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Medications are usually prescribed to alleviate psychotic symptoms, stabilize mood and treat depression, while psychotherapy can help curb distorted thoughts, teach social skills and diminish social isolation. ("Schizoaffective Disorder," 2006)
Medication: Medications generally include antipsychotic drugs prescribed to alleviate psychotic symptoms, such as delusions, paranoia and hallucinations. Mood-stabilizing medications are prescribed in bipolar disorder, which help to level out the highs and lows of manic depression. Anti-depressants such as citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac) and escitalopram (Lexapro) are normally prescribed for depressive subtype schizoaffective disorder, as they are likely to alleviate feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or sleeplessness and lack of concentration. (Ibid.)
Psychotherapy and Counseling: Although there has been far less research on psychotherapeutic treatments for schizoaffective disorder than in schizophrenia or depression, the available evidence suggests that cognitive behavior therapy, brief psychotherapy, and social skills training do have a beneficial effect on patients of schizoaffective disorder. By building a trusting relationship with the patients, the psychotherapist can help them understand their condition better and make them feel hopeful about their future. Family or group therapy treatment has also been found to be effective as people with schizoaffective disorder feel better when they can discuss their problems with others, rather than suffer in isolation. Group therapy helps them to overcome their social isolation (Ibid.).
Outcomes of Treatment: The prognosis for patients with schizoaffective disorder lies somewhere between that of patients with schizophrenia and those with a mood disorder, i.e., the treatment of schizoaffective disorder is more successful...
However, when treatment is started, the "baseline" functions such as the cognitive abilities of the patient, as well as the severity and frequency of psychotic and depressive or manic episodes are noted. These can then be periodically compared with any positive or negative change in the patient, in order to determine whether a particular treatment is working.
References
Brannon, G.E. (2005). "Schizoaffective Disorder." E-Medicine. Retrieved on April 18, 2007 at http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3514.htm
Facts About Schizoaffective Disorder." (2001). Family Social Support Project at UCLA. Retrieved on April 18, 2007 at http://www.npi.ucla.edu/ssg/schizoaffective.htm
Grayson, C.E. (2004). "Schizoaffective Disorder." Mental Health America. Retrieved on April 18, 2007 at http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/schizophrenia/schizoaffective-disorder
Schizoaffective Disorder." (2006). Mayo Foundation for Medical Educational and Research. Retrieved on April 18, 2007 at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/schizoaffective-disorder/DS00866
Mental Health The client, a sixty-year-old male of average height but thinly built, demonstrated initial reluctance to meet with the therapist. However, within a few minutes of initiating the therapeutic conversation, the client smiled and seemed temporarily disarmed. I spoke to him with kindness but without condescension. The following encapsulates the therapeutic conversation that took place at the Veteran's Hospital at which the client had been receiving treatment for schizoaffective disorder,
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