INTRODUCTION:

This is a complicated and complex mental disorder because, in this disease, there is a combination of two disease syndromes. People have to suffer from schizophrenia with mood swings,hallucinations, delusions, and bipolar disorder symptoms like depression,manic attacks, and psychosis. This makes the disease more vulnerable and worse. People around the world are affected by this disorder, and the overlapping of two diseases is itself alarming. There is no known cause behind this disease, but yes, certain factors like gender,age,genetics,environmental factors, and physiological factors contribute to this disease.In psychotic episodes, patients with the disease of schizophrenia have to go through hallucinations and delusions. The severity of the disease depends on the episodes of psychosis and how it is treated. If the patient is treated early, there is a high chance of recovery, and a patient will live the best life ahead, but If the patient delays treatment and ignores the alarming symptoms, he has to bear lots of pain because the pangs of the schizoaffective disease are very hard to bear.

Task Completion Difficulties: They aren’t able to perform common actions like laundry, cooking, and all other basic daily mundane tasks. Patients with this disease used to do lots of self-talk and love to be in their fantasy world. This impacts their cognitive skills, and they aren’t able to do basic math like counting the money.

The two main subtypes of schizoaffective disorder are as follows:

Bipolar Type: This subtype includes psychotic symptoms like manic attacks, in which people become hyperactive, and depressed epsiodenin, in which people have a low mood.

Depressed Type: In this subtype, manic episodes are absent. The patient has to go through only depressive episodes in which he has no energy to do anything.

Schizoaffective disease may last a lifetime, but the right care and assistance will help a patient control their symptoms and enhance their quality of life.

CAUSES:

The reason behind the schizophrenia disease is unknown, but like any mental illness, it has some factors that make people fall for this disease.These factors are genetics,environmental issues, and neurobiology. The following are the factors that play a crucial role in this disease:

Genetic factor: Genetic deposition might raise the issue of this mental illness. It is seen that if the family has a history of mental illness, it runs from family to family. There is no specific gene behind this, which shows that this gene plays the primary role in it, but people with a history of mental illness are more susceptible to this disease.

Neurotransmitter imbalances: Neurotransmitter imbalances like dopamine and serotonin are suggested to be the contributing factors. These are the chemicals that have a deep link with mental processes, emotions, and perception. Dysregulation in the structure of the brain, which is responsible for mood regulation, has also shown its instinct.

Environmental stresses: the chances of developing schizoaffective disease are high when you are living in an environment that is toxic and gives you stress. When a person has a family history of the disease, it comes across as stress, so he develops the signs and symptoms of this disease.

Addiction: Drugs and alcoholism are the key contributing factors. People with addiction are more susceptible to this disease. People who are addicted have more difficulty diagnosing and treating the disease. If a person is taking medication for schizophrenia, continuing to have alcohol or drugs makes the disease worse and untreatable.

Hormonal changes: In pregnancy and puberty, there are huge hormonal changes in the body, and if a person isn’t able to manage them, she will develop the symptoms of schizoaffective disease. It is observed that if a person has schizophrenia, it gets worse when it is brought on by puberty or pregnancy.

Brain Development: Early childhood and adolescence may be a crucial time when schizoaffective disorder is at risk because there are parts of the brain that are responsible for mood, emotion, and problem-solving stuff.

SYMPTOMS:

A schizoaffective person has to go through this because in this disease, a person is experiencing two kinds of major symptoms: mood disorder and second is hallucination.There are typical symptoms of this disease, which are as follows:

Hallucinations: People with schizophrenia have shown the symptoms of hallucinations, due to which they usually

Delusions: These are erroneous ideas that defy logic. Delusions might include irrational thoughts, lofty ideals, or paranoid beliefs.

Mood symptoms include manic episodes (elevated mood, increased activity), depressive episodes (sadness, lack of interest), and other serious mood abnormalities.

Cognitive disabilities can cause disordered thinking, which can make it difficult for other people to follow their talks.

Schizoaffective disorder may impair social and occupational functioning as well as daily activities including employment, relationships, and self-care.

Isolation: Due to fear, paranoia, or difficulties relating to others, many people may withdraw from social engagements.

TREATMENT:

Schizoaffective disorder must be treated in a holistic way, which includes medications along with therapy. It is important to notice that schizoaffective disorder is very complex, for which there is a need for patience for recovery. Its treatment is longer than others.

Medication: Medication is very important to stabilise the mood of people because once you are able to control the emotions of sadness and hyperactivity, other things like hallucinations will be treated in the best way. A health care professional will monitor and change the medication according to the situation and the recovery.

Psychotherapy: Individual counselling, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), can assist people in controlling their symptoms and help them gain c confidence as well.

Hospitalisation may be required to provide intense care along with proper medication.

Supportive Services: Support groups and community-based programmes can give people confidence that everyone has the right to live the best life, and these supporting channels help a person propel themselves in the best way.

Lifestyle management: Adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes physical exercise, yoga, and nature walks helps a person recover in the best possible way. Avoid smoking and alcoholism to live the best life.

CONCLUSION:

Schizoaffective disorder affects a person’s personal and professional life due to its harmful symptoms, which include hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, and mood disorders. These symptoms get worse if not treated on time. The cause behind this disorder is still unknown, but the factors that are contributing are genetics, environment, and stressors. People with a family history of this disorder are more susceptible to this disease if they come across any stressors. There are many treatments, which include medication and therapies. This vast pool of therapies aims to make a person’s life better. In order to properly serve individuals afflicted and comprehend this illness, further research and knowledge are essential.