✅ Easy Read Guide: Schizoaffective Disorder

 

What is Schizoaffective Disorder?

• A mental illness that has two parts together:

  • Psychosis (like in schizophrenia)

  • Mood changes (like in depression or bipolar disorder)

Psychosis Symptoms:

• Hearing voices

• Seeing things others do not

• Believing things that are not true (delusions)

• Confused thinking or speech

Mood Symptoms:

• Depression: feeling low, sad, tired, hopeless

• Mania: feeling very high, full of energy, talking fast, not sleeping

Important to Remember:

• Schizoaffective disorder is not just schizophrenia + bipolar.

• It is its own diagnosis.

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Comparing Conditions

Condition	Psychosis?	Mood Problems?	Key Features
Psychosis (symptom)	✅ Always	❌ Not always	Symptom, not illness
Schizophrenia	✅ Core part	❌ Not main	Mainly psychosis
Bipolar Disorder	✅ Sometimes	✅ Main part	Highs and lows
Schizoaffective	✅ Core part	✅ Core part	Mix of both psychosis and mood symptoms

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Treatment and Support

• Antipsychotic medication

• Mood stabilisers or antidepressants

• Talking therapies (like CBT)

• Support from family, friends, and services

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❓ Quiz Questions

Page 1 – Questions

1. What two types of symptoms are combined in schizoaffective disorder?

2. What is psychosis?

3. Name two signs of depression.

4. Name two signs of mania.

5. Is schizoaffective disorder just schizophrenia + bipolar, or its own diagnosis?

6. Fill in the blanks:

   • Schizophrenia mainly has __________.

   • Bipolar mainly has __________.

   • Schizoaffective has __________ and __________.

7. What are two treatments for schizoaffective disorder?