Treatment can vary. In general, your health care provider will prescribe medications to improve your mood and treat psychosis.

• Antipsychotic medications are used to treat psychotic symptoms.
• Antidepressant medications or "mood stabilizers" may be prescribed to improve mood.

Talk therapy can help with creating plans, solving problems, and maintaining relationships. Group therapy can help with social isolation.

Support and work training may be helpful for work skills, relationships, money management, and living situations.

People with schizoaffective disorder have a greater chance of going back to their previous level of function than do people with most other psychotic disorders. However, long-term treatment is often needed, and results can vary from person to person.

Complications are similar to those for schizophrenia and major mood disorders. These include:

• Abuse of drugs in an attempt to self-medicate
• Problems following medical treatment and therapy
• Problems due to manic behavior (for example, spending sprees, overly sexual behavior)
• Suicidal behavior

Call your health care or mental health provider if you or someone you know is experiencing any of the following:

• Depression with feelings of hopelessness or helplessness
• Inability to care for basic personal needs
• Increase in energy and involvement in risky behavior that is sudden and not normal for you (for instance, going days without sleeping and feeling no need for sleep)
• Strange or unusual thoughts or perceptions
• Symptoms that get worse or do not improve with treatment
• Thoughts of suicide or of harming others

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Schizoaffective disorder

Review Date: 02/07/2010
Reviewed By: David B. Merrill, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)