Schizoaffective Disorder 109
pared with schizoaffective disorder in Afri can American and Hispanic populations, so
care must be taken to ensure a culturally appropri ate evaluation that includes both psy-
chotic and affective symptoms.
Suicide Risk 
The lifetime risk of suicide for schizophreni a and schizoaffective disorder is 5%, and the
presence of depressive symptoms is correlated with a higher risk for suicide. There is ev-
idence that suicide rates are higher in North American populations than in European,
Eastern European, South American, and Indian  populations of individuals with schizo-
phrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
Functional Consequences of  Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizoaffective disorder is associated with social and occupational dysfunction, but dys-
function is not a diagnostic criterion (as it is for schizophrenia), an d there is substantial
variability between individuals diagno sed with schizoaffective disorder.
Differential Diagnosis
Other mental disorders and medical conditions. A wide variety of psychiatric and med-
ical conditions can manifest with psychotic and mood symptoms that must be considered
in the differential diagnosis of  schizoaffective disorder. Th ese include psychotic disorder
due to another medical condition; delirium; major neurocognitive disorder; substance/
medication-induced psychotic disorder or neurocognitive disorder; bipolar disorders
with psychotic features; major depressive diso rder with psychotic features; depressive or
bipolar disorders with catatonic features; schi zotypal, schizoid, or paranoid personality
disorder; brief psychotic disorder; schizophre niform disorder; schizophrenia; delusional
disorder; and other specified and unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic
disorders. Medical conditions and substance use can present with a combination of psy-
chotic and mood symptoms, and thus psychoti c disorder due to another medical condition