schizoaffective vs. mdd with psychosis

[AryaStark]

Hi All,
I'm trying to diagnose someone and just want some clarification on the major differences between schizoaffective disorder and MDD with psychosis. I have looked in the DSM/online and there doesn't seem to be a great/understandable answer. Could someone with experience please shed some light on this for me?

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[weeblewobble]

Hi! The DSM is not super helpful about this area, and my lab tends to think it's because diagnostic clarity in the schizophrenia spectrum is few and far between. Ultimately there is a lot of overlap of symptoms across psychotic disorders, which makes it extremely confusing to diagnose a person with psychosis and mood symptoms. The difference between these two is which symptoms are the primary set. In schizoaffective, mood symptoms are only present when typical symptoms of schizophrenia are present, although schizophrenia symptoms may be present without mood symptoms. In mood disorder with psychotic features, mood symptoms are primary. To my knowledge there isn't so much an emphasis on psychotic symptoms only being present during mood symptoms, but typically this is diagnosed when mood symptoms become so severe over time that a person becomes psychotic (either during a depressive or manic episode). Does that cover things?

 

[erg923]

PM me and I will send you some resources from my former lab.