Even though the health professionals don’t know exactly what triggers schizoaffective disorder, they have some inkling of what they might be.
I’ve always wondered what the difference is between schizoaffective and schizophrenia?
All in all, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia share some symptoms and treatments. The main difference is that schizoaffective disorder has a mood compenent, which can involve mania or depression.
Although, some researchers believe schizoaffective disorder is a more severe variant of schizophrenia.
You might have times when you struggle to look after yourself. Or when your doctors feel that you lack insight into your behaviour and how you’re feeling.
At length, symptoms can begin at any age, but usually start when you’re a young adult. Some people only experience symptoms of schizoaffective disorder once in their life.
Symptoms of psychosis in schizoaffective disorder
Consequently, these symptoms are similar to those experienced in schizophrenia, including:
- Hallucinations – where you may experience things that others around you don’t. For example hearing voices, seeing visual hallucinations and other unexplained sensations.
- Delusions – where you might hold strong beliefs that nobody else shares. For example, a fear that everyone can hear your thoughts or that you can control the weather.
You may also experience:
- Firstly, your thoughts becoming very disorientated
- Feeling confused or frightened
- Feeling disconnected from your emotions
- Difficulty concentrating
- Lastly, a lack of motivation or interest in things
Mood symptoms of schizoaffective disorder
Furthermore, the mood symptoms of schizoaffective disorder are similar to those experienced in bipolar disorder. They can include both manic and depressive symptoms:
- Manic symptoms – indee, you may feel extremely excited or irritated. Or make unrealistic plans and behave in ways that might put you at risk.
- Depressive symptoms – you may feel sad and low or experience sleep problems. You may also feel disconnected from others or experience suicidal feelings.
Environmental Factors Trigger Schizoaffective Disorder
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? There are also environmental factors of what can trigger schizoaffective disorder.
Abuse and neglect. Even more, some evidence suggests that experiencing abuse or neglect as a child can increase the risk of developing schizoaffective disorder. This is because these experiences can cause emotional distress, which may trigger an episode of psychosis or significant mood changes. Therefore, these changes could indicate the initial development of schizoaffective disorder, or they could make ongoing symptoms worse.
Feeling lonely or isolated. I felt lonely and isolated when I was growing up. Basically, I feel that way now, but that’s because of my own doing. I figure the less I’m seen the better off I’ll be. Little anxiety as possible. Subsequently, I know it’s not good for me socially, but I don’t care.
Traumatic loss. Be that as it may, I’d say my whole childhood was a traumatic loss. I was stunted at everything I tried to do. I’d say my traumatic loss was when I lost my so-called best friend. She rather would have been popular than hang around me.
Losing a loved one. I was closest to my grandma. When she passed, I was beside myself. I felt like life shouldn’t go on. In essence, I lost the one person who didn’t treat me differently because of the mental illnesses. I could talk to her about anything.
Relationship problems. I’ve been divorced twice and plan to live out the rest of my life alone. I’ve had enough, Therefore, I don’t want anybody in my life romantically. It will just be me and my kitties.
Financial difficulties. I can attest to that since I’m living on Disability. Inflation hits, but my payment each month hardly increased. Because of medical bills, I’m always broke. And, I’ll have to cut back on the amounts that I pay when I move.
Childhood trauma. I’m one of those people who freeze when something bad is about to happen, like accidents. So, I don’t do anything to avoid them. I’ve had my fair share of accidents.
Being bullied or harassed, including racism. I was bullied all throughout my childhood consistently. Even so, it even continues today to some degree. I’m learning to say “no.” Or I’m learning to ignore them. It doesn’t effect me as much as before.
Brain Chemistry Triggers Schizoaffective Disorder
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? Some chemicals also seem to behave differently in the brains of people who experience schizoaffective disorder. Hence, these chemicals are thought to include dopamine, which helps to carry messages between brain cells.
Some research suggests that an imbalance between certain neurotransmitters, including serotonin, may be one of the causes behind schizophrenia.
Therefore, antipsychotics, which are sometimes used to treat schizophrenia, can help to lower dopamine levels.
Family History Triggers Schizoaffective Disorder
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? People who have a family history of schizoid disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety are more likely to have schizoaffective disoreder. Although, researchers aren’t yet sure why but they think that some genes might make it more likely.
Living in certain environments seems to increase your risk of schizophrenia too. For example, some studies suggest that living in cities increases the likelihood, but again, researchers don’t yet know why.
Other factors trigger schizoaffective disorder
Traumatic Brain Injury
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? Moreover, researchers are taking a second look at the correlation between Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI) and schizoaffective disorder.
Overall, a study shows that those who suffer a brain injury may also be at a higher risk for schizophrenia. The problem is worse in patients with a genetic risk for the mental disorder.
Although, some may wonder if schizophrenia made the head injury more likely and not the other way around. Researchers from this study disagree because the study looked at head injuries in both diagnosed and undiagnosed patients with a risk for schizophrenia.
Given that, the group with the mental illness had a much higher number of prior head injuries. This leads to the belief that experiencing a head injury increases the risk of developing the mental disorder.
Particularly, patients may not react as quickly to a fall as someone with better attention skills. This lack of attention or slowness to react could lead to accidents or injuries, especially head injuries in falls.
Nonetheless, not only is lack of attention one of the biggest signs of schizophrenia, it is among the first symptoms that lead to patients being diagnosed with the disease.
