depressed veteran
We understand mental illness and the difficulties it creates for those who suffer from it. At our San Diego Mental Health Treatment Center we are sensitive to your challenges. Solara will find every possible solution to enable you to live the life that you are meant to live.

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS FOR VETERANS

Schizoaffective Disorder Treatment in San Diego

Solara Mental Health’s Behavioral Health and Psychiatric Center offers the best schizoaffective disorder treatment in San Diego. Our program is comprehensive, current, and designed to address the nuanced nature of this complex illness.

We use in-depth tests and evaluations to learn about each veteran’s specific experiences with schizoaffective disorder. We also meet with family, friends, caretakers, and outpatient care providers to gain a full picture of each veteran’s symptoms and struggles. With these evaluations, our expert clinicians create treatment plans that are thorough and personalized.

We utilize a combination of individual psychotherapy, group therapy, holistic therapies, and psychotropic treatment. This allows veterans to gain the understanding and the skills necessary to increase behavioral and emotional function, develop self-confidence and self-sufficiency and lead a fulfilling, stable and healthy life.

Schizoaffective Disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is a complex serious mental illness that shares features of both schizophrenia and mood disorders. It is often a misdiagnosed and mistreated medical condition due to its complications.

According to the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), people diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder may experience persistent psychotic symptoms for at least a two-week period without mood-stabilizing issues.

To more easily differentiate the psychotic disorders, think of schizoaffective disorder as having both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A person with schizoaffective disorder will have symptoms of schizophrenia along with depressed or manic episodes that come with mood disorder symptoms.

Someone with bipolar disorder may experience manic episodes of psychosis and mood fluctuation. However, if psychosis and mood episodes always occur together, it’s a sign of a mood disorder with psychotic features.

Signs and Symptoms

Schizoaffective Disorder symptoms include:

  • Delusional thinking
  • Hallucinations, often visual and auditory
  • Paranoia
  • Disordered thought and/or behavior
  • Communication problems
  • Disruptive moods, including mania and depression
  • Lack of social or occupational function

These symptoms are often deeply distressing for those experiencing them. In particular, the psychotic disconnect innate to this disorder can lead to a fractured sense of reality, which in turn hinders the ability to fully relate to yourself, others, and the world.

Similarly, intense moods such as mania and major depressive episodes can disrupt day-to-day functioning. This, in turn, can be so upsetting that it causes self-destructive behavior and more intense psychological suffering.

Combined, these symptoms can prevent healthy social and emotional functioning, hinder the ability to function normally in everyday life, and cause profound feelings of isolation and helplessness.

Schizoaffective Disorder Treatment at Solara

The staff at our mental health and psychiatric treatment center understands how difficult and painful it can be for people with schizoaffective disorder to manage these challenging and complex symptoms. As such, our program has been specifically designed to address the wide range of schizoaffective symptoms and help those with this disorder as they begin the recovery process.

Our small program size allows us to give maximum attention and support to each veteran, ensuring that veterans feel safe and secure and that all their needs are met. Our clinicians will help veterans heal their fractured sense of reality and better understand their emotions and thoughts, giving them the foundation they need to learn practical skills for managing symptoms and maintaining progress. Veterans also have the opportunity to work with peers who share similar experiences, building a support network that is non-judgmental and understanding.

Through the comprehensive treatment provided at Solara, those with schizoaffective disorder can learn to manage their symptoms, develop self-confidence and autonomy, and come to an understanding of their true self.

While our veterans make considerable and rapid improvements, schizoaffective disorder is often a long-term condition. Through years of experience, our mental health treatment center has learned how to provide the entire spectrum of care for our veterans. From inpatient to outpatient, from transitional living to a long-term aftercare plan, our program has been designed to free our veterans from the clutches of schizoaffective disorder.

Contact us now to start the healing process.

Solara’s Schizoaffective Disorder Treatment for Veterans

We focus on personalized treatment for veterans. Solara Mental Health in San Diego understands that each patient requires a unique treatment combined with a safe environment for healing. Schizoaffective disorder is a complex and severe mental illness that the staff at our mental health and psychiatric treatment center understands.

