Talk:Schizoaffective disorder

Schizoaffective.org

Comment on the link just removed:

• http://www.schizoaffective.org/ Schizoaffective.org - A support group

It seems interesting enough to include. That it is anti-psychiatry doesn't deem it uninteresting, no? Preferable would be to write next to the link: "This page is anti-psychiatry", as they boost this themselves. So can we give people the possibility of making their own opinion instead of censoring for them.

I will reinsert the link as soon as the page starts working, if no one objects.

I think that it is good to hear both sides to this. There are pros and cons to medicating a person with schizoaffective disorder.

--Fred-Chess 05:56, 26 May 2005 (UTC)

I am concerned that this link, with a generic name like schizoaffective.org, might be considered an authority on the disease. This site is strongly and pervasively preaching a message of "don't see your doctor" and even "don't take your meds." This is a very dangerous message for most people suffering from a psychotic disorder since it is the continued use of their medication that allows them to make intelligent decisions. I think if you want to include this strongly POV link in an otherwise NPOV article, you need more than a few words of disclaimer. But I would welcome other opinions. Shoaler 08:39, 26 May 2005 (UTC)

Shoaler, I hope you're not seriously suggesting that the non-medicated mentally ill can't make intelligent decisions. Francesca Allan of MindFreedomBC 04:20, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Certainly not as a generalization. But some forms and degrees of mental illness can seriously impair a person's ability to accurately evaluate their environment. They read malice where none exists and evaluate average daily situations as threatening. It is very difficult, if not impossible, for persons such as this to make a knowledgeable decision. For many of these people, a specific medication or group of medications can help them be nearly asymptomatic. In such a situation, they are much more capable of evaluating their world accurately and making a knowledgeable decision -- BUT in the absence of symptoms, and if the medication has unpleasant side effects, it is easy to believe that you are no longer sick and to discontinue the medication. Especially when persuasive people tell you that you don't need your doctor or your medication. For people who have worked hard to find the right medication and for whom medication has allowed them the first real chance at living a semi-normal life, telling them not to take their meds or not to work with their doctor, I believe is cruel and abusive. –Shoaler (talk) 19:22, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Cannabis

Should this growing section be moved to the talk page until a consensus is reached? It appears that there is currently only a single contributer (User:71.241.143.23) who is advocating for cannabis use for this illness, while both Shoaler & I have tried a couple of different tact's so far regarding it's inclusion. The current state of this section of the article seems to be verging on original research, and has the potential to flare-up up into an all out edit war. As a matter of fairness I have invited User:71.241.143.23 on his talk page to weigh in on this. -- 63.226.38.196 14:24, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

I have seen claims on the internet of the efficacy of cannabis in treating schizoaffective disorder. I have seen far more discussions of the problems of trying to sort out the symptoms of a patient with both schizoaffective disorder and cannabis abuse. I think that the use of cannabis in treating SA is currently just a footnote and deserves no greater treatment in the article. –Shoaler (talk) 15:01, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

I am new to wikipedia but quite familair with this disorder from all sides. As this article is to be a NPOV article, any unproven or controversial studies can be cited but should not take up 30-percent of the article (i.e. Cannabis). I agree with Shoaler that if Cannabis is to be included it should be nothing more than a footnote or link to another source. Having it in the article is irresponsible. Both students (young and old) and individuals (caregivers or people with the disorder) will rely on the information in this article. You accept a HUGE responsiblility when editing these articles since your insert of POV or unproven information can have a far-reaching, negative impact on many lives. 24.95.36.22 16:39, 1 April 2006 (UTC)DJG

I have reduced this section to a level more appropriate to the degree to which cannabis plays in treating SA. Much of the details of how cannabis is purported to work should be covered in the article on medicinal cannabis since SA is one of many disorders for which a claim of cannabis efficacy is made. I have also added citations to support the paragraph. –Shoaler (talk) 19:03, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I actually have schizo-affective disorder and although I am pro-marijuana, it does makes my psychotic features worse.Species2112 04:05, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

I agree with what you did. Thanks for fixing this. -- Argon233 ^T _@ ^C _¶ ^U _∠  23:33, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

