It is essential for us to be able to navigate our surroundings and obtain the items we require on a daily basis. Our senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch all help with navigation by constantly feeding information back to the brain. The brain, on the other hand, can become confused at times, leading us to believe that things are present when they are not.
Delusions and hallucinations cause brain confusion, and are common symptoms of schizoaffective disorder. Sufferers will believe in things that aren’t true and see and hear things that don’t exist. Mania and depression are two of the most common symptoms of the condition.
Symptom #1: Mania
Most of us are generally content with our lives. Sure, we have our ups and downs, but we mostly enjoy our lives. Our happiness tends to have a balance as well; we rarely become so happy that we could be considered euphoric.
People suffering from schizoaffective disorder, on the other hand, will experience prolonged bouts of excessive happiness, or mania. Even when everything around them is going wrong, they can still be happy. This mania can have a significant impact on their decision-making abilities and can be a very damaging symptom of the condition.
Symptom #2: Feeling Depressed
It is almost unavoidable that we will experience depression at some point in our lives. Things happen around us that we have no control over, and they can be devastating at times. Despite this, we manage to persevere and eventually make it to the other side.
Clinical depression, on the other hand, is not the same as feeling down because something bad has happened. It is a condition that causes people to have negative feelings about themselves and their lives regardless of what is going on in their lives. It can also be severe, making them feel as if they don’t want to live any longer. Depression is a common schizoaffective disorder symptom.
Symptom #3: Disturbances in Sleep
Sleep disturbances are common in patients with schizoaffective disorder. It can change over time depending on the underlying mood disorder that is present at the time.
Patients experiencing a manic episode may have difficulty falling asleep because they are too euphoric to sleep. Patients suffering from depression, on the other hand, may find themselves sleeping more than usual.
Symptom #4: Restlessness
It is not uncommon for us to be extremely busy in our lives, with plenty to keep us occupied. However, once our chores are completed, we have the opportunity to sit down and relax for a while. At least until it’s time to move on to something else. Some people, on the other hand, never seem to be able to relax much at all, and their restlessness can be quite extreme at times.
People with schizoaffective disorder are frequently restless, as if they can’t sit still for even 5 minutes. They are frequently overly enthusiastic about participating in activities and are overly active even when they are tired.
Symptom #5: Delusions
Most of us can distinguish between fiction and reality. We can still have an imagination, and it can be quite vivid at times, but we can also tell what is real and what is not. However, the line between fiction and reality can sometimes become blurred, and people can believe in things that are simply not true.
Delusions are a common symptom of people suffering from schizoaffective disorder. It is as real as anything around it, it can believe in certain fictions or narratives. Usually, such delusions are quite negative and convince you that something terrible will happen to yourself or other people.
Symptom #6: Hallucinations
Our sensory organs and brains rely heavily on each other to keep us aware of our surroundings. Our sensory organs convey messages to the brain, which converts the data into something that we can understand. Our brains, on the other hand, can sometimes convince us that objects are present even when they aren’t.
Hallucinations are not uncommon in people with schizoaffective disorder. They frequently see things that aren’t there or, more commonly, hear sounds that aren’t there. Hearing voices is one of the most common types of hallucinations. There may be more than one, and the voices may even disagree with one another.
Symptom #7: Risky Decision Making
Taking risks can be enjoyable, and nearly all of us do something we probably shouldn’t do from time to time. It is important, however, to be able to weigh the potential impact of risk taking on your life and the lives of those around you. Such decisions are usually quite simple for us, and we avoid making decisions that are too harmful.
People with schizoaffective disorder, on the other hand, are prone to making risky decisions that can have serious consequences. They may choose to engage in casual sex with strangers, gamble, use drugs, or make other decisions that jeopardize their physical safety. It can wreak havoc on the lives of those suffering from it as well as those close to them. This is usually linked to manic episodes. As the patient’s confidence grows, the feeling of being grandiose can cause them to make rash decisions.
Symptom #8: More Outgoing and Sociable
Many of us value the importance of having a social life. It is healthy to keep in touch with friends and go out on occasion to have a good time, but we will also try to keep it within reasonable limits. Too much socializing can interfere with our commitments, work, and other responsibilities.
People suffering from schizoaffective disorder may have an increased desire to socialize. They will most likely want to go out as much as possible and do everything they can to meet new people. This can lead to a life of excessive partying, which can jeopardize professional and other commitments.
This is usually associated with manic episodes. As the patient starts to feel their confidence rising, the feeling of being grandiose can cause them to seek more social interaction and it can also lead to hypersexuality as their libido increases hand in hand with their self-esteem.
Symptom #9: Inability to Focus
It usually does not take much effort for us to stay focused on a single task. Unless we are interrupted, we will usually focus on what we need to do until it is completed, allowing us to move on to the next task. However, when this ability to focus is lost, things can become extremely difficult.
The inability to focus on a single task at a time is a common symptom of schizoaffective disorder. Even simple tasks can become extremely difficult for people with the disorder because they are unable to focus on them. It can cause erratic behavior, such as seemingly random switching from one thing to another.
Symptom #10: Random Speech
It is critical to communicate with others and to do so clearly. Being understood is an important part of communicating, and most of us find it quite easy to do so. When people struggle to speak clearly, it can be quite noticeable and even alarming.
Creating understandable sentences can be difficult for people with schizoaffective disorder. Instead of focusing on a single topic, they frequently jump from one to the next, resulting in sentences that are little more than gibberish. They will also tend to speak at such a rapid pace that understanding what they are saying becomes even more difficult.
Schizoaffective disorder is a highly complex mental condition that affects approximately .3% of the U.S. population. Though it is different from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it can often be mistaken for those conditions, leading to misdiagnosis. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is very important to get an official diagnosis for clarity about your treatment options and future.