Schizophrenia spectrum disorder is a psychotic disorder that can impact your mental health, usually starting in adulthood. It includes three distinct disorders that make it challenging to identify the differences between hallucinations, delusions, and reality. 

Your Avazach Psychiatry provider uses detailed psychiatric evaluations to diagnose:

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which people interpret reality differently than most others. It results in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning. It lasts more than 6 months

Schizophreniform Disorder

Schizophreniform disorder is a type of schizophrenia that has a shorter duration of symptoms. It lasts for longer than a month but fewer than six months. 

Brief Psychotic Disorder

Brief Psychotic Disorder is the sudden onset of psychotic behavior with delusions and hallucinations that lasts less than one month followed by complete remission with possible future relapses.

Schizoaffective disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is a form of schizophrenia that includes major mood episodes alongside delusions and hallucinations.

Schizotypal personality disorder 

Schizotypal personality disorder causes infrequent episodes of symptoms including magical thinking that aren’t very long or intense. With this disorder, you will likely grasp reality if you’re made aware of its presence.

Each of the three subtypes of schizophrenia shares common symptoms. To determine your diagnosis, licensed mental health providers evaluate your symptoms and how often they occur.

Common schizophrenia spectrum symptoms include:

• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Disorganized thoughts and speech
• Reduced ability to function normally
• Abnormal behaviors, like agitation or sporadic movements

Your symptoms can fluctuate over time, becoming more or less severe. Sometimes, you might even experience periods of remission when you don’t have any symptoms. 

Avazach Psychiatry proudly provides the necessary treatment to help you manage any disorder on the schizophrenia spectrum. While it can take time to find an effective strategy, your mental health specialist will offer personalized treatment plans based on your needs.

There are medications available to help manage the psychosis that comes with the schizophrenia spectrum. Antipsychotic medications work best when you use them consistently and according to the specific instructions. Your medication checkups via telehealth usually last for 20-30 minutes.  

Afterward, you can expect to have follow up appointments to determine the effectiveness of your medication and any side effects you might experience. 

Supportive therapy is almost always a component in treating schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Through therapy, you can learn essential coping skills and self-care strategies to recognize and manage symptoms when they occur.