Malnutrition before birth can trigger schizoaffective disorder
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? Meanwhile, prenatal malnutrition exposure has a detrimental impact on risk of schizophrenia in adulthood in the rural population.
Likewise, the first study regarding the Dutch famine and risk of schizophrenia found that in the comparison based on birth time controls, those who were prenatally exposed to famine in the first trimester had more than two-fold likelihood of schizophrenia among women
In brief, the Chinese studies regarding famine exposure and schizophrenia found similar associations with the Dutch studies.
Subsequently, Two studies, using hospital records of schizophrenia patients in China, replicated the Dutch studies and both found two-fold increased odds of schizophrenia in adulthood among those who were exposed in utero to the Chinese famine after adjusting for mortality
Exposure to viruses before birth
In addition, environmental exposures, including to some infectious agents, have also been identified in previous studies as increasing the risk for schizophrenia.
For example, EBV is a common virus and research suggests it infect approximately 90-95 percent of the world’s population. However, most people never show symptoms of infection and the vast majority of people never have complications.
Besides, EBV initially causes fever and swollen lymph nodes, and is commonly transmitted through oral contact such as kissing.
In severe cases, it can spread to the central nervous system and cause persistent infection. In a word, researchers wanted to see the relationship between this EBV infection and schizophrenia.
Birth or pregnancy complications can trigger schizoaffective disorder
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? Also, abnormalities in brain structure can contribute to symptoms of schizoaffective disorder.
These abnormalities can include changes in the size and structure of certain parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus, thalamus, and white matter. In reality, some of these abnormalities may develop before birth.
In sum, studies have found that people with schizoaffective disorder have similar brain structural biomarkers to people with schizophrenia. Including widespread areas of reduced gray matter volume compared to healthy controls.
Alcohol and drug misuse
In like manner, some people may develop symptoms of schizophrenia after using cannabis or other recreational drugs. Researchers still aren’t sure whether using recreational drugs directly causes schizophrenia, or if people who develop schizophrenia are more likely to use recreational drugs.
Also, drinking alcohol and smoking may also stop medication from effectively treating your symptoms.
Thus, you may also depend on recreational drugs and alcohol to help with feelings that you struggle to deal with in other ways. If you use drugs and alcohol in this way, you may be experiencing addiction.
Treatment for Schizoaffective Disorder
Medications
Antipsychotics
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? In sum, antipsychotics can be used to treat acute episodes of schizoaffective disorder (SAD) and help manage psychotic symptoms like delusions and hallucinations. Some antipsychotics that have been shown to be effective and safe for treating SAD include:
- Paliperidone
- Risperidone
- Olanzapine
- Haloperidol
Mood-stabilizing medications
In similar fshion, mood stabilizers for patients with bipolar-type schizoaffective disorder include:
- Lithium.
- Carbamazepine.
- Divalproex.
Antidepressants.
Similarly, antidepressants for patients with depressive-type schizoaffective disorder include:
- Sertraline
- Fluoxetine
Psychotherapy for shizoaffective disorder
Individual Therapy
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? In short, the main type of therapy in the treatment of schizoaffective disorder is cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). CBT may help you to connect your thoughts, feelings and behaviour with your symptoms. It can also help you to develop ways of coping with difficult experiences.
Family or Group Therapy
Treatment can be more effective when people with schizoaffective disorder are able to discuss their real-life problems with others.
Supportive group settings can also help reduce social isolation, provide a reality check during periods of psychosis, increase appropriate use of medications and develop better social skills.
Also, some other types of treatment may be helpful, including mindfulness-based therapies or psychodynamic therapy.
Life Skills Training for Schizoaffective Disorder
Social skills training. On one hand, this focuses on improving communication and social interactions and improving the ability to participate in daily activities. New skills and behaviors specific to settings such as the home or workplace can be practiced.
Vocational rehabilitation and supported employment. On the other hand, this focuses on helping people with schizoaffective disorder prepare for, find and keep jobs.
Conclusion
What triggers schizoaffective disorder? Therefore, having schizoaffective disorder makes life challenging. I never no when I’m going to have an episode or how long it will last.
Sometimes I believe the episodes are so real but then, when It’s over, I second guess myself. Did that really happen?
Flying back and forth between moods is unsettling. Thank God, nowadays, I can sometimes tell when I’m having one and try to bring myself out of it.
I was having an episode before, but it ended about a few months ago. It centered around my last kitty. At least I think it was an episode. But, this one seemed so real. Things happened that I can’t explain. And I’m not the only one that experienced them.
So, if you have ever had a schizoaffective episode, know that you’re not alone. There are many people out there who are dealing with any mental illness for that matter. Just hang in there, it does get better. Until next time…
Articles About Schizoaffective Disorder
-Understanding Child Abuse and Its Effects on Mental Health
-Schizoaffective Disorder
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21544-schizoaffective-disorder
-Symptoms of Schizoaffective Disorder Can Be Debilitating
Have a Good One,
Cindee Murphy, One Voice In The Vastness Of Emotions
“Living with schizophrenia requires immense courage and resilience, as we navigate a world that may not always understand or accept us. But let us remember that our experiences and perspectives are valid, and that our journey has the potential to inspire and empower others.”― Dr. Rameez Shaikh
“I think that I’m a better problem-solver because of my schizophrenia. When you have to question reality every single day, I think that makes you change how you view the world.” — Cecilia McGough
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