Schizophrenia

Sometimes people have symptoms of a mood disorder in addition to symptoms of schizophrenia. A mood disorder is a disorder that affects a person's emotions. Major depression is a mood disorder that causes people to feel very sad and hopeless for long periods of time. People with major depression often have trouble sleeping, eat too much or too little, and lose interest in things that they usually enjoy. Another kind of mood disorder is bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder show symptoms of major depression at times, but at other times they become manic, meaning that they feel extremely happy (or, occasionally, irritable) and energetic. They feel so energetic that they go for long periods of time without sleeping and may often take risks and do things that they wouldn't ordinarily do, such as spend a lot of money on items that they cannot afford. When a person suffers from symptoms of a mood disorder along with symptoms of schizophrenia, they may receive a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder.