Understanding Schizophreniform Disorder
Schizophreniform disorder is a sudden onset of schizophrenia-like symptoms that is short lived and goes away. Schizophreniform disorder can occur out of the blue causing a person to feel paranoid and see things that are not real. The symptoms of schizophreniform disorder do not exceed six months, but commonly last longer than a month. However, the symptoms of the disorder are not the same for every person and they can be extremely scary for a person to experience.
According to the Encyclopedia for Mental Disorders, schizophreniform disorder can have both positive and negative symptoms (Medically speaking). Positive symptoms of include delusions, hallucinations, strange bodily movements or frozen movement, peculiar speech patterns, and bizarre or socially inappropriate behavior. Negative symptoms refer to an absence of a factor that is no longer part of their normal functioning but once was.
A person who has schizophreniform disorder may not understand what is happening to them and they can be dangerous to themselves or to others due to the symptoms of the disorder and the possibility of them not being able to distinguish between fantasy and reality at times. People who have schizophreniform disorder need to be helped by a mental health professional.
Understanding Schizophreniform Disorder and its Effects
Schizophreniform disorder is a very scary, rapid-onset but not long-term form of schizophrenia.
The main difference between schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder is the matter of time. Schizophrenia is a life long illness, whereas schizophreniform disorder is extremely temporary. However, many people who have schizophreniform disorder go on to develop schizophrenia in the future.
According to the Encyclopedia for Mental Disorders, schizophreniform disorder is a time limited disorder where the individual has to experience at least two of the major symptoms of the disorder for less than six months, but longer than one month.
Symptoms of schizophreniform disorder are the same as schizophrenia, and when a person has schizophreniform disorder, they may lose touch with reality and begin to experience severe hallucinations. Furthermore, a person can also become catatonic if they have developed schizophreniform disorder and they may not speak or move for days at a time.
If a person is experiencing any type of psychological abnormalities, it is important for them to seek out help from a psychiatrist to receive an evaluation. The brain, just like any other organ, needs to be taken care of. Schizophreniform disorder is fleeting, but it can cause a person a great deal of discomfort and stress, and the disorder can reappear throughout their life, which is why receiving help, and maintaining the proper help, is a necessity for people who have schizophreniform disorder.