Solara Mental Health is VA contracted as a community care provider, Which gives us the unique opportunity to help veterans with their mental health needs, including schizoaffective disorder treatment. Once authorization is approved, we provide housing, transportation, and accommodations.

Schizoaffective disorder is caused by chemical abnormalities in the brain including serotonin and dopamine. Researchers believe that a combination of genetics, environmental triggers, and issues with neurotransmission cause schizoaffective disorder. No single factor is typically responsible.

There is no cure for schizoaffective disorder, however, one can better control their symptoms with sustained treatment. Minimizing symptoms is key in successfully living a more ordinary life.

The most effective treatment typically involves a combination of:

  • Medications — such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers
  • Psychotherapy — to educate the patient on how the condition is unique to them and how they can manage it
  • Life skills practice — to help the patient function favorably on their own

The main difference between the two psychotic disorders is that schizoaffective disorder also experiences bipolar disorder or depressive disorder symptoms. These mood disorder symptoms typically occur over half of the duration of the schizoaffective disorder.

Schizoaffective disorder can cause a person to have false beliefs and false sensory perceptions. Someone with schizoaffective disorder might hear voices, see things, or feel sensations that are not real. This can lead to issues remembering what may or may not have happened in a given situation.

Schizoaffective disorder does not make a person dangerous. Hallucinations and delusions may give a person with schizoaffective disorder false perceptions of potentially violent circumstances, but that doesn’t mean they will react with violence. Those situations typically just result in paranoia.

Proudly Serving Veterans
with TriWest Insurance

TriWest Healthcare

What Our Clients Say

Husband

Solara was truly a life-changing experience for me and for our children, because of what you did for my wife! The treatment team was phenomenally supportive and perfect for helping her with her anxiety and depression. We are all now moving forward to put our lives back together and it started with you all in Pacific Beach. Thank you for what you do.

Bradley

The therapists and counselors and really whole team were extremely beneficial to me and my understanding of my issues. The treatment plan they developed was exactly what I needed

Alex

I have never felt better than I do now, since completing your program. The truly caring and supportive staff and the intensive program changed my life. What a neat place to stay for treatment - I love Pacific Beach! I have learned skills and behavior to move forward with my life thanks to you.

Michelle Family

I want to thank you and the entire staff and support system at Solara for taking such good care of my sister. On behalf of my entire family, we want you all to understand that your patience and kindness stretches further than you can see… Thank you, again and again, from the bottom of my heart.

R.M. – Father

If not for Solara Mental Health, I am almost positive that our daughter would not be as advanced in her treatment, and would not have the almost miraculous confident and positive outlook that she has.

Terri

The Solara Treatment Program was a life-changing experience for me. To be able to heal in such a beautiful, peaceful environment, with such a terrific treatment team, was so amazingly positive. I have found my true self, again. I thank you and my family thanks you for helping me become the person I was meant to be.

M.P. – Father

Your program provided our daughter with the most masterful therapist we have ever encountered (and we have used many).  She has had an unbelievable ability to see the long-term trajectory of our daughter’s treatment and to approach her treatment in stages that fit where my daughter’s development was.  We can’t say enough positive about her.

Watson Family

Solara’s program was such a positive experience for our mom (and for us)! She had become almost impossible to deal with. Your entire staff was phenomenally supportive and kind and patient with her. We feel like we’ve got our mom back, now.

Lynn

Even though I’m not religious, I realized when I got sober that for the first time in my life I wanted to explore my spiritual side. I benefited hugely from the individual spiritual sessions that I had with Chris. I’m really grateful for that aspect of the whole treatment experience.

Bill

The program has given me the tools I needed to really gain stability. For the first time in years - maybe for as long as I can remember, actually, I’m learning how to cope and manage my stressors and triggers. I now believe that I can find some relief and happiness.

Lauren

The Solara program is truly amazing. I’ve never had more clarity or more good energy in my entire life. The attention the physicians and the therapists gave me was outstanding. I feel like they truly understood and addressed my issues, which had consumed my life for years. Thank you all.

Dad

We are so grateful to you for the treatment and care you provided our daughter. She is doing unbelievably well now thanks to your program. We will gladly tell anyone we encounter that needs treatment about the wonderful work you do at Solara.