Why does Schizoaffective Disorder exist?

TimewornTraveler@lemmy.dbzer0.com to Therapists - For those in the Helping Field@lemmy.worldEnglish · 5 days ago

It’s schizophrenia with concurrent mood disturbance. Why does it need its own code?

I just reread the DSM entry on it and I’m annoyed. They talk plenty about how to distinguish it from Schizophrenia and from mood disorders w psychotic features. But they never actually discuss what makes it unique, what challenges it presents compared to similar diagnoses, etc.

Why don’t we have a special diagnosis for PTSD with psychotic features, PTS-A Disorder? Why not OCD with mood disturbance, OC-A Disorder? Why do we get a special combo for JUST THESE TWO?

You must log in or register to comment.

Chat

Therapists - For those in the Helping Field@lemmy.world

therapists@lemmy.world

Create a post

You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: !therapists@lemmy.world

Welcome to c/therapists!

A community for mental health professionals to discuss the practice, business, and development of therapy as a profession. Our members include counselors, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health practitioners.

Purpose

This is a space to discuss:

Professional development and career paths
Industry trends and research
Education and training
Work-life balance and professional challenges
Therapeutic approaches and modalities
Professional ethics and standards

Important Notes

This is NOT a place to:

Seek mental health advice or treatment
Request therapist recommendations or referrals
Share personal mental health struggles
Seek diagnosis or clinical opinions
Request or provide clinical supervision

Community Guidelines

Keep discussions focused on the profession, not clients or cases. No identifying information about clients may be shared, even if anonymized.
Maintain professional discourse. While we welcome diverse perspectives and healthy debate, remember to engage respectfully.
No advertising or self-promotion of private practices, programs, or services.
No medical or mental health advice. This includes responding to requests for personal mental health guidance.
Student questions about the profession are welcome, but clinical training questions should be directed to your supervisors and instructors.

Posting Guidelines

When creating a post, please:

Use clear, descriptive titles
Specify the aspect of the profession you’re discussing
Include relevant context
Avoid sharing confidential information

Resources

Professional Organizations

American Counseling Association (ACA)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
American Psychological Association (APA)
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

Crisis Resources (For Those Seeking Help)

If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis:

Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Text HOME to 741741 for Crisis Text Line
Contact your local mental health crisis center

Moderators reserve the right to remove content that violates these guidelines or overly detracts from the focus of the community.

Visibility: Public

This community can be federated to other instances and be posted/commented in by their users.

1 user / day
1 user / week
4 users / month
4 users / 6 months
0 local subscribers
58 subscribers
6 Posts
1 Comment
Modlog