Schizophrenia-related disorders

There are several psychotic psychiatric disorders which I consider to be similar to or related to schizophrenia. This article will cover those.

Schizoaffective disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is a condition characterised by the presence of both symptoms of schizophrenia and a mood (affective) disorder like bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder. Both sets of symptoms must be prominent in the patient's course of illness for the diagnosis to be made. The diagnosis also requires the patient to have at least a two-week period with symptoms of schizophrenia (hallucinations, delusions) without mood symptoms being present.

Schizophreniform disorder

Schizophreniform disorder is a disorder characterised by the same symptoms and diagnostic criteria as schizophrenia, except that the symptoms do not last for the full 6 months required for a schizophrenia diagnosis.

Delusional disorder

Delusional disorder is characterised by the presence of delusions that persist for at least 1 months, without the presence of other psychotic symptoms like hallucinations or thought disorder.

Brief psychotic disorder

Brief psychotic disorder is characterised by the presence of psychotic symptoms which last for at least one day but less than 1 months, with the patient eventually returning to their usual level of functioning. Relapses are common, but between relapses the affected person typically functions well.