Schizoaffective Disorder

Appropriate medication

Treatment Summary: The most common treatment of schizoaffective disorder is an antipsychotic drug. This form of treatment is followed closely by the following: a combination of antipsychotic plus a mood agent; antipsychotic plus an antidepressant, and an antipsychotic plus an antidepressant plus a mood agent (Cascade, Kalalia, & Buckley, 2009). The antipsychotic drug ziprasidone at 160 mg a day was significantly more effective than a placebo. Other antipsychotic drugs that have been considered for the treatment of schizoaffective disorder include: olanzapine, fluphenazine, quetiapine, and risperidone. Long-acting risperidone and clozapine may be effective in the treatment of schizoaffective disorder. There are numerous other drugs in each category that may be effective when treating a client with schizoaffective disorder (Jager, Becker, Weinmann, & Frasch, 2009). Some clients require a combination of drugs depending on their symptoms. Drugs can also be paired with other forms of treatment such as psychotherapy but appropriate medication is the most common form of treatment for schizoaffective disorder.

• Reference: Cascade, E., Kalali, A., & Buckley, P. (2009). Treatment of schizoaffective disorder. Psychiatry, 6 (3), 15-17. Jager, M., Becker, T., Weinmann, S., & Frasch, K. (2009). Treatment of schizoaffective disorder- a challenge for evidence-base psychiatry. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 121, 22-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01424.x
• Submitter: Carina M. Robinson