Schizo effective disorder!

fanchette · Silver Member Joined: 24 Jan 2001 Posts: 278

Hello. I'm 45 year old female and I have big problems with controlling my daughter’s behavior. For always she has been spoiled but this has become outstanding.
She has her own episodes of extreme nervousness and mood swings but there are periods when she was completely normal.
Anyway, these last couple of months it seams like all her symptoms were getting worse and worse. She has episodes of almost nervous break down and I was thinking to get her to see some psychiatrist. A friend has told me that it could be some schizoaffective disorder. Can someone tell me more about it?

cassy · Silver Member Joined: 03 Nov 2000 Posts: 256

Hello. I'm very sorry about your daughter and I would really like to help you if I could. I'm a medical student and I know something about this disorder you’ve mentioned.
You see, from what I know about it-schizoaffective disorder is caracterized by mood disorders and short periods of psychotic breakdown. I really can't say anything about your case because this illness may present a variety of symptoms but I can tell you that she should be definitely checked by some psychiatrist!
Most patients respond well to a combination of anti-depressants, anti-psychotic medication and a mood stabilizer.

Guest · Guest

I just wanted to know if there are behaviors and signs that are evident long before the peak ages for schizophrenia. What I am asking is: a normal child with normal behavior doesn't just reach the magical age of 20 or 30 and then become schizophrenia do they?

Guest · Guest

I have shizo affective disorder and was not diagnosed with the disease until my late 20's. Although the symptoms had shown for years, I did not see a counselor/psychiatrist until I was delusional and making a fool of myself in front of my caring friends. If you notice your daughter having severe mood swings, please have her checked.

Guest · Guest

my son for years was diagnosed as being bi polar till today when I was told he now has this condition called schizo effective disorder, he is 33 and he first had his condition diagnosed in April 2005 when he was admitted, so all this time he was misdiagnosed and the poor lad was told the wrong information, so you can imagine how confused he is, as am I too.

Melissa Starr · Newbie Joined: 17 Nov 2007 Posts: 1

Guest · Guest

And it has turned out to be nothing more than psychiatric fraud, a commonplace these days. They just want to pump your kid full of drugs. The real underlying problem is most likely poor nutrition, a less than desirable social atmosphere, as you already have described. American health care is set up to exploit people and put people with legitimate physiological health problems in psych prisons or on dangerous medications...

American health care destroyed my life.

The DSM is a FRAUD.

Take your children back from the system.

Guest · Guest

I smell an agenda. We need real answers here, not scientology type BS, for shame.

John H. · Newbie Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 1

Schizoeffective disorder is the reason why my mother could not take care of me and gave me up at birth. I was adopted into a caring family that often had to put up with my anger outbursts and crying spells beggining in early adolescence. My adoptive mom was educated and she knew that there was something irrational about my behavior. So she took me to a doctor where I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This was the summer after eigth grade. From then on I would have to take pills everyday to stabilize my mood. At first the psychiatrist started me out with some drug I don't remember but whatever it was it was so potent that the next day when I woke up I was seeing double. Then it was Depakote. I remember this drug because everyday I would shake, shake, shake. You can imagine trying to play a violin dulce and you're hands just wont stop shaking. Now I have Lithium. Lithium and Risperdal. With one I have to monitor my lithium level and the other makes me drowsy. Sometimes I wish that I did not have to take my meds. But I know that I take them for a reason. I convince myself that I don't HAVE to take them, I want to. I don't want to become like my mother, who had no control of her life. I'm educated, and I can do something about my life if I don't like it or if I want to keep it well the way it is. This means that if I know that I was diagnosed as bipolar for a reason, and that my mother was schizoeffective, and that me and my sister have a 60% chance that we will have this illness that she had, I will try to prevent it. If I do get it I can only accept it and take what the doctor prescribed. Then I can move on with my life. My adoptive mom was educated and she knew that my behavior was irrational. She knew that with the right help I could have a normal life. She passed her values onto me and I thank her for them. I am 20 years old and am currently attending Purdue University. I have alot of things on my mind but my illness, bipolar disorder, is the least of them. When I look back to where I was and where I am now I can't believe I would be here unless I had an educated mom who cared for me like my adoptive mom. When you know something is irrational with your child and you are educated, you have the responsibility to do something about it. The responsibilty to pass those values onto your children so that they wont be ignorant and try to ignore their illness IF they have one. I hope this post wasn't to long but I felt emotion in writing it and I hope it helps you.

PsyChris · Posted: 02/09/08 - 06:50 Post subject:

I do not think your child has Schizoaffective Disorder. But it is extremely difficult for me to make any kind of diagnosis or assement without a whole lot more information

I think it is more likely she has a Mood Disorder and not Schizoaffective Disorder.

Schizoaffective disorder does share some observable symptoms with Mood Disorders that is why it could be confused---however a key element of Schizoaffective Disorder is hallucinations or delusions.

There are Bipolar and Depressive features to Schizoaffective disorder as well. For the time being I won't get into those.

Your child would most likely benefit from psychiatric consultation. It is their choice if they want to use medication or seek a psychotherapy approach. It has been my experience that a combination of medicine and psychotherapy are the most beneficial.

As with all service professions you will find the occasional horror story. All I can say to that is Psychiatrists and Psychologists are not perfect nor are they without their own problems.

You should not be afraid to switch to a different therapist if they are not helping you.

Schizo effective disorder!

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