What is Schizophreniform Disorder?
It is a disorder that includes the existence of criterion A symptoms of schizophrenia - disorganized speech, catatonic behavior, delusions, negative symptoms and hallucinations.
Schizophreniform disorder has 3 phases namely:
- Prodormal phase
- Active phase
- Residual phase
The length of Schizophreniform disoreder varies from 1 to 6 months.
Schizophreniform disorder is essentially identical to schizophrenia, with two important differences:
- The total duration (including prodromal, active, and residual phases) is at least 1 month but less than 6 months.
- Impaired social or occupational functioning during the time of illness is not required (although it may occur).
Clinicians usually diagnose schizophreniform disorder if the patient’s episode lasted 1 to 6 months and the patient has already recovered. They may also diagnose “provisional” schizophreniform disorder in a patient who is still symptomatic, but whose symptoms have lasted less than 6 months. If the illness persists beyond 6 months, the diagnosis would be changed to schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia Key PhasesWhat are some key phases in the development of schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a progressive disorder. It can be divided into five major phases: premorbid, prodromal, onset (first break), chronic, and progressive. |
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