UAE- Don't brush off symptoms of schizoaffective disorder as stress
Date
8/24/2016 1:20:12 AM
(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Recently, at a dinner get together, a friend came up to me and confessed that her brother was not doing well at all. She had seen her brother struggle with symptoms of depression, delusions and hallucinations. She was deeply concerned about him and wanted to understand more about how she should go about helping him.
It all started when he turned 25 and he was really stressed about starting a new career. It first started with him having auditory hallucinations and delusions. He constantly expressed that he knew that the family members were plotting against him. He also felt the same with regards to TV where the actors on the show were actually talking about him and making plans to kill him. This was accompanied by voices he would hear that would tell him to leave home and run away to be safe and also break the TV. This went on for two months and then he suffered a major depressive episode where he would just sleep all day, lost interest in all activities, lost a lot of weight, and had feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. When my friend discussed this with me, all the symptoms had been present for four months. She was justly concerned about her brother who met the criteria for schizoaffective disorder, depressive type, and needed immediate attention. Schizoaffective disorder has symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, delusions and disorganised thinking, along with mood disorders like depression or bipolar. It is a combination of symptoms of psychosis and mood disorders. Hallucinations are seeing or hearing things that are not present. Delusions are strong and fixed beliefs that an individual has in spite of contrary evidence. Disorganised thinking can result in an individual having incoherent speech and behave in an unusual manner. Symptoms of mania, which is a major symptom of bipolar, include difficulty concentrating, flight of ideas, increased activity and talkativeness, irresponsible behavior, and feelings of grandiosity. Schizoaffective disorder affects a small percentage of population, about 0.3 per cent. It is experienced almost equally among men and women. Symptoms are generally manifested in early adulthood but sometimes can manifest in adolescence. Schizoaffective is associated with social and occupational dysfunction and individuals struggling with the disorder need immediate care. Treatment of schizoaffective would include a combination of medications, including anti-psychotic meds and anti-depressants along with psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioural therapy has been found helpful in treating Schizoaffective disorder. Early diagnosis and treatment is the key. (The writer is a licensed mental health counselor from Florida, US, and a certified school counselor from Massachusetts, US. She is also a certified distance counselor)
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