Schizophreniform disorder: what it is, symptoms and treatment

  • Jul 26, 2021
click fraud protection
Schizophreniform disorder: what it is, symptoms and treatment

One of the most striking and well-known groups of psychological disorders is psychotic disorders. The symptoms that these patients show is precisely what can make them more striking, since in them we can observe hallucinations and delusions.

Within this type of disorder, perhaps the best known is the schizophrenia disorder, although it is not the only one. Among the psychotic disorders we can also find the schizophreniform disorder, similar to the prototypical schizophrenia but with some peculiarities that differentiate them. If you want to know more about this disorder, keep reading this Psychology-Online article in which we present you schizophreniform disorder: what it is, symptoms and treatment.

You may also like: Factitious disorder: what it is, symptoms and treatment

Index

  1. What is schizophreniform disorder
  2. Symptoms of Schizophreniform Disorder.
  3. Differences between schizophreniform disorder and schizophrenia
  4. Differences between schizophreniform disorder and schizoaffective disorder
  5. Treatment of schizophreniform disorder

What is schizophreniform disorder.

Schizophreniform disorder is a disorder included in the diagnostic classification DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association) within the section of psychotic disorders.

DSM-5, as with all its disorders, proposes a series of criteria that the patient must meet in order to be diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder. We present below a summary of these diagnostic criteria.

  • Symptoms: First, although we will deal with them in the next section, the DSM-5 specifies the symptoms that should be present, such as hallucinations and / or delusions.
  • Duration: the classification specifies that the duration of the episodes must be between a minimum month and a maximum of six months.
  • Differential diagnosis: thirdly, other types of disorders such as schizoaffective disorder (which we will deal with later), depressive disorder or bipolar disorder with psychotic characteristics. It should also be ruled out that the psychotic episode is not caused by the effect of any substance or other medical problem.
  • Functional impairment: in this case, the diagnostic classification does not establish the need for functional impairment in the daily life of the patient. patient, therefore it will not be necessary for the disorder to interfere in areas such as work, social, family or even care personal.
  • Specifiers: it may be specified if the disorder appears accompanied or not by catatonia, an alteration of motor behavior in which it can appear rigidity or catalepsy (the latter related to the adoption of a fixed physical posture or attitude during a long period of weather). Second, a specification can be made in relation to gravity. This severity will depend on the evaluation of the primary psychotic symptoms, among which are find delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, abnormal psychomotor behavior, and symptoms negatives. It can also be specified whether the disorder meets the criteria for a good prognosis.

Symptoms of Schizophreniform Disorder.

The clinic of psychotic disorders is very extensive since many psychological spheres of the patients are altered. To group symptoms, these can be classified into positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and disorganized symptoms.

Positive symptoms

Positive symptoms include:

  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions
  • Motor symptoms or catatonic behavior

In the following article, you will find more information about the Difference between delirium and hallucination.

These types of symptoms are the most striking of schizophrenia and have a good response to drug treatment.

Negative symptoms

If the positive symptoms express those symptoms that appear to be increased, the negative symptoms are those in which there appears to be a decreasing effect. Among them are:

  • Apathy
  • Affective flattening
  • Anhedonia
  • Praise

Disorganized symptoms

These include:

  • Disorganized language
  • Inappropriate affect
  • Disorganized behavior

Differences between schizophreniform disorder and schizophrenia.

The schizophrenia it is one of the most well-known psychological disorders among the population and, within the category of psychotic disorders, it is in all probability the best known.

The symptoms that appear in both schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder are similar and In fact, in the DSM-5 classification, the symptoms described in the first diagnostic criterion are exactly those themselves.

The difference between the two appears in temporality and functional impairment:

  • The criterion of timelessness indicates that schizophrenia lasts at least six months. In contrast, schizophreniform disorder lasts for a maximum of six months.
  • Regarding the functional impairment, This is required for the diagnosis of schizophrenia but it is not necessary for schizophreniform disorder.

Differences between schizophreniform disorder and schizoaffective disorder.

Although the symptoms proposed by the DSM-5 for both disorders in the first diagnostic criterion are the same, the main difference between one and the other is found in the concurrence of a major mood episode (manic or major depressive) in the case of schizoaffective disorder. This mood-related episode is not present in schizophreniform disorder.

Treatment of schizophreniform disorder.

Given the complexity of schizophreniform disorder and the diversity of its symptoms, treatment should include multiple intervention strategies that respond to all symptoms.

Following Godoy, J.F., Godoy-Izquierdo, D. and Vázquez, M.L. (2014)[1], the treatment should be directed according to the predominance of symptoms:

  • In the first place, if the predominance of positive symptoms, the intervention will be more aimed at Pharmacotherapy (especially with atypical antipsychotics) together with psychological and psychosocial therapy.
  • On the contrary, if negative symptoms predominate, the intervention will be more aimed at the rehabilitation of deficits in basic functions, especially cognitive ones.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Schizophreniform disorder: what it is, symptoms and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

References

  1. Godoy, J.F., Godoy-Izquierdo, D. and Vázquez, M.L. (2014) Spectrum of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders. In Caballo, V.E., Salazar, I.C. And Carrobles, J.A. (2014) Manual of Psychopathology and Psychological Disorders. Madrid. Pyramid.

Bibliography

  • American Psychiatric Association (2014). DSM-5. Reference guide to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5-Breviary. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana.
instagram viewer