Differenzialdiagnose schizoaffektive Störung versus bipolare Störung

Abstract

This case presentation describes a 22-year-old woman after an episode of psychotic mania. Manic-psychotic and depressive episodes, partially with psychotic symptoms, and different diagnoses have been documented for the past 5 years, raising the question of the differential diagnosis between bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. Depending on the classification (ICD-10 versus DSM-5), schizoaffective disorder is defined differently. According to ICD-10, schizoaffective episodes can be diagnosed when affective and schizophrenic symptoms occur simultaneously. In a different approach, DSM-V requires psychotic symptoms in the absence of major mood episodes for at least 2 weeks in the course of the disorder.