Schizophrenia Symptoms
Schizoaffective Disorder Symptoms
Coping Skills
Treatments
Facts
100

Hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting, or smelling something that is not really there. 

Hallucinations

100

At least one of the symptoms of Schizoaffective disorder has to be one of what three symptoms?

1. Delusions 2. Hallucinations 3. Disorganized speech

100

True or False

Regular exercise helps to improve mood and reduce anxiety.

True

100

True or False:

Individual therapy, social skills training, group therapy, and vocational rehabilitation and supported employment help people in recovery with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorders.

True

100

What are other mental illnesses that can have psychotic features?

Bipolar disorder, Schizophreniform Disorder, Brief Psychotic Disorder, Delusional Disorder, Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder, Psychotic Disorder Due to a Medical Condition, and Paraphrenia.

200

False, fixed beliefs that are held regardless of contradictory evidence.

Delusions

200

What are the two major types of Schizoaffective Disorder?

Bipolar type and Depressive type

200

True or False:

Drinking alcohol is a good way to cope with Schizophrenia.

False

200

True or False:

Schizoaffective disorder is treated only with antipsychotic medication like Schizophrenia.

False

Schizoaffective disorder is treated not just with antipsychotics but also mood-stabilizing and antidepressant medication.  

200

True or False:

The average onset for Schizophrenia is between late teen years and early thirties. 

True

Schizophrenia is typically diagnosed in the late teens years to early thirties.

300

Effective communication can be impaired, and answers to questions may be partially or completely unrelated. Rarely, speech may include putting together meaningless words that can't be understood, sometimes known as word salad.

Disorganized thinking (speech)

300

Experience feelings of sadness, emptiness, worthlessness, loss of pleasure in activities, and loss of energy (fatigue).

Depressive Episode

300

Asking friends or others nearby if they are seeing or hearing what you are seeing or hearing.

Reality Checking

300

True or False:

There is a difference between typical and atypical antipsychotics.

True

Many typical antipsychotics act on the dopaminergic system, blocking the dopamine type 2 (D2) receptors while many atypical or second generation antipsychotics block serotonin (5-HT) receptors in the brain, particularly 5-HT2A receptors—the vital players in schizophrenia. Typical antipsychotics also tend to have more severe side effects.

300

True or False: On average, the onset of Schizophrenia is earlier for women than men.

False

Schizophrenia tends to emerge earlier in males (late adolescence – early twenties) than females (early twenties – early thirties).

400

Hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking are examples of what kind of symptoms?

Positive Symptoms

400

Experience feelings of euphoria, racing thoughts, increased risky behavior, increased energy, and decreased need for sleep.

Manic Episode

400

What drug has evidence of causing psychosis?

Marijuana

Evidence is mounting that regular marijuana use increases the chance that a teenager will develop psychosis, a pattern of unusual thoughts or perceptions. It also increases the risk of developing schizophrenia. In one recent study that followed nearly 2,000 teenagers as they became young adults, young people who smoked marijuana at least five times were twice as likely to have developed psychosis over the next 10 years as those who didn’t smoke.

400

Commonly prescribed typical antipsychotics

Haldol (haloperidol)

Loxitane (loxapine)

Mellaril (thioridazine)

Moban (molindone)

Navane (thiothixene)

Prolixin (fluphenazine)

Serentil (mesoridazine)

Stelazine (trifluoperazine)

Trilafon (perphenazine)

Thorazine (chlorpromazine

400

True or False: 

The prevalence of Schizophrenia in the whole world is less than 10 million people. 

False:

The prevalence of Schizophrenia world wide according to the WHO is 20 million and the estimates of the prevalence of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders in the U.S. range between 0.25% and 0.64%. 


500

Lack of personal care, diminished emotional expression, and lack of motivation are examples of what kind of symptoms?

Negative Symptoms

500

To be diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder a person must have the following symptoms.

1. A period during which there is a major mood disorder, either depression or mania, that occurs at the same time that symptoms of schizophrenia are present. 2.Delusions or hallucinations for two or more weeks in the absence of a major mood episode. 3. Symptoms that meet criteria for a major mood episode are present for the majority of the total duration of the illness. 4. The abuse of drugs or a medication are not responsible for the symptoms.

500

Joining other people who also experience Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective disorder. 

Peer support group

500

True or False

Using drugs or alcohol helps my symptoms go away. 

False.  Use of drugs and/or alcohol can worsen or create symptoms of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.  
500

True or False:

Prevalence rate of Schizoaffective Disorder is less than 0.1%. 

False

Research estimates that 3 in every 1000 people (0.3%) will develop schizoaffective disorder in their lifetime.