People with schizoaffective disorder have symptoms of schizophrenia, combined with those of a major mood disorder. Hallucinations, delusions, or other positive symptoms of schizophrenia must be present for a period of at least 2 weeks without a mood disorder, but the mood symptoms must be present for a "substantial" fraction of the period of illness, in order for a person to receive this diagnosis. There are two subtypes of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar and depressive; the bipolar type, as the name implies, is manic during at least part of the illness, but the depressive type is not. The risk of suicide is considerable for people with this diagnosis; suicide is not uncommon for people diagnosed with any type of schizophrenia, with the greatest risk during the first 6 months after a person is released from the hospital, but the presence of depressive mood probably increases the risk. During the period after release from the hospital, observation and support are especially critical. The motivation for suicide is probably connected with the realization that the illness is likely to be permanent. During periods of at least partial remission the person is likely to be most acutely aware of this.

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                                                                                                                                Last updated  12/19/03