergic signaling . Social isolation also affected NMDA receptor localization . Many antipsychotics have been used in the treatment of depressive disorders . It is possible that the shared involvement of certain neurotransmitter systems in schizophrenia and depression underlies both the increased risk of comorbid depression in schizophrenia and the antidepressant activity of these antipsychotics.
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Facts And Tips About Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia is a psychological problem or brain dysfunction.
- Schizophrenia include some symptoms like nightmare, fantasy, obsess, confusion while speaking with others.
- Genetic and psychological problems are the ordinary causes of schizophrenia.
- Anti-psychotic medicines, cognitive therapies and talk therapies are the beneficial ways to cure your disease.
- Consume Vitamin C rich food and low carbohydrates.
- Family members should get knowledge about schizophrenia to reduce the effects of symptoms.
- Experiences, performances of patient are the two points on which diagnosis is depended.
Hi: I speak my thoughts aloud…it’s embarrassing and scary. But I don’t have the other symptoms of schizophrenia… I’ve experienced trauma from conception to late adulthood…had four pregnancies within a five year period and don’t drink or take drugs…nor have I ever done so. Is there any other disorder that could result in someone speaking aloud or is it only a symptom of schizophrenia…thanks…
Sometimes crying or laughing are the only options left, and laughing feels better right now.
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What If I Am A Carer Friend Or Relative
What support can I get?
You can get support if you care for someone with schizoaffective disorder. These are some options for you:
- Family Intervention through the NHS
- Join a carers service
- Join a carers support group
- Ask your local authority for a carers assessment
- Read about the condition
- Apply for welfare benefits for carers
Rethink Mental Illness run carers support groups in some areas. You can also search for groups on the Carers Trust website:
Rethink Mental Illness: www.rethink.org/about-us/our-support-groups Carers Trust www.carers.org/search/network-partners;
How can I support the person I care for?
You might find it easier to support someone with schizoaffective disorder if you understand their symptoms, treatment and self-management skills.
You should be aware of what you can do if you are worried about their mental state or risk of self-harm. It can be helpful to know contact information for their mental health team or GP.
You could find out from your relative if they have a crisis plan. You could help your relative to make a crisis plan if they dont have one.
You can find out more information about:
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How Common Is Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizoaffective disorder is rare. Research estimates that 3 in every 1000 people will develop schizoaffective disorder in their lifetime.Still, its difficult to know exactly how many people have the condition because of the challenging diagnosis. People with schizoaffective disorder have symptoms of two different mental health conditions. Some people might get misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Others might get misdiagnosed with a mood disorder.
What Risks Can Schizoaffective Disorder Cause
The risk of suicide is higher for the first few years after your symptoms start. You can seek treatment early and make a crisis plan. The right treatment can help control your symptoms and help to lower the risk of suicide.
You can make a crisis plan yourself or you can ask someone to help you. A crisis plan is a plan of action that you will follow to help with suicidal feelings. Usually a plan will include people, services and activities that can help you.
You can find out more about Suicidal thoughts: How to cope by clicking here.
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Are There Different Types Of Schizoaffective Disorder
There are 3 main types of schizoaffective disorder:
What is manic type?
This means you have symptoms of schizophrenia and mania at the same time through a period of illness.
What is depressive type?
This means you have symptoms of schizophrenia and depression at the same time through a period of illness.
What is mixed type?
This means you have symptoms of schizophrenia, depression and mania through a period of illness.
Can You Be A Firefighter With Depression
You can be a firefighter with depression, so long as it doesnt affect your job performance as a firefighter. There may be people with depression that cannot be firefighters based on severity or treatment.
The NFPA 1582 standard categorizes depressive disorders as a Category B condition. Therefore, you can be a firefighter with depression, after you are evaluated by a mental health professional, provided you meet all the following criteria:
- You are compliant with any indicated treatment
- There are no disqualifying side effects from the treatment
- Treatment of comorbidities including sleep and substance abuse issues
- No suicide attempts in the last year
- Your evaluation shows that your condition does not interfere with your ability to perform all job duties
- Show that you can perform all 14 essential job tasks listed above
- Not treated with any prohibited depression medications, such as Klonopin, Xanax, Valium, or medical marijuana
Here are some tips to help manage depression.
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Nfpa Standard : Medical Clearance
Most fire departments will use the standards set by the NFPA for many aspects of the job. These standards are not requirements, but they are industry-standard best practices.
One of these standards is NFPA 1582 which is the Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments. This standard has specific guidelines for deciding whether a candidate is mentally and physically fit to work as a firefighter.
In this standard, they layout 14 essential job tasks that all firefighters must be able to perform. Here is a summarized list of these tasks: