Schizophrenia vs. Psychotic Depression

Recent research and brain studies have determined that schizophrenia and psychotic depression are closely related mental illnesses both in symptoms and in their chemical manifestations in the brain. However, the two diagnoses do have differentiating characteristics.

• Symptoms for schizophrenia and psychotic depression might be similar, but they're completely different conditions.

Feature Similarities

• People diagnosed with psychotic depression exhibit symptoms like hallucinations, delusions and paranoia, which are common symptoms experienced by people with many types of schizophrenia, also. And for both illnesses, a family history of them increases one's chances of developing the illness.

Feature Differences

• However, unlike schizophrenia, people with psychotic depression usually know that their hallucinations or delusions are not reality. Many people with schizophrenia believe what they are hearing or seeing is real and they do not necessarily experience depression, like those with psychotic depression do.

Risk Factors

• Risk factors for psychotic depression include abnormal thyroid function, human immunodeficiency virus, some prescription drugs and some side effects of certain drugs. Risk factors for schizophrenia include exposure to a virus in the womb, malnutrition during development and substance abuse.

Treatment

• Both antipsychotic medications and antidepressants are given to patients with psychotic depression to battle both the psychotic and depressive symptoms. Electroconvulsive therapy has been effective for treating it as well, but is only used as a second option if medication is unsuccessful. Schizophrenia patients are usually only given antipsychotics.

Prognosis

• Schizophrenia is usually a chronic disorder that needs to be managed throughout a person's lifetime through medication and therapy. But psychotic depression can be treated within one year, and people can fully recover with medication and/or therapy.