I condensed the cannabis section for more encyclopedic wording, npov, the removal of uncited speculation, and consistency with cited sources. I've tried my best to report in a neutral manner what has been proven, what is speculative, and clear distinctions between the two. I think I've been even-handed. 21:06, 15 October 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Addisonstrack (talk • contribs)

I think it should be worth noting that specific Subspecies of Cannabis can be used to treat the symptoms of SchizoAffective Disorder, while other strains may aggravate the Psychotic symptoms. It is worth including that there are many claims that Cannabis can be a effective treatment in regulating the mood component of this disorder, especially with users who tend to lean on the BiPolar side. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.79.117.231 (talk) 21:59, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Your claims, user 70.79.117.231, are not supported by current scientific evidence. Cannabis and psychotic disorders do not go together well, as current converging trends of psychiatric research show.76.169.29.127 (talk) 07:29, 25 July 2009 (UTC)

Yes, there is current scientific evidence that suggests Cannabinoids play a role as an effective treatment towards psychotic disorders. Including Schizophrenia specifically a 2007 German study reported improved cognition in patients who used Cannabis, and a 2008 Australian study found that patients diagnosed with schizophrenia report experiencing subjective relief from pot.

Future psychiatric research will prove my claims, as more research is conducted in regards to specific Cannabinoids which can be used as an effective treatment for Psychotic Disorders, including SchizoAffective. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.49.25.77 (talk) 21:44, 1 September 2009 (UTC)

Signs and Symptoms

I removed the warning message that 70.49.59.224 added to this section because, basically, I couldn't understand the point that s/he was making, and the reference din't help. Schizoaffective disorder is a diagnosis made by a mental health professional, frequently a physician (psychiatrist). The DSM is just a collection of diagnoses with numbers so the professional can communicate the diagnosis to other professionals (and to insurance companies). The DSM does not diagnose anything itself. –Shoaler (talk) 13:02, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Clarification

From the article's intro:

Bipolar schizoaffective disorder is more similar to bipolar disorder than schizophrenia.

Does that mean BSD is more similar to bipolar disorder than to schizophrenia, or does it mean BSD ismore similar to biploar disorder than schizophrenia is? AxelBoldt 18:46, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

because it appears in DSM and ICD it must be true?

I have an issue about such an extensive article on this topic. It is simply one diagnostic category of DSM and ICD and probably only deserves a small mention and then a significant section left to the broader concept of Schizotypy. Only the distinct aspects of schizoaffective disorder need to be addressed here.

the continued listing of these (DSM and ICD) categories of mental illness, without balance is not a WP:NPOV - as it unintentionally supports the concept of diagnosis and categories without question - or at least without more balanced acknowledgement that these are a particular world view. Wikipedia should not be a repeat of DSM. I see similar issues with Schizophreniform disorder and schizoaffective disorder - ie they seem like a direct copy of the concept, without alerting the reading to the possible bias.

I will begin to edit as per these comments

the section on diagnosis is misleading. Schizoaffective disorder is a diagnosis. Earlypsychosis (talk) 09:36, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Look at Schizophrenia#Controversies_and_research_directions for some criticism of Schizoaffective disorder (poor interrater agreement) etc. Follow the sources there. As far language goes, use the wording in the introduction to Schizophrenia; it's been heavily debated over time, and is probably the best the wiki can muster. Sorry I don't have the time to help here for now. Xasodfuih (talk) 10:34, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

or maybe all articles on mental health diagnosis need a WP:Undue if they fail to acknowledge that the concept is based on DSM and that other view points exist Earlypsychosis (talk) 08:56, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

edit of first line illness

first line now reads more accurately that schizopaffective disorder is a diagnosis. the reference to neurobiological illness was removed for several reasons - firstly the reference to illness is not strictly WP:NPOV and secondly the link redirects to mental disorder, a subtle, yet important distinction. Earlypsychosis (talk) 00:42, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

schizoaffective disorder and school

how do i state to my college the problems this illness is having on me? I have gone from the Dean list to appealing for lack of achievement for taking to many electives. I have been having problems and have had to have medicines changed which will mostly take up another semester. I am getting credits for these classes. and have aready brought supplies for these classes. I don't want to stop going to classes but I am in no shape to take harder classes at this time. Help I have to write an appeal. What can I say with out blowing my chance to remain in school??