| People tend to rely on certain support | | | | cases of this mental health disorder, but |
| structures in their lives. These structures | | | | this is what is most cited as the main |
| serve as ways for people to alleviate fear | | | | difference between schizoaffective disorder |
| and anxiety in an increasingly stressful | | | | and the more recognizable schizophrenia. |
| world. There are certain things and certain | | | | |
| people that we count on to alleviate our | | | | This particular symptom is believed to be an |
| stress and anxiety at the end of the day. | | | | outcrop of unwanted changes or emotional |
| People can go into a panic when that support | | | | damage in the patient's interpersonal |
| structure is taken away permanently. The | | | | relationships. By attributing the unwanted |
| build-up of stress and anxiety can exact a | | | | behavior or changes to a "duplicate," the |
| price on one's mental health that most people | | | | patient can feel safe in discarding their |
| simply can't afford. The fear of this can | | | | emotions for that person. This has the side |
| sometimes lead to someone developing a case | | | | effect of developing a sense of detachment |
| of separation anxiety. However, the field of | | | | around the "duplicate" in some, while others |
| mental health is a complicated field where | | | | report feeling extreme levels of fear and |
| even if your support structure is there, your | | | | anxiety. In theory, the reactions are |
| mind says they're not. | | | | affected by how had the patient's delusions |
| | | | have gotten. |
| There is a dangerous psychological disorder | | | | |
| known as schizoaffective disorder, which has | | | | Another difference that some have noted is |
| interesting effects on human perception. The | | | | the perception of the voices that the patient |
| problem is highly similar to schizophrenia in | | | | hears. Both disorders cause someone to hear |
| symptoms and treatment, although | | | | voices that aren't really there. However, |
| schizoaffective disorder poses a much larger | | | | while schizophrenia causes people to perceive |
| mental health risk. Both problems are common, | | | | the voices as coming from their own minds, |
| with at least 10% of the population having | | | | people with schizoaffective disorder |
| experienced it at one point in their lives. | | | | experience it differently. These non-existent |
| Both have a tendency to generate the same | | | | voices are heard via the ear, making it seem |
| range of side effects in patients. The | | | | as if they are real voices from real people, |
| primary difference between the two is that | | | | rather than delusions. Most people believe |
| schizoaffective disorder does a significantly | | | | that the difference lies in the brain |
| larger amount of emotional damage to patients | | | | tricking itself into believing there is |
| than schizophrenia does. There is also the | | | | actual sensory information, which most assume |
| distinctive symptom of more serious cases of | | | | does not occur with the voices in |
| schizoaffective disorder, which echoes plots | | | | schizophrenia. |
| of science fiction B-movies rather closely. | | | | |
| | | | Perhaps the most critical difference between |
| The most distinctive symptom of | | | | the two is the degree of emotional healing |
| schizoaffective disorder is that patients | | | | that the patient and his loved ones would |
| suddenly find that people in their lives have | | | | have to go through. Schizoaffective disorder |
| been..."replaced," for lack of a better term. | | | | tends to do more damage to personal |
| In one instance, a housewife saw her husband | | | | relationships than regular schizophrenia. As |
| and believed he was a duplicate of her real | | | | such, there is usually more emotional healing |
| husband. She believed that he was a fake | | | | needed for the people around the patient to |
| despite his having the same physical | | | | make a full recovery than in schizophrenia. |
| features, personality, and voice. When asked | | | | Like all serious mental health problems, the |
| why she felt that she was looking at a clever | | | | patient has to deal with the damage done to |
| fake, she said that his nose seemed longer | | | | the people around him. However, in the case |
| and his shoulders didn't seem as broad as | | | | of schizoaffective disorder, there was likely |
| those of her "real" husband's. These symptoms | | | | damage or changes to the relationship in the |
| are typically only found in more extreme | | | | first place. |