Schizophreniform Disorder is a mental health condition associated with, albeit separate to, Schizophrenia. There are similar symptoms, including hallucinations and delusions.

Schizophreniform Disorder is diagnosed when the symptoms of Schizophrenia don’t cause the level of disruption seen in most schizophrenic episodes. So while the symptoms are there, they don’t cause as much impairment as full on Schizophrenia.

Despite this, Schizophreniform Disorder can be difficult to live with. Two thirds of people with Schizophreniform Disorder go on to develop Schizophrenia. But, with the right treatment and support, recovery is possible.

Schizophreniform Disorder is a challenging condition to live with

What are the symptoms of Schizophreniform Disorder?

The symptoms of Schizophreniform Disorder are similar to those seen in Schizophrenia. However, there are two key differences:

  • While in Schizophrenia – social, occupational and academic functioning is often severely impaired, Schizophreniform Disorder rarely sees much impairment. If impairment is present, it is normally mild.
  • For Schizophrenia to be diagnosed, symptoms should be present for more than six months. However, with Schizophreniform Disorder, symptoms aren’t present for longer than one month.

In general, someone with Schizophrenia struggles with the way they think, feels and acts.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia can normally be classed as either positive or negative. Essentially, positive symptoms refer to the symptoms that ‘add’ a behaviour, thought or feeling, while negative symptoms are ones that will ‘take away’ a behaviour, thought or feeling.

You can read more about the differences in these symptoms at this article here. Moreover, cognitive symptoms also exist.

Positive symptoms

Positive symptoms are symptoms that involve any change in the behaviour or thoughts of a person. The positive symptoms are often associated with psychosis. They can include:

  • Hallucinations: These involve a person seeing or heating something that doesn’t exist outside of their mind. They may hallucinate based on other senses too, such as smell, feel, or even taste. A common hallucination is hearing voices.
  • Delusions: These involve a person having a belief that they steadfastly believe in, although it isn’t true. Delusions can include paranoia – such as a person believing they are being spied on, or someone on TV is communicating secretly with them.
  • Disorganised speech: This is where a person’s speech will become noticeably different. They may make up words, struggle to concentrate on one topic, or switch topics rapidly.
  • Disorganised behaviour: This involves someone acting impulsively or unpredictably.
  • Catatonia: A person in a catatonic state will often appear immobile – not moving or speaking. They may look unconscious, but they actually aren’t.

Other symptoms include unusual motor behaviour, depersonalisation and derealisation.

Negative symptoms

The negative symptoms may appear before positive symptoms. These symptoms will often worsen over time, though start off relatively mild. They can include:

  • Blunted Affect: Affect refers to the emotions of an individual. Someone with a blunted affect will show little emotion and typically have a rigid facial expression.
  • Poverty of Speech: This involves a person struggling to speak, or only give short and empty answers to questions.
  • Avolition: Someone going through avolition may experience intense difficulty in starting and persisting with goal-directed behaviour.

Cognitive symptoms

There are then some other symptoms that are separate from positive and negative symptoms, but are associated with schizophrenic spectrum disorders.

  • Thought Disorder: This is also known as disturbed thoughts. This is where someone who has experienced psychosis will also lose touch with reality. Their thoughts will be distorted.

As seen, there are many potential symptoms. Not everyone will experience all of the above symptoms. Moreover, sometimes no symptoms will be present.

What are the causes of Schizophreniform Disorder?

It isn’t entirely known what causes Schizophreniform Disorder. Moreover, it isn’t known why some people suffer from this condition, but don’t go on to develop fully-blown Schizophrenia, while others do.

It is believed that a combination of factors can contribute to the onset of the illness.

As with other conditions on the schizophrenic spectrum, genetics appears to be an important area. One study found that heritability rates for Schizophrenia is approximately 80% – suggesting genetics plays a big role in the onset of the condition [1]. Yet no exact gene is responsible.

A chemical imbalance – linked to neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin – may be exhibited, which has been linked to many mental health conditions developing. An excess level of dopamine is particularly linked to psychotic episodes.

A traumatic experience is linked to the onset of many mental health conditions. Substance abuse has long been linked to psychosis-related conditions, and at the very least acts as a risk factor.

Some of the factors above are risk factors, others can act as triggers. A combination of these may lead to Schizophreniform Disorder developing, but it isn’t entirely clear.

Diagnosis of Schizophreniform Disorder

It is important for an individual to see a doctor or mental health professional if they believe they are suffering from any of the symptoms of Schizophreniform Disorder.

The earlier treatment starts, the more chance there is of the patient recovering and ultimately avoiding the more severe diagnosis of Schizophrenia.

