How I’m Living a Rich, Full Life After Being Diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder

How I’m Living a Rich, Full Life After Being Diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder

Posted on May 11, 2021

Ashley Smith is a mom, a peer counselor, a taxpayer, athlete, neighbor, mother, and friend. She considers herself a friendly person, a self-identity that she’s had for a long time. She is also a person with a mental health disorder called schizoaffective disorder. “I have been in recovery since 2007,” she says, summing up her life post-diagnosis. She views her recovery journey as both an achievement and a path that she continues to follow. Ashley eventually learned that she actually has a condition called schizoaffective disorder that includes symptoms of schizophrenia as well as symptoms of a mood disorder. It’s actually rarer than schizophrenia itself. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates a lifetime prevalence of only about 0.3% for schizoaffective disorder. There are two types of schizoaffective disorder: The bipolar type and the depressive type. Ashley has the bipolar type, so she experiences episodes of both mania and depression along with symptoms of schizophrenia. The good news about schizoaffective disorder is that it can be managed effectively with therapy and medication, according to NAMI. Since 2012, Ashley has been a peer counselor who works with people with mental health disorders like schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. She helps people set goals and determine how to reach them. In fact, she has coordinated with NAMI Georgia to offer workshops on topics like talking about personal experiences with mental health disorders. If you (or someone you love) receives a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, don’t get discouraged. Ashley says, “Schizophrenia is a medical condition that is very manageable.”