Which of the following is a characteristic symptom of both schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder?

Hallucinations are a characteristic symptom of both schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, making it the correct answer. In schizophrenia, individuals may experience auditory, visual, or other types of hallucinations as part of their psychotic symptoms. Similarly, schizoaffective disorder, which includes symptoms of both a mood disorder and the psychotic features of schizophrenia, also presents with hallucinations.

The prevalence of hallucinations in both disorders underscores the overlap in their symptomatology, emphasizing that psychotic experiences are central to the diagnosis of schizophrenia and can also be present in schizoaffective disorder. This makes hallucinations a key symptom indicative of the severity and nature of the psychotic experience in these conditions.

Other symptoms listed, such as anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and obsessive-compulsive behavior, can occur in various mental health conditions, but they are not defining characteristics of both schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Anxiety can be a secondary experience related to these disorders rather than a primary symptom. While suicidal thoughts may be present, they are not exclusive to psychotic disorders and are a common risk across various mental health conditions. Obsessive-compulsive behaviors are more specifically associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder rather than schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Thus,