MadSci Network: Neuroscience |
Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness with no known cause. It has a genetic component but likely involves many genes. Schizophreniform disorder is the name given to a cluster of symptoms which are very similar to those seen in Schizophrenia but occurring within a time frame of more than one month and less than six months. If those symptoms (which include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and behavior, affective blunting) last for less than a month the disorder is labelled brief psychotic disorder; if it lasts more than six months it is called schizophrenia. It is thought that 60-80% of those diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder will eventually meet criteria for schizophrenia. As in the case of schizophrenia there is no known etiology. Furthermore, in revising the Diagnostic and statistic manual of mental disorders (DSM), the criteria for schizophreniform disorder was changed from symptoms lasting at least one week to symptoms lasting at least one month. Therefore some of the research that was done using the old definition will not apply. In short, it seems most people with schizophreniform disorder will develop frank schizophrenia though it is clear that a small minority do not and the reasons for this are poorly understood. Rerences Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry/VII by Benjamin J. Sadock (Editor), Virginia A. Sadock (Editor)
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