Schizoaffective Reference
Beta / DraftNon-diagnostic checklist

Schizoaffective Disorder Symptom Checker

Last updated: August 2026

Written by Jay Fincher, based on lived experience with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. Sourced from the DSM-5, NIMH, and peer-reviewed literature (see references below). This page does not have a formal clinical reviewer yet — see a licensed provider for diagnosis or treatment decisions.

This beta tool has not yet had formal clinical or legal review, and its wording may change.

Please read this first

This is not a diagnostic tool. Schizoaffective disorder can only be diagnosed by a licensed mental health professional, through clinical interviews and observation over time — there is no test, quiz, or checklist that can do that, including this one. What this can do: help you organize what you've been experiencing into language you can bring to a doctor or therapist. Answer honestly, based on the last month. There are no wrong answers.

Choose one response for every statement. This checklist does not calculate a score or estimate the likelihood of any diagnosis.

Psychotic Symptoms (past month)

1.I have heard, seen, smelled, or felt things that others around me didn't seem to notice.
2.I've had thoughts or beliefs that other people told me weren't true, even when I felt certain about them.
3.I've had trouble organizing my thoughts, or others have told me my speech was hard to follow.
4.I've felt like I was being watched, followed, or targeted in a way I couldn't explain.

Mood Symptoms (past month)

5.I've had a period of feeling unusually high, wired, or like I needed far less sleep than normal.
6.I've felt persistently sad, empty, or hopeless for most of the day, most days.
7.I've lost interest or pleasure in things I'd normally enjoy.
8.I've noticed big changes in my appetite, sleep, or energy that I couldn't explain.

Negative / Functional Symptoms (past month)

9.I've had trouble starting or following through on everyday tasks, even ones I wanted to do.
10.I've noticed I'm speaking less, or saying less, than I used to.
11.It's been hard to feel much of anything, positive or negative, about things that used to matter to me.

Question 12 · Timing

Timing

Have you had a period of at least two weeks where you experienced things like items 1-4 (hearing/seeing/believing things others didn't) without the mood symptoms in items 5-8 being present?
Answer every statement and the timing question to continue.

On this site

  • Diagnosis — how clinicians evaluate schizoaffective disorder
  • Symptoms — psychotic, mood, and negative symptoms explained

External References & Further Reading

Schizoaffective Reference

A free, independent educational resource. Not affiliated with any pharmaceutical company, healthcare institution, or government body.

Crisis Resources

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988
  • Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741
  • Emergency — 911

Guides & Comparisons

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