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There are many disorders within the psychotic spectrum, although the focus has often been on schizophrenia. In this article we present these disorders -such as schizophreniform or delusional- whose mechanisms are similar. However, it is important to know how to differentiate them when making a diagnosis or treatment.
Contrary to popular belief, in the context of psychotic disorders, people with schizophrenia are not a homogeneous group. Moreover, the disorders usually present a homogeneous group of symptoms. In the case of schizophrenia, this is not entirely true.
No symptom of schizophrenia is pathognomonic. This means that no major symptom is the essence of the condition. Therefore, rather than schizophrenia, one should speak of schizophrenia.
There are also other psychotic disorders besides schizophrenia. This article introduces those sometimes blurred by the shadow of schizophrenia.
Psychotic Disorders: Beyond Schizophrenia
Within the DSM-5, the psychological vademecum, the spectrum of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders -in addition to the schizotypal personality disorder- are collected in the same section. They are grouped together because they are defined by some anomaly defined by: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, very disorganized motor behavior, and negative symptoms.
Next, these conditions are presented within the psychotic disorders.
Schizoaffective disorder: the hybrid disorder
Schizoaffective disorder is defined as manifesting characteristics of both a mood disorder and schizophrenia. In addition to the presence of a mood disorder-such as major depression-there have been delusions or hallucinations for at least two weeks.
It's important to say that these psychotic symptoms have appeared at some point without affective symptoms, otherwise we're talking about a mood disorder with psychotic symptoms, not a schizoaffective disorder.
The affective disorder usually appears in the middle period of the psychotic disorder. Although schizophrenia alone can lead to a deterioration in a person's work, social, and emotional areas, and thus affect their mood, the affective part of schizoaffective disorder tends to be more intense and more chronic.
While in schizoaffective disorder there is often an environmental stress that motivates the onset of the condition, in schizophrenia there is usually no stressors or family history.