A person will normally see a doctor, who will have a discussion with their patient and ask a range of questions. If they suspect Schizophreniform Disorder is present, the individual will be referred immediately to either the local Community Mental Health Team or an Early Intervention Team.

A mental health professional from one of these teams will carry out a full assessment of the symptoms of the individual. They will ask a series of questions, such as a personal history, any past drug abuse, and a family history of mental illness.

For Schizophreniform Disorder to be diagnosed, the patient will normally:

  • Have experienced any of the symptoms of Schizophrenia (positive or negative), though not experienced significant functional impairment.
  • The symptoms have not been caused by substance abuse.
  • These symptoms are normally required to have been present for less than six months.
  • The symptoms don’t fit a different mental health condition better, like Bipolar Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder or a Personality Disorder.

If symptoms worsen, or last for over six months, it is likely Schizophrenia will instead be diagnosed. Once a diagnosis has been made, treatment can proceed.

How is Schizophreniform Disorder treated?

Treatment is available for Schizophreniform Disorder. Treatment is crucial, as in many cases, an absence of treatment will lead to Schizophrenia developing. Sometimes, a full recovery is possible.

Treatment is normally organised by Community Mental Health Teams, which are teams made up of mental health professionals. A care plan, which sets out goals for treatment, will normally be created. Treatment will normally consist of:

Talking Therapy

Talking therapy is an important component in the treatment of Schizophreniform Disorder. There are several different types of therapy that can be used.

Interpersonal Therapy: Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a type of therapy that helps people with mental health problems to address issues with their behaviour towards family, friends and colleagues. It is primarily designed for Depression, but can be used for other conditions too. It revolves around the idea that a person’s mood is impacted by relationships with others, and vice versa. Therefore, by improving a person’s relationships with others, it should ease their psychological suffering. A range of techniques are used to achieve this.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): CBT is a type of therapy that is used to treat a range of mental health conditions. CBT involves an individual talking face-to-face with a therapist, although sometimes CBT can be conducted in a group setting. CBT attempts to improve an individual’s wellbeing and mood. The therapy focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings and actions. This can be useful for those with low self-esteem, anxiety, unhelpful personality traits or intrusive thoughts. CBT can help an individual understand their feelings more, and in the long run should lead to an improvement in quality of life.

Arts Therapy: Arts and creative therapy (also known as expressive arts therapy, creative arts therapy, expressive therapies etc) can help people find a way to express their thoughts and feelings in an easier way. This type of therapy involves an individual creating art, an object or piece of music, which can normally be used by a therapist to link to certain problems. Arts therapy can be a good alternative to talking therapy if needed.

There are a range of other types of talking therapies available. There are many ways that talking therapy can help. We have more information on our Therapy section.

Medication

The use of medication is crucial in the management of any schizophrenic spectrum disorder. The main medication class used is Antipsychotics.

Antipsychotics – particularly the ‘atypical’ class of antipsychotics – can help lessen the severity of the symptoms of Schizophreniform Disorder. They may only need to be taken for a few months, with this depending on each individual case.

Antipsychotics: Antipsychotics (also known as neuroleptics) block the effect of dopamine – a chemical in the brain that is heavily linked to psychotic symptoms like hallucinations. They can also be useful for stabilising mood, and treating anxiety. They are not suitable for everyone however, and are often associated with many side effects like weight gain, dizziness and dry mouth.

Other

As Schizophreniform Disorder’s symptoms can appear rapidly, sometimes it is necessary for treatment to take place in a secure hospital.

This should only be temporary, and is normally only in instances where an individual may pose a danger to themselves or others if not treated in a psychiatric ward.

Summary

Schizophreniform Disorder is, in its own right, a difficult condition to live with. Seeking treatment is crucial, as if untreated, it is very likely that symptoms will worsen, causing a fully-blown Schizophrenia disorder to develop.

Treatment is available for this condition. Our website features plenty of information if you wish to find out more.

See Also

Disclaimer

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We strive to keep all of our pages updated, and ensure that our website is full of factual and in-depth information. However, we encourage you to browse this website with care.

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Helplines

If you are struggling with your mental health, help is available. With the right support and treatment, you can make a recovery. For information on helplines, or if you are in a state of crisis, please visit our crisis page by clicking on the relevant link for your geographical location (United Kingdom), (United States), (International). You can also see how to get mental health treatment and the process involved by clicking this link.

References

[1]         Combs, D. R., Mueser, K. T., & Gutierrez, M. M. (2011). Schizophrenia: Etiological considerations. In: Hersen, M., & Beidel, D. C. (Eds). Adult Psychopathology and Diagnosis. 6th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

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