Question

Discuss how a person with schizoaffective disorder is different from an individual with a mood disorder with psychotic features.

Answer 1

Schizoaffective Disorder, as the name indicates is a disorder in which affective or mood related symptoms are present along with symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations and delusions.The person experiences mania or depression as well as hallucinations and delusions.

Individuals diagnosed with mood disorders like bipolar and depression may experience symptoms of psychosis. If these psychotic symptoms occur exclusively during mania or depressive episodes, then the main diagnosis is that of mood disorder and psychotic symptoms are also present.

The difference lies in temporal relationship between the affective and psychotic symptoms. Mood disorders with psychotic features is diagnosed only when the psychotic symptoms occur during a mood episode. In schizoaffective disorder the psychotic symptoms partly or completely overlap with mood symptoms, it is a much broader diagnosis.