Practice Essentials
Schizoaffective disorder is a perplexing mental illness that has both features of schizophrenia and features of a mood disorder. The coupling of symptoms from these divergent conditions makes diagnosing and treating schizoaffective patients difficult.
Signs and symptoms
The first step in evaluation is to obtain a complete medical history, keeping in mind the diagnostic criteria for schizoaffective disorder.
Several scales are available for rating the severity of disease (eg, PANSS). The Questionnaire is useful for investigating alcohol consumption in patients with schizoaffective disorder.
The next step is to perform a complete mental status examination (MSE), physical examination, and neurologic examination to assist with the evaluation and rule out other disease processes. The MSE typically includes assessment of the following:
Appearance
Eye contact
Facial expression
Motor
Cooperativeness
Mood
Affect
Speech
Suicidal ideation (should be inquired about at every visit)
Homicidal ideation
Orientation
Consciousness
Concentration and attention
Reading and writing
Memory
Delusions
Hallucinations
Insight
Judgment
See Presentation for more detail.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder is made when the patient has features of both schizophrenia and a mood disorder but does not strictly meet diagnostic criteria for either alone. Ongoing reevaluation over the course of the illness is important for confirming the diagnosis.
Laboratory studies that may be performed include the following:
Sequential multiple analysis
Complete blood count (CBC)
Rapid plasma reagent
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level or thyroid function tests
Urine drug screen
Urine pregnancy test
Urinalysis
Lipid panel
HIV test
Psychological testing (eg, The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 [SCID-5]) is warranted to assist with diagnosis.
Additional studies that may be helpful include the following:
Computed tomography (CT)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Electroencephalography (EEG)
See Workup for more detail.
Management
Management principles include the following:
Treatment approaches include both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy (as well as psychoeducational programs)
The treatment plan must be individualized for each patient
Inpatient treatment is mandatory for patients who are dangerous to themselves or others and for patients who cannot take care of themselves
Transfer to a medical surgical hospital or to a residential or group home should be considered if appropriate
Smoking cessation and noncompliance with medications are special concerns
Selection of medications to treat schizoaffective disorder depends on whether the depressive or manic subtype is present. In the depressive subtype, combinations of antidepressants plus an antipsychotic are used. In the manic subtype, combinations of mood stabilizers plus an antipsychotic are used.
Antipsychotics used to treat schizoaffective disorder include the following:
Haloperidol
Risperidone
Olanzapine
Aripiprazole
Ziprasidone
Quetiapine
Clozapine
Iloperidone
Paliperidone
Asenapine
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are greatly preferred to the other classes of antidepressants in this setting. They include the following:
Sertraline
Fluoxetine
Paroxetine
Fluvoxamine
Citalopram
Escitalopram
Mood stabilizers used in this setting are as follows:
Lithium
Valproic acid
Carbamazepine
Oxcarbazepine
See Treatment and Medication for more detail.